Psychonaut 4 - Have a Nice Trip (CS, Depressive Illusions, 2012)

The music of Psychonaut 4 has just about everything black metal could possibly offer: midtempo rhythms, classic blasts, downtempo shoegaze infusion and tremelo riffs. Graf, the vocalist, even comes equipped with onstage self-mutilation and bloodletting (assuring DSBM authenticity), and has an interesting hybrid of all three waves of black metal lineage. As the band hails from the nation of Georgia, there is even an accordion track steeped in traditional Russian folk music. This is a raw feeling album that has a studio quality. I think it's a nice package.

Since the cassette was released on a very underground Ukrainian label, good luck finding it. In the meantime, enjoy the streams below:

Vaadat Charigim - The World is Well Lost (Burger, 2013 - CS)

Maybe its too soon for this here at The Nomadic Subject as we're really just getting into the thick of winter but I didn't want to forget this one. Vaadat Charigim is a great new shoegaze band with a cassette out on Burger Records (the vinyl was just issued somewhere as well). Its a classic shimmering dream pop sound (heavy on the Ride, light on the MbV), with that hopeful vibe that usually hits me in early spring. This combined with a bit of dark new wave a la 1985 The Chameleons / Echo gives them that 'cruising with the top down' feeling.

So, you're wondering what distinguishes them from the million plus shoegaze revival bands, right? Well, its the fact that these guys are Israeli, and the low baritoned vocalist does not try to hide the accent. Its thick and lovely. If you're not familiar, it sounds like a French accent with Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Yiddish. As far as the voice as instrument, this one wins. Perfect package here. Great music when you need a little pick me up.

Beru / Aloonaluna Split - CS (Watery Starve, 2013)

Each year music writers make lists of their favorite albums. This takes a lot of hard work, time and thought. But, the most difficult part is making discoveries from said year after the fact, when its too late. So far, my regret is this one not being on my list.

Lynn Fister's Watery Starve is a great cassette label. Her own project,  Aloonaluna, really does it for me. Check out all of her releases. Both sides are fantastic but side A just took me off guard.

Beru (the name lifted from Luke Skywalker's aunt) describes her music as a Keiji Haino and Vashti Bunyan music baby, which in itself should intrigue you enough. Her side is quite a journey through forms.It begins with lovely soft ambient guitar a la dark shoegaze. This aligns with synth that feels like Gyorgy Ligeti light, lush haunting female vocals, and percussion. The swirling narrative eventually experiences some sort of temporal shift / wormhole that gives way to a ritual rhythm. This beat conjures a terrifying black metal drum machine blastbeat combined with the screams of a tortured banshee.

I'm just overwhelmed by this. Its blowing my mind. Buy the tape!!







BERU-Music Excerpt From The Split Cassette With Aloonaluna from Jessica Nicole Collins on Vimeo.

More about Beru HERE

Landing - S/T (Geographic North, 2012)

I discovered this album about 48 hours ago and I've listened to it a couple dozen times. This is no exaggeration. The record is perfect. "A fascinating, complex, intricate and engaging take on Shoegaze and Post-rock" is not something I thought I'd ever say again, but Landing has created just that.

The band covers a lot of ground here. There's the classic space rock production complete with lots of reverb a la Slowdive, and guitars reminiscent of The Cure and early sounds from U2's The Edge (Boy - October era). Lots of '80-'82 4AD going on here. The Joy Division-like basslines are danceable yet dark and hooky (no pun intended), and the drummer has an incredibly distinct motorik style. He stutters quite a bit, playing just a bit behind the rhythms, which is something I'm a sucker for. An immensely talented percussionist, he really steals the show, and this is a really impressive show.

This band just has so many elements. I keep hearing things underneath the pop structure. Just caught a bit of White Rainbow vocal layering and a Yo La Tengo progression. There's even a track that sounds a bit like the good parts of  Broken Social Scene back when they were really good.

 I cannot get enough of this. Try it out on Spotify (no live links to download) and buy their record HERE!

Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk - S/T (Pedigree Cuts, 2010)

Since 2001, this enigmatic German producer has been keeping me interested in progressive Shoegaze concepts. Many people are emulating these 90's ideals that we all love but he's one of the few that herald the banner properly. Several records into his discography, there is this from last year; a collaboration that encompasses the entire Shoegaze aesthetic but in a minimal fashion. Alongside Danish Dream Pop producer extraordinaire, Jonas Munk (of Manual), he might have made his boldest and most mature statement yet. This is beautiful music for any occasion.

The guitars on the record are mainly the Fender based including Jonas’s slim line Telecaster and his moded Jazzmaster. Guitars when amped where recorded through a Fender Twin. Ulrich’s synth palette include, for the 70’s influenced tracks, the CP80 and the Korg PS3200 and for the 80’s and 90’s inspired tracks he chose the polyphonic Oberheim OB8 and Oberheim OBX for the basis of the tracks.

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Vestibule - The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Yell Abajar to Get Off) __Mixtape 2012

The old man waxes nostalgic for teenagerdumb.

Stream / Download Here

The Blue Angel Lounge - Narcotica (8MM / A Records, 2010)

One of the greatest tortured genius assholes in the music business has been hard at work, not with his own band, but with several others under the guise of his own label A Records.

Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre has produced and mastered the work of Germany's own, The Blue Angel Lounge. They haven't had quite the internet presence that Iceland's Dead Skeletons (Newcombe's new band) has worked so hard at marketing but they do bring a similar gothic bluesy psychedelic shoegaze sound. The difference here is more control. There is a definitively post-punk / new wave / Nico bent, as opposed to the straight Jodorowsky psychedelic psychosis Dead Skeletons work in. I appreciate the idea of the "in between" presented here, the working within the margins mentality akin to Warlocks work on The Mirror Explodes. Keep your eyes on this one.

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Implodes - Black Earth (Kranky, 2011)

The curtain opens and a lovely siren calls you to join a cult that has been around since before time began. The dreamy guitar welcomes you to a murky world of tribal yet simplistic percussion, washed out vocal incantations, over-driven infinite reverb, delay and distortion. These elements elegantly cloak this deceptively pretty soundscape.

The theme here is oppressively dismal but irresistible. With a legacy of influences like Swans, J&MC, Flying Saucer Attack and Jesu, this Chicago quartet coalesced around guitarists Matt Jencik (HURL, DON CABALLERO) & Ken Camden finds a narrow path with definitive intent. Never does this record feel like it strays. Its an extremely cohesive Drone experience. One of the best records of 2011, and by far the best album cover.

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Dead Skeletons - Dead Magick (A Records, ltd., 2011)

If you're as tired of the word psychedelic as I am, you're probably going to hate when I tell you that this is the best psychedelic band I've heard in years. They actually sound like salvation for the genre as a whole.

Mysterious and occultic, the imagery in these songs is vibrant and virile, with a seeming overuse of verbal psychotropics and a healthy fear of God and Death. Danger lurks around every corner here, buried in mescaline-soaked minor cords and peyote-laced reverb. Everything here is some religiously erotic incantation worthy of a Jodorowsky film.

The sound is a driving yet loose ride through elements of Jesus and Mary Chain, Black Angels, the Brian Jonestown Massacre's Methadrone era, roadhouse blues and tuvan throat singing. Quite frankly, this is about as romantic as a nightmarish bad trip can get. Highly Recommended.

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Black Math - Phantom Power (Permanent Records, 2010)

This is the most exciting and possibly the best rock band in Chicago. There, I said it. I will not get tired of them...ever.

These compositions are predominantly darkwave a la early Cure but also contain groovy slabs of nasty shoegaze. They toy with garage rock, occasional girl group vocals and crunchy yet danceable post-punk. Mind you, all of this occurs in each cut. Always creative and never boring, Black Math know how to play me like a harp. i never would have thought anyone could fuse many of my favorite genres so effortlessly.

They use an interesting setup of guitar, keyboards, electric cello and drum machine, a configuration that enhances their already definitive recording technique. If they manage to stick together, look for them to have quite a loyal cult following.

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Brilliant Colors - Introducing (Slumberland, 2009)

In December 1989, Slumberland Records released "What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?", a shared 7" featuring early line-ups of Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine, and Powderburns. Two decades later the label is still true to their original Twee / C86er aesthetic, offering us The Pains of Being Pure of Heart and this retro wonder, Brilliant Colors.

This all girl trio provides us with many vital late 80's elements: jangly hooks and melodies, muffled New York No Wave atonal vocal delivery, blown out reverb guitar (think sloppy but charming early Kevin Shields), punchy but loose basslines and the crucial Black Tambourine-style tom heavy drumming.

The only negative criticism I have is that the record is 24 minutes long. At an average of 2 minutes a song, every time I'm really feeling something, its suddenly over.

Most importantly, this is just a fun record. If you were a teenager in 1989, dig this; if you're a teenager in 2011, dig this. Introducing is a nostalgic joyride that many should be able to relate to.

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Vestibule - Guaranteed to Cure What Ails Ya (Mixtape, 2011)

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride in 1985.

Stream or Download for Free Here

Slowdive - Souvlaki (Creation, 1993)

Now that Kevin Shields has seen god-like revival status and most music fans are tossing the term "shoegaze" around for any old indie rock band that uses reverb or delay, let's talk about the band that slipped through the cracks.

In May 1993, Reading, UK's own teenage band, Slowdive released their sophomore effort Souvlaki just a few months after Suede dropped their debut and the britpop movement was born. Their sound was distinguished from contemporaries in that they were sweetly and delicately melodic and densely layered. Slowdive didn't rely on any sense of noise. Sure, there was feedback but always controlled and focused. Sometimes the feeling of 60's pop folk even comes to mind. The dual vocals of Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell remain an eternally mesmerizing pair. With brilliant guitar work from Christian Savill, solid bass from Nick Chaplin and immensely tasteful yet powerful drumming from Ian McCutcheon and Simon Scott and the production of one Brian Eno, Slowdive crafted the cornerstone of the shoegaze / dream pop movement.

Rest easy, those of you who don't like your musicians to come across too seriously. Slowdive weren't pretentious. According to interviews with the band, the album was titled after an explicit skit on the first album by telephone pranksters The Jerky Boys, containing the line: "My wife loves that Greek shit. She'll suck your cock like souvlaki."

This is a must have. Falls somewhere in my top ten albums...ever.


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My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (Creation, 1991)

When I first moved to the mountains of North Carolina, I lived in Chimney Rock. It was a rough time for me, cause you see...i had been smoking a pack and a half of Tahoe 100 reds a day, and I wasn't used to the curvy mountain roads. The beach I was accustomed to was long and straight. There were no sharp curves, so moving out here was a bit of a motion sickness nightmare for ole Tonester. And on top of that, the move to a higher elevation was giving me inner ear infections for about the first 8 months of living here. Or that's at least what the doctor told me.

So here I was, driving to Hendersonville on Dramamine so I wouldn't throw up on my lap on the way to work at Camelot Music. There were times that I'd be so drowsy from the Dramamine that I would still have to pull over and throw up. I'd get to work and they'd send me straight back home cause I was pale from the drive. Double fail.

Something about this record reminds me of those times. I mean try putting yourself in my shoes. Driving a half an hour, not trying to puke but trying to listen to this swirling, droned out, amazing record that you should really just be lying on the ground and listening to. It spins circles in my mind to this day, and now I just wonder why I even tried making the trek and trying to jam this record. But I ain’t mad.

Get one of the most important records of all time HERE

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Tony Plichta is a microwaveable nutrition enthusiast, has a masters in bullshit, his relationship with his moms aint so great these days, he exhales into his bass drum, and thinks that these banana nut bread scented candles are off the chain!

Zond - s/t (R.I.P. Society, 2010)

Zond was the name of a Soviet space exploration program in the 1960's. Unmanned capsules were rocket-launched for the purpose of investigating nearby planets in our solar system. Unfortunately for the Russians, none of the probes achieved much more than a lunar fly-by.

Half a century later, a band by the same name is taking its listeners on a musical journey light years further into the cold dark vastness of deep space. Zond is an Australian quintet that easily surpasses any other heavy shoegaze band in the universe for originality, substance and style. This is the dark side of shoegaze. Its dark, furious, isolated, claustrophobic and drenched with LSD. Casual listening will call to mind the heaviest psych cuts on the Loveless album; but don't stop there. I don't know if Kevin Shields has heard this but if he has, he must be impressed. Zond is not emulating Shields, as is often the case with shoegaze. The beauty here is that the psychedelic and schizophrenic roller coaster is ordered. This is very controlled chaos. Nothing by accident. Every guitar and synth seems to be moving in different directions and the free jazz-like drums are scattering, like a spacecraft being pulled apart by the earth's heat upon re-entry; but when you awake, it was all a dream, a trick. Everything is fine. You're safe...for the moment.

Get the Launching Sequence Here

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Belong - Common Era (Kranky, 2011)

New Orleans duo Michael Jones and Turk Dietrich have finally delivered their second full-length in a decade. With their first album, October Language, they impressed me with droning soundscapes all meticulously convoluted as if played through hundreds of warbly tape decks simultaneously.

With this release they've joined the Kranky roster and it is obvious why. Seems as though these two spent the last few years hanging out with Cloudland Canyon and Ulrich Schnauss. This is all krautrock / shoegaze, and its successfully lovely. These tracks are for driving, windows down, feeling as if all is right with the world... if the world preferred hearing everything infinitely processed like I do. Definitely spring mixtape material.

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Catherine Wheel - Ferment (1992, Fontana)

Catherine Wheel -noun 1. a firework that revolves on a pin, making a wheel of fire or sparks, pinwheel. 2. medieval torture device. 3. Yarmouth, England band that made a fantastic debut Shoegaze record then went on to suck.

1990 saw the band begin playing out, stages full of effects pedals creating lots of feedback over their lush washes of drone. They distinguished themselves from Slowdive, Inspiral Carpets or Stone Roses by being more aggressive and hard-hitting.

In early '91, they recorded a Peel Session, were courted by Creation and Opal (Eno's label) but signed to Fontana. After the "Ferment" album was released and gave them a couple of solid hits stateside, the Smashing Pumpkins credited them as influence in the liner notes of "Siamese Dream". I guess they got tired of the Shoegaze tag and wanted to sound more like the Pumpkins so, gone were the ethereal qualities after that. They went on to release a couple mediocre more straight ahead albums and a couple that were real shite. I blame you, Billy Corgan.

If you're scoffing at them, this album wasn't the one you heard way back then. Trust me.

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Robin Guthrie - Imperial (2003, Bella Union)

Robin Guthrie's guitar delay and chorus pedal settings along with Simon Raymonde and Elizabeth Frazer's voice laid the foundation for Shoegaze with Cocteau Twins in the early 80's. Everyone imitates Guthrie's guitar sound (including Kevin Shields, sorry kids, he didn't start it all). After many tumultuos years, the band broke up. All three members continue to make fine solo recordings but so far, this one is my favorite.

Most of the album is reminiscent of early Twins material as well as Apollo circa Eno. Lush instrumental landscapes that I find incredibly meditative. I often find myself listening to this before bed due to its relaxing properties. Sheer beauty. I miss her gorgeous voice but a few minutes into it, I forget.

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The Soft Moon - The Soft Moon (2010) Captured Tracks

Luis Vasquez has crafted an engaging retro 80's tribute album....sort of. He's a one man band who incorporates Post-Punk, New Wave, Shoegaze, Goth and some early Cure. Quite the perfect sound for me.

With Breathy vocals and icy dense instrumentals, he takes the listener on a spooky and atmospheric journey that feels wrought with pain and despair. The deeper I listened the more I noticed the anger and fear buried under most of the tracks which also draws the Gothic and Industrial comparisons.

The breadth of emotion here is multi-dimensional and as is the current Goth revival trend, there is a great deal of hope masked in the sadness.

This is a stunning debut that crept into my Top Ten Albums of the Year list even though I'd only been listening to it for three weeks. Of course, that was multiple times daily for three weeks.

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