Organic sweetener for saccharine shoegazers
RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, Wye Oak, Sonic Youth, Sully, the heavier side of Yo La Tengo
Sounds Like: Musicians with the talent to capture both their angst and the irony of their angst.
A few words: I confess: I'm a sucker for shoegaze. When my friend Drew played MBV's Loveless for me back in the 90s, I thought I'd found the best record of all time. And while Loveless is still arguably the quintessential shoegaze record, the genre has evolved remarkably, as is evident on the third record from Northfield, MN band Gospel Gossip.
The album exhibits everything a shoegaze fan will be looking for: dreamy layers of distortion, frenzied drumming, and songs well past the 3 minute mark. But Dreamland has elements that raise it above the generic; most notably are Sarah Nienaber's vocals, through which we can hear (shock horror!) discernible lyrics. I can't tell you how relieving it is to finally be able to stare at my sneakers AND sing along.
Their new 6-song record is well worth geeking out over. Its run is limited to 500 copies on white vinyl with hand-printed sleeves and inserts (joy!). CDs will be included with each vinyl and for sale with a limited stock. The only problem? I can't seem to find out how to buy a copy. Attempts at contact have been fruitless (but you can try: gospelgossip@gmail.com).
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