The Gary: El Camino EP

Much like our experience during the first few months of last year, ongoing searches and listening for new music to send 2011 swimming along finds us sorting through a number of incredibly good EP releases to fawn over. For those who could use a healthy dose of past-minded garage rock n' roll, perfectly suited for conquering the new day, we have a serious treat to share this time around. The Gary, an oddly-named Austin, Texas based trio consisting of musicians Dave Norwood (bass, vocals), Paul Warner (drums) and Trey Pool (guitar), first assembled as a unit to begin ratcheting up their sound in 2008. After a debut 2009 EP introduction, titled Chub, and downright chill-raising LP follow up in Logan for 2010, the band makes sure to remind the senses once again with an collection of six new songs belonging to an early 2011 release that deserves every ounce of attention it is currently receiving. Please have a listen before we continue...

MP3: Rope

Recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago by Steve Albini, El Camino EP was released through local Austin label Cedar Fever Records and serves as the latest celebration for a band already well on their way into plenty of personal favourite lists. With a grumbling undercurrent of raw basics that might send purists scurrying through back catalogues of Amphetamine Reptile or Homestead Records for a proper comparison, The Gary manages to surpass many of the classic artists they list as influence. A simple recipe unfolds with each and every song. Thundering drums rolling off the battered lip of a distressed stage, commanding off-kilter vocals and a single guitar to deliver each transition from dank basement to main stage provides us with one of our favourite listens in a long, long while. Upcoming live performances (post-SXSW) will take place next month as the band begins a limited tour through the Midwest and beyond with Martha's Vineyard Ferries, an ongoing side project of Bob Weston and Chris Brokaw. For those already listening and others who might recognize the last two names mentioned, there will be no surprise in discovering our travel plans might just include an April 23 visit to Chicago venue The Hideout for taking in a show.

Listening roundup:

Chub EP (2009)
Logan LP (2010)
El Camino EP (2011)

Silent Sleep: The Scissor Disaster EP

Almost exactly one year ago, in February 2010, we featured the lovely electronic pop of Liverpool, UK collective Hallo... I love You! Since our last mention, contributing multi-instrumentalist Chris McIntosh (also of 28 Costumes and Voo) relocated to Berlin, Germany where he continues to create and record new music under the name Silent Sleep. The debut EP release for his most recent solo project, titled The Scissor Disaster, was just released in late February and serves as the first of three EP offerings to make up an ongoing trilogy for 2011. After having taken in the track You Can Colour Me In from this beautiful new EP, our first instinct was to reach for paint tubes and palette knives, however, we quickly found a window from which to gaze as this sweet and simple acoustic pop song warmed our daydreams. Enjoy a first listen and expect updates on MML as each of the corresponding EP releases are made available in coming months.

MP3: You Can Colour Me In

*Bonus* Video for the song You Can Colour Me In, which was filmed with Chris and friends in Berlin.

Last Remaining Pinnacle

Presenting the side-projects of various artists from previously featured bands on MML has always been a treat worth sharing, but when the primary musician involved also happens to be the owner of a favourite record label, our interest and curiosity become glued to the little computer speakers nestled in front of us. Custom Made Music is a Virginia Beach based label that was formed in 2007 by Dave Allison and boasts a solid lineup of decidedly shoegaze/dream-pop bands to admire. Aside from maintaining CMM, Dave has also taken the time to provide vocals and guitars, alongside fellow guitarist Chrischa Ives, for a new music endeavor we can now identify as Last Remaining Pinnacle. Together, this Portsmouth, Virginia duo/couple have already recorded an experimental track, titled Students Of The V. U., which will be released through Custom Made Music early this spring as part of a split 7" single with lovely Norfolk, VA trio Pan Galactic Straw Boss. Both contributing bands will share the stage on April 16 at local Ghent District venue Plaza Del Sol. Listening time it is...

MP3: Students Of The V.U.

Buzzing from a sleep-paralysis state while gently sprouting familiar tones of a distant land, Last Remaining Pinnacle builds a slow dense path of guitar, next-room vocals and peripheral samples to dance around a driving growl of tension. Most certainly looking forward to more experimental goodness from this duo.

The Sunshine Factory: Sugar LP

Although any thought of ourselves being quick off the mark in finding a new release makes for sweet dreams in MML-land, a swift nudge from friends is often required to guide us in the right directions for music. This time around, like-minded music blogger Mike of Powerpopulist was kind enough to shed light on today's featured artist and we can't thank him enough for the tip. The Sunshine Factory is a Mobile, Alabama based trio consisting of musicians Ian Taylor (guitars, vocals), Sally Robertson (bass, vocals) and Mathew Hendrich (percussion) who began honing their sound as a band in 2008. Following up on an impressive July 2009 debut album in Vintage Revolution, the band recently made available a collection of 10 new songs that left our jaws resting comfortably on the floor from the very first listen. The new full-length offering, titled Sugar, was released late in December 2010 and provides nothing less than a kick to the shins for old shoegazers resting on their laurels. While immediate comparisons can be drawn to My Bloody Valentine, there is much more involved within the sound. Similarities ranging from the mid 80s gentle-garage flavour of Game Theory to the early 90s loveliness of Ultra Vivid Scene certainly present themselves, however, The Sunshine Factory manages to deliver a beautiful presence completely unique and of their own. After extended and repeated listening, most any song from the Sugar LP could easily serve as a highlight, so we almost-randomly selected the very last track to share with you...

MP3: Head Becomes The Tomb

Yes, the entire album really is this good and happens to be one of our favourites in a long while.. The next chance you will have to check out a live performance takes place on March 5 at local Mobile venue Alabama Music Box, after which the band travels into the northeastern states with Brooklyn, New York and Boston, Massachusetts in mind. For an idea of what to expect once this three-piece takes the stage, we also have an assortment of live videos as well as an earlier song for your listening enjoyment. Love this band.

From the 2009 debut full-length release Vintage Revolution:
MP3: Hey Spaceman

Colour Bük

Walking into a record shop during the early 1980s was almost always a risk worth embracing. With only a few dollars in pocket, no local college radio station or any clue what to expect, music purchases were often based on cover art and what little information could be found on the sleeve. As a result of those years, a collection of outlandish sounds began to fill shoeboxes and crates to shape current tastes in music. Today, we have the opportunity to revisit our adventurous instinct and dumb luck with a featured artist who happens to fit in perfectly with everything we've grown to love in our continuous audio experience. Colour Bük is the Amityville, New York duo of Adam Kastin (previously of NYC band Le Rug) and Brandon Wulle who have taken the past few years to create, perform and release snippets of their very own brand of experimental noise. The latest EP, titled Our Favorite Fucking Day Of The Goddam Year, was made available via cassette tape late last year through Wir Wollen Records and contains sound-textures that vary from traditional studio/bedroom instrumentation to sampled field recordings of what can only be explained as a beautiful clash of kitchen utensils or walkie-talkies under boiling water. For a completely free download of the EP and information on their upcoming full-length album Licht Dinger, which should debut once the weather warms for 2011, pay a visit to the Colour Bük Bandcamp page. A listen for you...

MP3: The Magic Keys To Conversation

Bull Thieves

After an absence of nearly 10 years, Austin, Texas label Ojet Records decided to emerge from their prolonged hibernation and we are certainly fortunate they did so. In launching, or rather re-introducing, themselves again for 2011, the label has recently made available a solid debut release we've been wrapping our ears around for the better part of a week now. Originally from the Houston/Galveston area of Texas, musicians Lance Scott Walker (vocals, beats, guitar, bass, synths), Nicholas Phelps (guitar, bass, vocals) and Task (synths, mixing, beats) formed Bull Thieves after relocating to Brooklyn, New York in 2008 and have been creating music while performing locally ever since. The debut collection of 10 songs is self-titled and can currently be previewed by visiting the Bull Thieves Bandcamp page. Expect nothing held back where the lowest end of the sound spectrum is concerned. An alternating backdrop of both synthetic and organic beats drive slowly, deep into the chest, as heavy drawn-out guitars sear a direct path forward. Our featured track this evening provides a lighter glimpse into various moods presented within the new album, so please do yourself a favor by exploring further into the lovely haze of guitars and pulsating rhythms involved.

MP3: The Quiet

The next Bull Thieves live performance happens on March 6 at local Brooklyn/Greenpoint venue coco66.

Quiet Lights: No More Canyons

Although new singles and demo tracks are often a staple of our daily listening regimen, we usually find patience enough in waiting for a full-length release to arrive before spilling the sounds. In the case of our featured artist this evening, however, a sense of euphoria quickly developed and here you have the goods. Quiet Lights is a Brooklyn, New York troupe of five musicians who have been writing, recording and performing together since 2009. An impressive result of the their collective effort is a brand new single, titled No More Canyons, which has just been made available for digital consumption and set to be released in the form of a limited press (sky blue) vinyl through both Eastern Seaboard and Old Flame Records on February 15. From the earliest moments of No More Canyons, deep, genuine tensions build into a magnificent spray of guitar to send chills up the spine within a split second. After several listens to the underlying growl of this gem with back flat to the floor, cigarette burning in hand, I couldn't help but check the press info once again for further details. As it turns out, the song you are hopefully already listening to will eventually belong to a Spring 2011 full-length album titled The Big Fear. Also, the next live performance for Quiet Lights will take place on February 11 at local Brooklyn venue Bruar Falls.

Such a beautiful song...

MP3: No More Canyons

Leaders Off: Giant Guitar LP

In receiving press releases directly from artists or labels, there are often times we make the mistake of reading outside biographies and reviews that don't exactly match up with our own conclusions regarding the sounds we experience. This evening we have a perfect example and an outstanding featured artist to share. Leaders Off is a band that exists on the western coast of Sweden, with beginnings in Vänersborg where they recorded and performed hundreds of songs in near-obscurity over the better part of the past 10 years. As a result of their labor and patience, Leaders Off has completed a brilliant new full-length collection of songs, titled Giant Guitar, which becomes available through Swedish label Häleri tomorrow, January 28. Although we've read of previous comparisons to Urge Overkill and the band themselves mention Dinosaur Jr. as an influence, we needed to dig deeper into a dusty old box of vinyl records in the basement for hints that kept swimming around inside our heads. The earliest recordings of Joe Jackson quickly surfaced and it wouldn't be at all surprising to find Look Sharp or I'm The Man nestled happily somewhere in the personal music collection of someone in the band. Influence and similarities aside, Giant Guitar is a solid new release that most certainly deserves close attention and a physical copy to grip tightly in hand. Listen up...

Originally released as a single in 2010 and now track two from Giant Guitar.
MP3: Sacred Mansion

Here you go...the brand new single and lead track from Giant Guitar.
MP3: Mari

Two If By Sea

Connecticut-based label February Records is off to a swift clip for 2011 in releasing both a retrospective 2010 compilation, titled One Year Of Original Music, and downright lovely new offering from today's featured artist. Two If By Sea is the music project of London, Ontario musician Teresa Daniele who enlists the long-distance accompaniment of Chicago multi-instrumentalist Lisle Mitnik (Fireflies) and Toledo folk artist Kevin Clark (The Homeville Circle). The debut EP offering from this collaboration, Staysail, is made up of 5 tracks pressed for 7" vinyl and we have quickly grown to appreciate the unique yet classic sound involved. A charming twee backdrop that chimes as a clockwork music box to hold preciously in hand is accented beautifully with the guiding whisper of Teresa Daniele's vocals. For those who still own just the right type of record player, there will be no greater reward than watching the arm bring another round of either side where this little gem is concerned. Have a listen...

MP3: Unbraided Wind

//orangenoise: //veracious EP

In maintaining this little music blog, we keep no running count of various parts of the world from which musicians send morsels of their audio craft to our email inbox or front door. In the case of today's featured artist, however, we might just have a first where location is concerned. //orangenoise is an impressive four-piece from Karachi, Pakistan consisting of musicians Talha Asim Wynne (guitar, vocals), Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey (bass, vocals), Danial Hyatt (percussion) and Faizan Riedinger (guitar). As a follow up to their 2009 single The Morning After, the band has a debut collection of five songs in the form of a digital EP titled //veracious. After listening over the past several hours, we've found it almost impossible to choose only one highlight from this new release... so two songs ahead for you. Track number three is titled Trust and it sent us into Lou Barlow-land (if there is such a place?) almost immediately. Have a listen.

MP3: Trust

With influences ranging from classic psychedelia and 60s garage-rock to an amazing take on both early and more recent shoegaze, //orangenoise seems content in tinkering playfully with the past while presenting a beautiful sound of their very own. The new EP //veracious can be found and freely downloaded by visiting the //orangenoise bandcamp page. For those who need a bit more convincing, sit back and listen to the next six minutes and fifty-five seconds of loveliness.

MP3: I Know Everything

Illogical Time Concerns

San Francisco, California-based musicians John Ricksen and Mark Ricksen are brothers we originally featured as part of the post-shoegaze band Collider last year in January 2010. Not having any recent updates to go on, we found ourselves with a much welcomed message explaining their ongoing music project Illogical Time Concerns. As a result of writing and recording music since 2004, the Ricksen brothers are now gracious enough to share their entire seven year discography, which can heard and downloaded (completely free) by visiting the Illogical Time Concerns Website. Having only begun our journey in sorting through the numerous tracks involved, we can already give a solid recommendation to our MML regulars for doing the same. Dream-pop, shoegaze, psychedelic or however some would choose to label the sound... we just dig it. The latest release, titled Neu Symbols EP, was just made available a couple of weeks ago and we have an impressive song to whet the palate. Here you go.

MP3: Empire

Purple Bloom

Welcome to 2011 and a brand new calendar for this, our little music nest. In order to begin the year on just the right series of notes to remind us of exactly what sends our collective spirit soaring, we have a long-overdue introduction and beautiful song to share. Purple Bloom is the collaboration of multi-instrumentalist Tsuyoshi, who we originally featured in September 2007 with his music project Hate Everything You Hate, and vocalist Linden from Tokyo, Japan. Together, Linden and Tsuyoshi have completed a handful of impressive new tracks that are set to be released for early 2011. Before we continue, a compulsory first listen to a lead single that has us both smitten is well in order.

MP3: Star Is Mine



For those already paying attention to the textbook shoegaze loveliness of Tsuyoshi's blending guitars and Linden's beautiful vocal accompaniment, it might not be such a far stretch to imagine the bass line giving the likes of Greg Dulli a reason to produce an evil grin. A perfect balance in sound that earns our very first 2011 honours where favourite listening is concerned. For additional information and audio, please do yourselves a big favor by visiting both the Purple Bloom Facebook as well as the Purple Bloom MySpace page. Thank us later... and welcome back.

Soda Shop

Soda Shop is the Brooklyn, New York collaboration of musicians Drew Diver, from Horse Shoes [featured here in September 2009], and Maria Usbeck of Selebrities who have recently completed a pair of songs which are set for release as a single through international label Shelflife Records in January of 2011. Just in time for blustery winter days, Soda Shop provides a warm interpretation of sparse 1960s pop, with Maria's beautifully distant vocals accented by a tambourine and bells to touch each flake of snow landing on our windowsill. Have a listen while we happily pop our caps and slip straws into glass bottles... lovely song.

MP3: Farewell

Morpheme

Often times, we have the fortunate opportunity to re-visit previously featured musicians and the various new endeavors or directions they decide to explore. In the case of today's MML offering, we find ourselves with a compelling debut single that might just send a few chills up the spine for those familiar with the artists involved. Morpheme is a brand new transatlantic collaboration of Chicago, Illinois duo Perry Pelonero and Kim Welsh from long-time shoegaze outfit Skylight as well as their current band Bliss City East and London, UK musician/programmer Dean Garcia of Curve (yes, that Curve) who also has a lovely trio of his own in SPC ECO. The newly released single, simply titled Infection, presents the perfect combination of danceable dream-pop and swirling guitars that both seem to beg for ear-bleed volume levels. Perfectly suitable for cocktails by a strobe-lit dance floor or resting the side of your head against a billowing stage amplifier, Morpheme provides a glimpse into the endless possibilities that could and should stem from this formidable introduction. We look forward to more from this music project... much more.

The song for you.

MP3: Infection

Related MML Features:

Skylight: March 2008
Skylight: September 2008
Bliss City East: December 2008
Bliss City East: May 2009
Bliss City East: April 2010

Tomihira: Blackout EP

MML Quick Trivia:
Q: The very first artist ever to send a physical copy of music to MML?
A: You guessed it... Tomihira.

Nearly five years ago, we excitedly opened our first envelope to find music that would end up forming a long-distance and continuing bond with today's featured artist. For those not familiar, Tomihira is the aptly-named music project of San Francisco, California songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Dean Tomihira, who we first reviewed in March 2006 with a track from his incredible full-length album Play Dead. After following up in May 2006, then again in March 2008 with updated music, a prolonged silence settled in that had us both wondering... where is Dean? Rest assured, we've found our old friend and there is now a brand new release we can enthusiastically shout from rooftops about. Blackout EP is an upcoming mini-collection of four beautiful songs that will be made available for early 2011 consumption through a label not yet disclosed. A mystery for all at this point. As an exclusive preview, we bring you a first listen to one of our favourite songs from the EP...

Exclusive MP3: Flutterbie



With noticeable additions in electronic accompaniment, crisp new acoustics and moments of borderline-shoegaze layered guitars, Tomihira manages to exceed any relevance-factor, evolving without losing a single ounce of the original sound we first fell in love with. However smitten we are with Blackout EP, the mere thought of these tracks serving as firm footing towards a possible 2011 long-player is enough to keep our collective imagination rolling for quite some time. The next live performance takes place this very evening as Dean Tomihira takes the stage along with percussionist Markkus Rovito at Seattle, Washington venue The Josephine. As if you needed any more convincing, we also have a few previous recordings to share. Enjoy and stay in touch for updates as soon as the new EP drops.

From the New Order tribute album Community 2 (2006)
MP3: Mr. Disco

From the release Play Dead (2005)
MP3: World Class
MP3: Pillbox

Clara Clara: Comfortable Problems LP

Admittedly, our updates on the various music projects of Lyon, France based multi-instrumentalist François Virot have been scarce in recent years. With an original review of his solo material in December 2006 and follow up for today's long-time collaboration in October 2007, our last mention happened back in April 2008. History out of the way, there is now a recent development and good reason for close listening to report. Clara Clara is the French trio of Charles Virot (bass), Amélie Lambert (bontempi keyboard) and, of course, François Virot (drums, vocals) who have released a new collection of eight impressive songs, titled Comfortable Problems, through Paris label Clapping Music just last month. Evolving from the lo-fi sounds of their earliest recordings, Clara Clara now seems to cast a vaudevillian atmosphere where distressed, travel-worn musical instruments leap from dusty cases to frolic through the night in raucous celebration. Guided by varied stiff beats and surrounded with Mr. Virot's familiar vocal warmth, the band continues to maintain every ounce of beautiful chaos we first became smitten with. The next live performance will take place December 3 at Limoges cafe/venue La Fourmi. And now the music along with matching videos for you...

MP3: Under The Skirt
MP3: Paper Crowns

Clara Clara - Under The Skirt from Clapping Music on Vimeo.

Clara Clara - Paper Crowns from Aurélien Durand on Vimeo.

Le Futur Pompiste

Today marks the brand new full-length album from a wonderful Helsinki/Turku, Finland based six-piece we've been fawning over for quite some time. Le Futur Pompiste is primarily the music project of songwriter Einar Ekström (guitar, vocals) along with vocalist Jessika Rapo (from Burning Hearts, who we featured in December 2008), Ville Hopponen (drums), Axel Ekström (keyboards), Johann Höglund (bass) and Janne Koskinen (flute). As a follow up to their 2004 debut release, Your Stories And Your Thoughts, Le Futur Pompiste have now completed a new self-titled collection of 10 songs which were just made available through our friends at Portland, Oregon label Shelflife Records. Given our adoration of music from this region of the world, our bias might be more than slight, however, the understated retro-pop loveliness involved here is more than enough to have us rearranging our list of favourite 2010 LP releases once again. Perfectly content with a cloudy afternoon while secretly dreaming of an evening in a long-abandoned rollerskating-rink. The sound for you now.

MP3: Five Hundred Heartbeats

Quilty: Black Hole Single

Brooklyn, New York trio Quilty returns with a pair of new songs in digital single format, titled Black Hole, which were released through NYC label Cooling Pie Records this past Halloween weekend. Barreling rhythms are once again guided by the fuzzed-out guitars and unmistakable vocals of Sarah Dupuis for a brief yet signature A-side track Lizard Queen. Visit the Quilty Bandcamp page for an equally impressive B-side in Chris On The Beach, and also have a listen to the band's debut full-length release Clover/Coriander from previous MML features in October 2009 and February 2010. One minute and nineteen seconds of lo-fi goodness from a band we love to follow.

MP3: Lizard Queen

Love Culture

Following our collective ear for all things shoegaze-related often finds us visiting distant cities, on various continents, for any relevant evolution of this particular music style we both happen to adore. This time, however, our only need for travel involves a return to my very own hometown for an outstanding new development in a local music scene that is ripe for the taking. Love Culture is a Columbus, Ohio based five-piece consisting of musicians Raleigh Swan (guitar, vocals, keys), Tristan Swan (vocals, guitar, keys), James Levesque (guitar, keys), Sky Cunningham (bass, morgana) and Robert Fischer (drums) who are heavily influenced by music falling within a three year radius loosely surrounding the year 1989. As a result of their ongoing efforts, the band has a pair of impressive releases, the latest of which, having just been completed, is titled Drag EP. Before continuing any further, let's jump right in with a listen from the upcoming extended-player.

MP3: Ocarina



A slow-burning tension in mood and sound, which many other like-minded artists neglect entirely in their attempted interpretation, is exactly what Love Culture delivers so beautifully with the track Ocarina. Luring, and then holding captive the imagination while an undercurrent of restless energy simmers steadily into spectacular flashpoints. The completed Drag EP is set to be launched at the very beginning of next year with a release party to coincide as Love Culture takes to the stage at local Columbus venue Skully's Music Diner on January 1, 2011. As an added bonus, the band has also decided to put a few more coats of varnish on their early-2010 debut release Aquamarine EP and make it available once again as part of a double-EP package. Have a listen to one of our favourite songs from it...

MP3: Karolyne

If ever a reason involving music was needed for a return trip home to my beloved Columbus, I cannot even begin to imagine a better one. Such a lovely and promising band you might just want to keep a close eye on. We now leave you with a brand new video for the song Ocarina. Enjoy.

AC Berkheimer: We Tell Them Tonight LP

A week spent away from the blog, winterizing our our little nest, but it now seems possible that we only needed visit our friends at Groningen, Netherlands label Subroutine Records once again for a fix of warmth and energy to surround us. We originally featured Rotterdam four piece AC Berkheimer well over two years ago, in June 2008, with their full-length album In A Series Of Long Days. Since this time, the band completed a follow up with EP offering First in Line By Accident, and now there happens to be another welcome update to fill your ears. We Tell Them Tonight is a brand new collection of 10 songs which were just released a couple of weeks ago for October 2010. As a highlight, the lead track Slow Down will serve as a gentle opener for a series of unique and varied turns in song structure, influenced subtly (sometimes heavily) by an undercurrent of shoegaze hints that will certainly find genre purists raising a positive eyebrow. Wonderfully enough, the overarching sound remains a footprint we can only associate with AC Berkheimer and a new LP that deserves serious consideration for best full-length release of 2010. For those who have skipped ahead for a listen, you can also preview the entire album by visiting this 3voor12 stream. The band will also be performing live on November 11 @ Den Haag (The Hague) venue Het Paard Cafe. Enjoy this one...

MP3: Slow Down