This Scarlet Mourning

Existing in various forms since 1990, long-time turned long-distance shoegaze band Skylight continues as a beautifully relevant, yet occasional endeavor we've been fortunate enough to follow in recent years. Although much of our attention has been focused on Chicago's evolving portion of the equation with lovelies Bliss City East, co-founding musician Brent Martino (guitar, programming) and Peter Kontos (guitar, bass) have also branched out, recording their latest music in northern Massachusetts. The new project, a complete band with the addition of vocalist Katie Bunting among other friends, has now been launched under the name This Scarlet Mourning, From the very beginning of their debut track, aptly titled Shine, a thoughtful cloud of peripheral white noise lingers to provide an additional layer to the endearing drone of Katie's vocals. All the while, undercurrents of classic guitar make perfectly certain a song structure remains in place to challenge almost any semblance of "nouveax-gaze" we are all too often confused and disappointed with these days. A listen to the introductory song is now in order. Looking forward to updates from this one.

MP3: Shine

Red Dwarf: World Rock (EP)

Keeping in touch with, and frequently visiting the music of artists we've featured previously is one of the most satisfying aspects of maintaining this music blog. Today, we have the fortune of presenting a new endeavor from a well traveled musician and long time friend who just so happens to have been mentioned more often than any other here at MML. Ray Weiss, a disturbingly gifted songwriter from New York City we first featured as frontman for The Medics in 2006, then repeatedly with his more recent band Le Rug, has now formed his latest music incarnation. Red Dwarf is the four piece of Max Kagan (vocals, bass), Jon Edelstein (vocals, guitars), Ray Weiss (guitars) and Matt Gaffney (drums) who have completed seven songs in the form of a debut release titled World Rock EP. Incorporating caustic new vocals, drunk-tank guitars and an underlying current of pop structure we are all too familiar with, this new project makes for an amazing listen. Here you go...

MP3: Red Dwarf

While the inclusion of Patrick Ewing for the EP artwork had us completely baffled, our brains were much more distracted by the ridiculous and humorous genre classification of NYC Dickwave. Please allow us... OK, make that Casey to be the first to explain this recent phenomenon as... "the scene that strokes itself".

Architecture: When We Were Young (EP)

Eyes and ears have reopened as we finally have the chance to breathe life back into this, our favourite little spot for music. In making a belated return to MML, we've found an appropriate track that just so happens to belong to an amazing EP release from earlier this year. Architecture is the Chicago, Illinois based duo of Rebecca Scott (vocals, guitar, etc.) and Melissa Harris (vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel, etc.) who were first mentioned here almost exactly one year ago, in August 2010. The debut EP, titled When We Were Young, delves gently into a near chamber-music mood from the very beginning, with understated instrumentation and the perfect spark of electronic beat that leaves us scurrying to adjust our year-end "best of" list straight away. Have a listen.

MP3: In The Morning

For those who have not experienced Rebecca Scott's other electro-shoegaze music project, Panda Riot, please do yourselves a favor and check previous MML reviews from 2006, 2007 and 2010. Also, if you are close enough to Cincinnati, Ohio, Architecture will perform live at local downtown venue Mainstay on August 13. Buy us a cocktail when you get there. Thanks, pals.