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Colin Nance — Warmth

The aptly named “Dream Cove” launches the effort with an expertly arranged froth of synthetic washes, cavernous percussion and his wistful, measured vocals. The following “Awakening” is more playful, bouncing with Casio beeps and a more vivacious melody that soars at the chorus; had this song come out 30 years sooner, I’m certain it would […]

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Current event

Recording music inside his home in the out-of-the-way Oklahoma town of Amber, Depth & Current singer/ guitarist Chris Harris often heard some bizarre sounds via CV radio that weren’t always necessarily his own. “Living out in the country, I would hit these distortion pedals and hear these crazy preachers and alien conspiracy theorists and government […]

Posted inMusic

Current event

Recording music inside his home in the out-of-the-way Oklahoma town of Amber, Depth & Current singer/ guitarist Chris Harris often heard some bizarre sounds via CV radio that weren’t always necessarily his own. “Living out in the country, I would hit these distortion pedals and hear these crazy preachers and alien conspiracy theorists and government […]

Posted inMusic

Depth & Current — Depth & Current

I like to think of him as a kindred, younger spirit to Shellac’s Steve Albini: well-thought and often intentionally shocking, not for the enjoyment of shocking people, but because shock is often a useful tool in creating provocative art. Prior to listening to “Depth & Current,” the first LP from the eponymous band comprised by […]

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Soundcheck: The Prids

The pair wound up in Portland, Ore., in 1999, where they started recording a certain subconsciously subterranean, guitar-driven music with catchy, but still literary lines sung boy-girl. And don’t forget the special ingredient: just the right amount of distortion. Last year’s “Chronosynclastic” draws all this musical influence in and emotes it over 15 years’ worth […]

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Washed Out — Within and Without

The end products, discovered on his MySpace page by excited bloggers, established Washed Out as a distinct house beat-driven sub-style in chillwave, contemporary to the likes of Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian. They also earned Greene a deal with Sub Pop. So not long after the former dropped his excellent “Underneath the Pine” and […]

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Exit Calm — Exit Calm

The reverb-laden guitar cacophony, buried vocals and mood emphasis of the former were swapped out for focused distortion, pop melodies and distinct song structures of the latter in listeners’ minds. Shoegaze never recovered. If Exit Calm had appeared in 1993, shoegaze might still be going strong. Armed with ear-splitting waves of reverb-heavy guitars that came […]

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