Public Practice releases “Foundation” from upcoming EP.

Public Practice Shares New Single “Foundation”
Listen Here

Distance Is A Mirror, Debut EP Out October 26th Via Wharf Cat Records

[“Foundation” artwork]

Last month, Public Practice announced their debut EP, Distance Is A Mirror, to be released October 26th via Wharf Cat Records and shared lead single “Fate/Glory.” Today, they’re back with another new single, “Foundation.” The song deep fries Beach Boys guitars in ice-cold-but-somehow-funky Scritti Politti grooves. Add a dead pan David Byrney vocal, and Public Practice remind us again how integral it is to use honesty and self-reflection to bring some of life’s double standards to light.

The four members of Public Practice—singer Sam York, guitarist Vince McClelland, synth/bassist and vocalist Drew Citron, and drummer/programmer and producer Scott Rosenthal—are no strangers to songwriting. A Brooklyn DIY super group of sorts, Public Practice combines members of freshly-dead punk project WALL and local pop band Beverly. Public Practice backs their ambitious songwriting with serious chops, their live shows already pulling them into the sharp foreground of a scene growing all too warm and fuzzy.

Distance is a Mirror is a confident, juried testimony of love steeped in dark optimism. By the end of the short and bittersweet 4-song EP, Public Practice anchors themselves as a new band with wisdom like their influences, bringing songs distinctly fresh as they are familiar. Public Practice will privately change your mind about where guitar music is going.

Stream “Foundation” – https://bit.ly/2N46WIZ

Stream “Fate/Glory” – https://bit.ly/2Iix5mp

Public Practice Live:
Fri. Oct. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Shame, BODEGA)
Fri. Oct. 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville (Record Release Party)
Fri. Nov. 30 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Mon. Dec. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Tue. Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Wed. Dec. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Thu. Dec. 6 – Paterson, NJ @ A Red Wheelbarrow (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)

[Distance Is A Mirror artwork]
Keep your mind open.
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Review: Exploded View – Obey

International experimental musicians Exploded View (Annika Henderson hailing from Berlin and Hugo Quezada and Martin Thulin from Mexico City) explore themes of punishment and isolation (physical, mental, social) on their new album Obey.

They open with the instrumental “Lullaby,” which could be the opening theme to a Mario Bava movie, and then slide into the sultry “Open Road,” which could be the opening theme to David Lynch’s next movie.  Henderson’s voice hypnotizes you within moments and Quezada and Thulin’s instrumentation ranges from weird lounge jazz to dreamwave.  “Dark Stains” brings in krautrock bass and synths while Henderson sings about lost time and a lover’s deceptions.

“What would you do if your love was gone tomorrow and you never found the words to say?” Henderson asks on the haunting synthwave track “Gone Tomorrow,” in which Exploded View implores us to not wait and not to be afraid to find love.  The unsettling title track is about obeying not only laws but also the unwritten rules of society (both in the flesh and online) which can get you ostracized if you don’t tow the line.  Henderson’s voice seems to be on the outside of the song, like she’s being punished for not conforming.  I can’t help but think of another filmmaker when hearing this track – John Carpenter.  It seems to flow out of his film They Live.

“Sleepers” is one of the best synthwave tracks of the year, with buzzsaw guitars, sunlight-bright synths, dark bass, and Henderson’s vocals calling out to you through your dreams.  “Letting Go of Childhood Dreams” is about the sometimes cold nature of reality.  Again, Henderson’s vocals seem distant, almost like she’s fading away as the synths drift into every corner of the room.

The catchy “Raven Raven” is probably being blasted in goth dance clubs across Europe by now.  If not, it should be.  It’s perfect for dark rooms, make-out sessions, late night Metro rides, and catching the eyes of a raven-haired maiden as she looks at you over a cup of jet black espresso at 2am.  “Come On Honey” brings in chaotic guitars and frenetic percussion while Henderson’s vocals keep us and her bandmates grounded (but just barely).  The closing track, “Rant,” is appropriately urgent.  Henderson implores us one last time to embrace life, love, and beauty.  “Life could be so damn simple, if you let it,” she sings.

We’re too busy obeying, however.  We’re obeying advertising, 24-hour news cycles, social media, and the expectations and opinions of others and not trusting our own minds, eyes, and hearts.

Stop obeying.  Start living.  That’s the message of Exploded View’s Obey.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: mmph – Serenade

Sae Heum Han, otherwise known as mmph, has released his second EP of electronic instrumentals – Serenade – and I’m not sure I can describe it better than the official press release for it, which states:  “Melodically focused, orchestrally informed and rhythmically driven, each of Serenade’s five songs utilize a different classical trope to create Wagnerian suites in miniature. ‘Minuet’ is a stately dance in triple time (performance), ‘Tragedy’ is a play (death), ‘Elegy’ is a mourning poem (death), and ‘Serenade’ is a courtship song often played in the open air (love).”

“Minuet” is indeed a performance, with big, crashing guitars, percussion, and synths before lush pianos and strings take over the track.  The choppy synths on “Tragedy” remind me of a crashing helicopter (or at least the sounds of such an event when seen in action films), which is appropriate for the title.  They become almost angelic wails at one point.

The middle track, “Woodlawn,” starts and stops with chopped-up beats that resemble panicked breathing and uncertainty.  “Elegy” is the creepy little synth brother to Mussorgsky’s “A Night on Bald Mountain.”  The synths become gothic chants and the beats are the flapping of demon wings.  The title track’s themes of love and courtship is evident from the first few notes.  Synths bloom and burst and chase each other around like giddy lovers.

Serenade is an impressive piece of work.  It’s bold and artful, and one of the more interesting electronica albums this year.

Keep your mind open.

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Constant Lovers share heavy, frantic track “You Are Dinner” from upcoming album.

Constant Lovers share first track from forthcoming album Pangs
 Chaotic, fun punk rock’n’roll w/ members of Helms Alee, Damien Jurado, Harkonen, Suffering & The Hideous Thieves, Triumph of Lethargy

Hear and share “You Are Dinner” (Soundcloud) (Heavy Blog)
“A curve ball…A barely contained explosion of rock n’ roll riffs and potential, shaking off bonds that lay at the base of why rock n’ roll is so good.” — Heavy Blog Is Heavy
Seattle, WA quartet Constant Lovers premiere the first track from their forthcoming sophomore album, Pangs today via Heavy Blog is Heavy. Hear and share “You Are Dinner” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud and Bandcamp.)
It’s like we’ve all forgotten what a great rock ‘n’ roll band should sound like. Everything’s been subdivided into narrower and narrower genres. The idea of a loud, fun, sometimes heavy, other times chaotic, brash and unfettered rock band seems completely alien today. Constant Lovers is one of those – like how the MC5 sounded completely different on every album, yet always unparalleled in rhythmic, propulsive force.
Considering that Constant Lovers is a coterie of Seattle musicians from a mixed musical background, their collision of styles makes perfect sense. Drummer Ben Verellen plays guitar and sings in celebrated crunchers Helms Alee (Sargent House), guitarist Eric Fisher played with Sub Pop songwriter Damien Jurado, guitarist/vocalist Joel Cuplin played in Murder City Devils offshoot Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death and bassist/vocalist Gavin Tull-Esterbrook in murder balladeers Suffering and The Hideous Thieves. The entire band’s members have generally vacillated across the board of musical convention over the years.
Hearkening to the late-60s/early-70s boundary pushing of proto-punk, Constant Lovers have added saxophone and the use of improvisation in both recording and their live shows. Some tunes are as taut and wiry as Television, others are heavy as modern doom metal, most of them are just loud and fun and less than serious — aside from delivering the goods to the good people. Of course, more modern comparisons are equally fitting, like early aughts chameleons and fellow Seattleites The Blood Brothers, rock iconoclasts Cloud Nothings, and a more playful amalgam of the band members’ other outfits.
At once a celebration of the heavier sounds featured in their last album, Experience Feelings, Pangs also signals a turn towards a more exploratory nature. Pangs opens with a slow fade in to the propulsive skree of “The Wound Up Get Down” reminiscent of The Birthday Party. “You Are Dinner” repeats an urgent, chirping guitar line before erupting in a heavy, slinking riff. “Meow Meow Meow” takes a rock’n’roll swagger, chopped into jagged slashes of guitar over syncopated drums. Elsewhere, “Bone Shard Fashion” and “Lullabye” serve up low end fury and frantic vocals. Throughout, while it’s an aggressive and wild ride, Pangs never abandons melody for the sake of crunch.
Pangs will be available on LP and download on October 26th, 2018. Preorders are available HERE.

Artist: Constant Lovers
Album: Pangs
Record Label: Self-released
Release Date: October 26th, 2018
01. The Wound Up Get Down
02. Meow Meow Meow
03. Ceiling Sweats
04. It’s Electric
05. You Are Dinner
06. Bone Shard Fashion
07. Know The Knot
08. Rally Cry For The Pang In Your
09. Lullabye
10. Amuse Bouche
11. Pang Time
On the Web:
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Beijing duo Gong Gong Gong release premiere single – “Siren”

INTRODUCING BEIJING DUO GONG GONG GONG

LISTEN TO DEBUT SINGLE ON WHARF CAT, “SIREN 追逐劇“; CATCH THEM ON TOUR THIS FALL

Beijing’s Gong Gong Gong make driving, stripped-down transnational blues, tapping into the spirit of Bo Diddley, the Monks, and psychedelic music from West Africa to Southeast Asia. “Phantom Rhythm” is the concept at the duo’s core: between Tom Ng’s percussive guitar and Joshua Frank’s melodic, charging bass, an aura of ghostly snare hits emerges over a thumping low-end pulse. Atop this framework, Ng recounts Cantonese tales of absurdity, love and lust with fragmented, wry vision.

On their first US release, “Siren 追逐劇” b/w “ Something’s Happening 突發 “ (out 11/9 on Wharf Cat) Gong Gong Gong brings to life a cinematic chase scene. Shot-by-shot, frame-by-frame, “Siren 追逐劇“ is a story of galloping hooves and screeching tires—a horse and car racing each other through mountains and desert, charging into the city. The flip-side, instrumental “Something’s Happening 突發” is Gong Gong Gong at their most raw: locomotive jangle and fuzz-faced roar. Dust, sweat and engine oil, the landscape rushing by. Gong Gong Gong have dates lined up on both sides of the Atlantic with the likes of Parquet Courts, Bodega and Flasher. A full list of upcoming tour dates is below.

LISTEN TO “SIREN追逐劇“
https://youtu.be/Xtz1OJfgeAM

PRE-ORDER “SIREN” 7″
https://www.wharfcatrecords.com/store/gong-gong-gong-siren

GONG GONG GONG TOUR DATES
Sun. Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox w/ Parquet Courts
Mon. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial w/ Parquet Courts
Tue. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom w/ Parquet Courts
Thu. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore w/ Parquet Courts
Fri. Sept. 28 – San Jose, CA @ The Ritz w/ Parquet Courts
Sun. Oct. 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville w/ Eaters
Fri. Oct. 19 – Queens, NY @ Outpost Artists Resources
Fri. Nov. 30 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Mon. Dec. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Tue. Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Wed. Dec. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Thu. Dec. 6 – Patterson, NJ @ The Red Wheelbarrow w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Tue. Feb. 12 – Brussels, BE @ Rotonde, Botanique w/ Bodega
Thu. Feb. 14 – Bottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms w/ Bodega
Fri. Feb. 15 – Glasgow, UK @ The Art School w/ Bodega
Sat. Feb. 16 – Dublin, IR @ Whelan’s w/ Bodega
Mon. Feb. 18 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla w/ Bodega
Tue. Feb. 19 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club w/ Bodega
Wed. Feb. 20 – London, UK @ Scala w/ Bodega
Sat. Feb. 23 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere w/ Bodega
Mon. Feb. 25 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown w/ Bodega
Tue. Feb. 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet w/ Bodega
Keep your mind open.
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Jon Hopkins’ new single and video, “Singularity,” is an electro stunner.

Jon Hopkins Shares “The Single Most Epic Video I’ve Ever Had Made” —
 Watch The Video For “Singularity,” Directed by Seb Edwards HEREJon Hopkins Currently On Sold Out International Singularity Tour,
Including Pitchfork Live Performance On Tue. Sep. 25
(photo credit – Khalid Mohtaseb)
Jon Hopkins is proud to share the video for the title track off his highly acclaimed new album, Singularity. Directed by Academy Films’ Seb Edwards, “Singularity” is the visual pinnacle of this project, and a continuation and deepening of all the themes that pervade Hopkins’ work.

Jon Hopkins says of the video: “This is the single most epic video I’ve ever had made. Seb has been a friend and collaborator for nearly 15 years now, but this is the first opportunity we’ve had to work with total freedom on a video for my own music. The power of what he has done left me speechless the first time I saw it. He translated the themes of destruction and defiance that I fed into the music into a powerful, violent ballet between male and female and I totally love it.”

“I’ve always loved Jon’s work and we’ve been wanting to collaborate for a while,” comments Seb Edwards. “‘Singularity’ is such an incredible track, its merciless intensity somehow reflects our troubled times. I wanted to capture the feeling of defiance that rises from the initial brutality. The track is ultimately about acceptance and finding peace in nature. I hope I did it justice.”

In what has been an incredibly successful 2018 thus far, Hopkins is currently on a sold out tour in North America and will return to Europe and UK for a slew of sold out dates. A special Pitchfork Live stream will take place Tuesday, September 25th at 2pm Eastern. A full list of shows including festival appearances can be found below.
Additionally, Jon Hopkins and Daniel Avery have recently remixed each other’s songs. Listen to Jon Hopkins’ “COSM” (Daniel Avery remix) and Daniel Avery’s “Glitter” (Jon Hopkins remix) HERE.
“Singularity” video credits:
Production Company – Academy Films
Director – Seb Edwards
EP – Medb Riordan
Producer – Ash Lockmun
Cast – Aliashka Hilsum
Cast – Jarkko Mandelin
DOP – Khalid Mohtaseb
Production Designer – Robin Brown
Choreographer – Hofesh Shechter
Stylist – Bratsk
Local Service Production Company – BAS Productions, Belgrade
Editor: Sam Rice-Edwards @ Assembly Rooms
Sound Design – Mark Hills @ Factory Studios
Colourist – Jean-Clement Soret @ MPC London
VFX by Mikros-MPCPraise for Singularity:

“One of the most celebrated electronic musicians of his generation.” — New Yorker

“Pitched between heat-seeking acid house and ambient bliss, the techno auteur’s first album since 2013 is a beat-music odyssey that thrums with spiritual resonance” — Pitchfork, Best New Music

“With one weird trick, Jon Hopkins collapses the tedious boundary between dancefloor hedonism and chin-stroking ‘intelligence’ that plagues so much electronic music.” — SPIN, Best Songs of 2018 So Far

“Simple melodies fracture and layer into a complex soundscape; lush sounds and textures are constantly developing and regenerating. They break and rebuild, conjuring a tale of evolution and destruction.”
— Stereogum, Best Albums of 2018 So Far

“As with Immunity before it, you’d be hard-pressed to hear a more inexplicably
moving electronic album this year.” — The AV Club, Best Albums of 2018 So Far

“[Hopkins] creates landscapes on Singularity, but unlike much ambient music that wants you to sit in the middle of it and simply bask, Hopkins takes your hand and guides you through
the vast and detailed landscape.” — Uproxx, Best Albums of 2018 So Far

“From beginning to end, through songs fast or slow, ambient or hard-hitting, Hopkins never fails to provide the listener with an aural massage. He displays the perfect balance of tones, textures, and volumes in a highly-effortless way.” — HYPEBEAST, Best Music Projects of 2018 So Far

“Jon Hopkins knows how to fill a dance floor with techno that throbs insistently. But he’s also got
a tremendous gift for the comedown; for warm, ambient baths of sound
that slow the blood and settle the mind” — NPR Music

“A sonic realization of a better world, conceived in the depths of psychedelic experimentation”
— MOJO, 4*

“His long standing enchantment with nature, electricity
and mindfulness glimmers anew on Singularity” — Q Mag, 4* 

Stream/Purchase Singularity –
http://smarturl.it/SingularityJH

Watch “Everything Connected” Visualizer –
http://smarturl.it/ConnectedVid

Watch “Emerald Rush” Video –
http://smarturl.it/EmeraldRushVid

Watch Singularity Trailer –
https://bit.ly/2F1mzkg

Jon Hopkins Singularity Live Tour 2018
Wed. Sep. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda #
Thu. Sep. 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom #
Thu. Sep. 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Folsom 1015 (DJ)
Sat. Sep. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos ^
Sun. Sep. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial ^
Tue. Sep. 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
Wed. Sep. 26 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair, Together Fest
Wed. Oct. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Thu. Oct. 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Nobelberget
Fri. Oct. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Den Grå Hal
Sat. Oct. 13 – Turin, IT @ Movement Festival
Thu. Oct. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Fri. Oct. 19  – Glasgow, UK @ The Galvanizers
Sat. Oct. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso for ADE
Sat. Oct. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Het Sieraad for ADE (DJ)
Wed. Oct. 24 – Brussels, BE @ AB
Thu. Oct. 25 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
Fri. Oct. 26 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
Sat. Oct. 27 – Bilbao, ES @ BIME Live
Fri. Nov. 2 – London, UK @ o2 Brixton Academy
Sat. Nov. 3 – London, UK @ o2 Brixton Academy
Sat. Nov. 17 –Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Thu. Nov. 22 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Fri. Nov. 23 – Rome, IT @ Spazio 900
Wed. Nov. 28 – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
Fri. Dec. 21 – London, UK @ Jon Hopkins Curates Fabric (DJ)

# = with Daniel Avery
^ = with Leon Vynehall

Download hi-res press images –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/jon-hopkins/

Keep your mind open.
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Celer’s newest track, “Tetra,” is haunting and meditative.

Celer Announces New Album, Memory Repetitions,
Out Nov. 9th On Smalltown Supersound

Listen To “Tetra”
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/tetra-1/s-WrLJM
“…a drawn-out conversation, pierced by wandering drones and incidental sound.” — NPR Music on Close Proximity and the Unhindered Care-all

 

“Long invites us to tune in and be moved, or to drop out and continue on as ever.” — The Quietus

 

“…an album that captures the beauty of every day, the electronic elegance of Berlin, and worldly melodies.” — Tiny Mix Tapes on Voyeur

Will Long (aka Celer), is pleased to announced his new album, Memory Repetitions, out November 9th on Smalltown Supersound. The album’s opening piece, “Tetra,” is available to stream below.
Listen To Celer’s “Tetra” — 
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/tetra-1/s-WrLJM

Operating outside the limelight in the underground, Will Long has produced prolifically across genres, monikers, and countries since 2006. Predating his minimal house contributions under his given name to DJ Sprinkles’ Comatonse label and Smalltown Supersound, Long has put forth over a hundred collections of ambient compositions in stream of consciousness fashion under the name Celer. A native to America, Long has been based in Tokyo since 2011, where he has continued to expand upon his vault of celestial arrangements, amassing a cult following over the years by releasing them on under-the-radar labels, his own Two Acorns label, and on his Bandcamp.

Memory Repetitions serves to reflect on the labyrinthine body of work that comprises Celer. Spanning five pieces, each roughly thirty minutes in length, the compilation is being released as a 5-CD box set alongside its digital format.
Pre-order Memory Repetitions — http://smarturl.it/sts331-preorder

Download album art & hi-res images of Celer — http://pitchperfectpr.com/celer/

(Memory Repetitions album art)

WWW  | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Smalltown Supersound

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Alison Krauss – September 12, 2018 – South Bend, IN

Alison Krauss‘ South Bend stop on her current tour was supposed to be at the Morris Theatre.  That was changed, however, when a piece of the ceiling inside the Morris fell to the floor days earlier and the venue was closed for repairs.  Her show (like Ringo Starr‘s before her) was moved to South Bend’s Century Center.

My wife and I arrived there with our tickets for “main floor left center” seats in row W, seats 12 and 13.  What we found in the ad hoc seating area was chaos.  All “main floor” seats were set up in the far rear stage left corner of the room.  Five different docents each told us different information on where our seats were located.  We were told to sit in the “mezzanine” seats at one point, and then told all “main floor” seats were across the room and to sit wherever we could find a seat.  The “main floor” seats were listed by row, however (written in pencil that was hard to see, no less), and row W stopped at seat #10.  Seats 12 and 13 didn’t exist.  I asked if more chairs were available and was told they had enough seats for all tickets sold.  This turned out to be more misinformation, because as more and more people showed up with no idea where to sit, docents started bringing out more chairs.  One row of seats moved all their seats to the left by two spots either by suggestion of a docent or just for the hell of it.  People were still confused about where to sit within seven minutes of the start of Ms. Krauss’ set.

Ms. Krauss did put on a fine show, so all was well once she took the stage.  She and her band, which featured members of Union Station and the Cox Family Singers, performed a lot of spiritual hymns, bluegrass classics, and some of her more popular love songs.

Starting with a cover of Roger Miller‘s “River in the Rain,” Ms. Krauss’ amazing voice immediately filled the room.  Her cover of Willie Nelson‘s “I Never Cared for You” was heartbreaking, and “Ghost in This House” was perfect now that pumpkin spice is all the rage and Halloween decorations are going up again.

Her cover of Little Milton‘s “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” was a blast and the traditional “Down to the River to Pray” was inspiring.  The cover of the Carter Family‘s “Keep on the Sunny Side” was a fun highlight, and the closer of “It Is Well with My Soul” was divine.

Go see her if you can.  Goofy seating is worth the headache for the lovely song craft you’ll hear.

Keep your mind open.

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Deap Vally announces fall U.S. west coast tour.

Rock goddesses Deap Vally are playing a bunch of west coast tour dates this fall.  Don’t miss them.  Don’t miss them ever.  They embarrass anyone who has to play after them, or before them, or any other time really.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Magic Wands – Abrakadabra

Starting with an odd, distorted chant (“Bashmuuu”), Magic Wands‘ newest album, Abrakadabra, is both meditative and exciting.  The sudden burst of “Nocturnal” (one of the best shoegaze tracks of 2018) is like a stage magician throwing down a small flash bomb onstage.  Synths move like dancing handkerchiefs and singer / guitarist Dexy Valentine (whose name WordPress keeps wanting to autocorrect to “Sexy Valentine,” by the way) sings, “I’m invincible when I’m with you.”  Well, sign me up for any required heroics, Mrs. Valentine.

The jangly guitars of “Houdini” by Dexy and Chris Valentine bounce all around the room, and the guitars on “DNA” come at you from multiple directions.  Don’t miss Tommy Alexander’s bass on it because it’s so smooth it might slide right by you if you’re not careful.  “Realms” almost lures you into a dream, and “Loveline” is wonderful dream pop.  The band refers to their sound as “lovewave,” and that description is apt on this track (and the whole record, really).  “New Device” brings back the shoegaze, and “Chains and Fur” belongs on your boudoir playlist. I love how both Chris and Dexy Valentine layer their vocals over one another on the track.

That “double vocal” effect is just as good, if not better, on “Diamond Road,” which begs to be played in a convertible driving across the U.S. on a lonely night.  Drummer Pablo Amador puts down some wicked beats on “Julie Ann Gray” as Dexy Valentine’s vocals are slightly muted yet covered in reverb.  It’s like a lost Dum Dum Girls track.  “Big Life” is a lovely close to a lovely record…unless you get the digital download that comes with the bonus track “Puzzle of Love.”  It’s worth it.  The guitars are bold and bright and the beats are playful.

As I mentioned above, Abrakadabra is a lovely record.  “Lovewave” might be your new favorite thing after hearing this.

Keep your mind open.

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