Posted in Electronic/Ambient

Review: elvis depressedly – “holo pleasures”

elvis depressedly – holo pleasures

holo pleaures

Released: 16th April 2013
Label: Birdtapes | Orchid Tapes
Purchase: Vinyl | Casette [Sold Out] | Digital

holo pleasures is the sixth release by lo-fi pop project, elvis depressedly and marks the first time under this moniker that there has been a full band effort. The trio that contributed to the record includes Mat Cothran on vocals, drums, and guitar, Eric Jones on guitar and bass, and Delaney Mills playing all the keyboard parts. Like most of Cothran’s work, there is the familiar lo-fi analog comfort layered on top of warbling vocals to create unparalleled mellowness and melancholy.

The first track, okay, a pop number, encompasses Cothran’s simple yet poignant lyrical style including the lyrics, “I remember becoming winter, haunted by light, true love turned to sickness in my body, stayed up all night.” The album has the some of the same vibes as Coma Cinema, Cothran’s other outfit, however what sets them apart is the difference in the coherent aesthetic of the albums. The harmonies and hooks of this release contain a medley of droned keyboard, blown out guitar strumming, and muted percussion followed by refrains such as “If there’s a cool spot in heaven, I know you’ll get in” in weird honey and “Always real, always right, always alright” in pepsi/coke suicide. The six songs that run a total of twelve minutes are meant to be listened as one in order to gain the full experience of the record.

Mat Cothran and his band members are always constantly progressing and a new release is never far away, or from any of the groups in the scene such as Julia Brown, R.L. Kelly, and Pussy Wizard. The casette form of this release is currently sold out, but you can still pick up the 7″ vinyl in either blood red or swamp green from Birdtapes, or give it a listen over at the Bandcamp page.

Standout Tracks: “okay”, “weird honey”, “pepsi/coke suicide”

8.5

“never quit, there’s always a reason to try.”

Tracklisting:
1. okay
2. pepsi/coke suicide
3. inside you
4. teeth
5. weird honey
6. thinning out

 

Listen: Teen Daze – “The House On The Mountain”

Teen Daze
Teen Daze, ambient pop solo project, two days ago put out a four track EP titled The House On The Mountain. It was recorded last month on the side of Sumas Mountain, in Jamison’s hometown of Abbotsford, BC. The four unrivalled songs other than including the expected instruments also contain a medley of sampled kitchen ware instruments, which you can listen to the result of below.

Jamison’s words about the release, “I would spend the day putting together the beat, and after a morning in the kitchen, I would ask my roommate David (also the bass/guitar player for the live Teen Daze band you’ll be seeing later this year) to just improvise over-top of the beat. I’d sample his playing, and a quick mix later, we had a song. Then we’d usually go eat pizza and talk about video games. I’m lucky to have such a talented friend, and I’m sure this won’t be the last collaboration you’ll hear between us.” You can pick up this EP from his Bandcamp Page with all the proceeds going towards his wedding budget. For more information about Teen Daze check out his official website and Facebook page.

Donate: Starry Cat – “Self-Titled”

Starry Cat
Starry Cat, solo project of Sam Ray from Ricky Eat Acid, Julia Brown and Teen Suicide, have released a self titled album in support of fellow band member and friend, Caroline White. This release was written and recorded during a break from recording for the Julia Brown debut. It was initially going to be kept a secret and be sold as physical copies at shows, however  in Sam Ray’s words, “we found out recently that caroline (our viola player/singer) is sick and has to get multiple surgeries soon. that sucks. also she can’t eat cake for like a long time which is awful. caroline’s one of my best friends and one of the most talented people i know and it sucks she has to go through this and it sucks even more because i know it’s a lot of money to get everything she needs done. i wanted to try and help her with everything so i figured i’d release this album now instead of waiting and hope that if you like it (or wanna be supportive) you’d pay for it.”

All the money donated goes into Caroline’s Paypal account to help pay for the surgeries. If you have ever downloaded music from the aforementioned bands, you’ll have noticed they never ask for money, so please this time help Caroline out, thank you.

“if you can’t afford anything you can still download it but it’d be rad if you shared it i guess so maybe other people will see it.” – Sam Ray

 

 

[Edit: Cameron Boucher of Old Gray has also released a solo album for the same cause, which you can buy on his Bandcamp page.]

Coma Cinema Unveils New Album

Coma Cinema
Coma Cinema, lo-fi ontological pop band, have announced the title and artwork for their upcoming full length to be released on May 25th of this year. The album will be called Posthumous Release and will soon be available to pre-order in cassette form via Orchid Tapes and in vinyl from Fork and Spoon Records. From Mat Cothran’s tumblr, “I thank you for your patience, it’s been a sad, weird world to get this record together. Shouts out to tv girl for producing it. Shouts out to all of you for supporting me for all this time.” You can listen to bailey jay one of the tracks off the release by clicking on the title.

Track Listing:
01. white trash vhs
02. she keeps it alive
03. bailey jay
04. lee (columbine high harmony)
05. satan made a mansion
06. partners in crime
07. burn a church
08. virgin veins
09. survivor’s guilt
10. marie (no sleep)
11. posthumous release

Stream: T.E.A.M.S – Sierra City Center (Diamond Club)

385155066-1
In late February T.E.A.M.S released a new album, Sierra City Center (Diamond Club). T.E.A.M.S is the psychedelic/lo-fi project of Sean Bowie. The project shows a lot of similarities to Walsh, through the electronic vibes that have a really soothing yet dazed feeling, which is most apparent in the title track. Although this record is far from a copy of Walsh, it has a very psychedelic and abstract presence in songs like When Jesus Talks To Me and Yuba. This record is ultimately a challenging yet fun listen, with a relatively individualistic sound at times. The record is available for purchase through their Bandcamp page, or you can stream it below.