It’s rare for me to hear a modern shoegaze band and immediately want to drop everything to go grab a copy. This album was an exception. Moments after hearing “Sunny Skies” from Destination Ecstasy, I knew I needed to immediately head down to Amoeba Records.
Sophomore Release is Bubblegum Lemonade’s, uh, second full-length. It is a fantastic record filled with saccharine, well-crafted pop tunes. I will save you the trouble of having to make an obvious inference, but I love this record.
SPC ECO (pronounced space echo) is one of my favorite projects on the fantastic XD record label. This project notably features Dean Garcia (of Curve fame), with this album also featuring a guest appearance from Andy Bell (Ride, Oasis).
Pulsing Krautrock-style drumming and bass playing characterize the Prescriptions EP by the Violet Age. Beautiful, psychedelic guitar work and chord choices abound throughout the EP. I didn’t actually expect vocals to come in at all on “Padded Cell”, but my jaw dropped when they did. The vocals remind me a bit of a shoegaze Bernard Sumner.
Is the comparison between Whet and Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoh/Swirlies valid? Yes, in the sense that Whet contains a few songs that could hold their own on Bakesale or You’re Living All Over Me and somehow factor in the beautiful male/female vocal interplay and general weirdness of Swirlies at the same time. No, in the sense that Whet is a lot more dynamic and original than this comparison gives them credit for.
