Fleeting Joys

I can't believe I missed this, but probably the best true shoegaze band out there today, Fleeting Joys, released a new album called 'Occult Radiance' on January 22nd. Let me put it to you this way: If you loved My Bloody Valentine then you will love Fleeting Joys. I was really into their last album 'Despondant Transponder', which came out almost 3 years ago, and this album is definitely a more than worthy follow up. Check out this new track entitled 'You are the darkness':

You Are The Darkness - Fleeting Joys

Asobi Seksu

Asobi Seksu has been sort of a group whose music takes me back. There's just something about it that is warm, comfortable and carefree like the summers of my youth. The strange thing is that I was never a My Bloody Valentine fan back in the day, as a matter of fact my musical taste was absolutely horrible. Probably the "coolest" bands I listened to were Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush and the like and I just listened to them because everyone else did. I was all too eager to escape the "Christian" music black hole of crappiness I was stuck in (for the record there are a few good "Christian" groups out there, they were just so good that I didn't like them if that makes any sense). So I guess there is something to be said about capturing the feeling of yesterday, during which that actual style of music was never physically present.
ANYWAYS, their new album 'Hush' is not entirely different from the band's second album (which was really the first album they had found their sound) called 'Citrus'. The shimmering fuzzy wall of sound is still present, although perhaps slightly more compressed this time around. The beautiful vocals that float over the layers upon layers of sugary dream pop are even sweeter than I remember. Sometimes it really can be a good thing to stay the same and here we have the perfect example.

Deerhunter

Deerhunter is my latest discovery in my love affair with shoegaze influenced rock. Actually I'm not sure if you can call it a discovery if I found out about them on pitchfork, but I'll allow myself to feel the sweet satisfaction of uncovering freshly squeezed semi-new music anyways. Deerhunter is a grower, their ambient rhythms sort sink beneath your consciousness and make you feel safe and warm, then they come in with a decidedly punk aesthetic that will wake you up and have your head bobbing and adrenaline pumping before you realize your cookie's are burning. Basically the more you listen, the more they control your brain and bodily functions. Each song on their new Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. double album opus has a decidedly different feel, while maintaining a cohesiveness that not many bands came claim. The lead singer and Deerhunter brainchild, Bradford Cox, spent much of his life indoors battling Marfan Syndrome, and it was during this time that he cultivated his love for music. He's quoted as saying that the two albums are meant to be experienced as FALL/WINTER pieces. Here's a new video of their song "Microcastle" (be patient it starts out with Bradford's beautifully dreamy vocals and then rocks out):


Deerhunter - Microcastle from Adam Bruneau on Vimeo.