Ethereal Wave

After immersing myself in Fields Of The Nephilim on Sunday I suppose it is only inevitable that one of my ‘similar artist’ type investigation takes me down a route to another related genre. This morning I have been listening to Autumn’s Grey Solace’s debut album, from 2000, Within the Depths of a Darkened Forest.

Ethereal Wave grew out of Gothic Rock via the early work of Cocteau Twin and Dead Can Dance, and anyone who is already acquainted with Shoegaze and Dreampop will hear the overlap with those two genres.

Here is a list of albums to check out, both in terms of influencing it’s development and bands from within the genre.

• The Cure – Faith (1981)
• Siouxsie and the Banshees – A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982)
• Dead Can Dance – Dead Can Dance (1984)
• This Mortal Coil – It’ll End In Tears (1984)
• Cocteau Twins – Victorialand (1986)
• Area – Radio Caroline (1987)
• All About Eve – All About Eve (1988)
• This Ascension – Tears In Rain (1989)
• Slowdive – Just For A Day (1991)
• Low – If I Could Live In Hope (1994)
• Faith And Disease – Beauty And Bitterness (1993)
• Lycia – Estrella (1998)
• Aenima – Revolutions (1999)
• Trance To The Sun – Atrocious Virgin (2001)
• Autumn’s Grey Solace – Within The Depths Of A Darkened Forest (2002)
• Loveliecrushing – CRWTH (2010)

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Alcest – Ecailles De Lune

I went out to check the super-box for mail today, and joy of joys, this months Terrorizer (issue 195) has just arrived. As I was flicking through I noticed a review of the new Alcest album, and they have given it a 9. Awesome!

Track listing:

1. Écailles de Lune – Part 1
2. Écailles de Lune – Part 2
3. Percées de lumière
4. Abysses
5. Solar Song
6. Sur L’Océan Couleur De Fer

 Alcest at Amazon

 

 

Reviewed at:

• All Music – http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gzfoxztsldde
• Metalstorm – http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=7750
• Sputnik Music – http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=47138
• Musical Warfare – http://www.musicalwarfare.com/2010/03/10/review-alcest-ecailles-de-lune-2010/

 

Genre(s):

• Post-Black Metal
• Post-Metal
• Shoegaze

 

Similar Artists:

• Les Discrets
• Amesoeurs

 

Further Information:

@Official Website – http://www.alcest-music.com/

@Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/alcestmusic

@Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alcest/11977084417

@Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcest

If you like this, you might like this: Fantome

This is the first of several posts where I will be suggesting 5 to 10 albums that are closely related in some way, either through the sound or generally, due to genre. So, this time around the starting point is the gloom pop/shoegaze band Fantome. Enjoy!

Fantome – Velvet On The Air

Mira – Mira

Tearwave – Tearwave

Ports Of Call – Like Thieves

Con Dolore – Sailor’s Warning
Unfortunately I could not find a video/track on YouTube for this one.

Post Black Metal / Shoegaze

I was doing a bit of a trawl around Wikipedia the other day and noticed that there are several, of the more progressive, Black Metal bands that have been incorporating elements of Shoegaze into their sound with, what I think are, very good results. Three bands who I picked up on are: Alcest, Amesoeurs and Agalloch. Each of these bands has a very different approach and sound. Here, care of Wikipedia and YouTube, is a quick overview.

 

Alcest

Alcest is a musical project born in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France (now relocated in Paris where Neige lives). Beginning as a raw black metal act in 1999, Alcest later became a vessel for Neige’s "memories of another world" as the band evolved into his solo-project. While Alcest still retains some black metal roots, the music now draws more comparison to other genres such as shoegaze and post-rock. Neige has stated in interviews that he had not listened to these types of music prior to the recording of Souvenirs d’un autre monde. Alcest is currently under contract with Prophecy Productions for five albums. Though this does not necessarily mean that Neige is required to record these albums, should he decide to do so, they will be released via Prophecy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcest

Recommended listening – Souvenirs d’Un Autre Monde (2007)

Amesoeurs

Amesoeurs was a French shoegaze/post-punk/black metal band formed in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France in Summer 2004 by guitarist/vocalist Neige of Alcest fame, and by bassist/singer Audrey Sylvain and guitarist Fursy Teyssier (Phest, Les Discrets) with the purpose of creating a music that reflects the dark side of the industrial era and modern civilization. Neige and Audrey Sylvain are also known for their input as session/live musicians in La sale Famine de Valfunde’s band Peste Noire.

Shortly after Amesoeurs’s formation a few songs were written and the band performed a gig. Soon after, Fursy Teyssier decided to leave the band to go back to his studies. In April 2005, a first 3 track-MCD entitled "Ruines Humaines" was self-recorded. Neige was leaving the depressive Black Metal band Mortifera at the time and he used two tracks (“Bonheur Amputé” and “Ruines Humaines”) he had originally composed for Mortifera for Amesoeurs’s MCD. The MCD was finally released through Northern Silence Productions from Germany in 2006.

In 2007 Fursy joined the band again and drummer Winterhalter (drummer in Peste Noire between 2006 and 2008) was added to the mix for the full-length album "Amesoeurs" released in March 2009 through the Italian label Code 666 records. The first album was recorded during winter 2008-2009 in the Klangschmiede Studio E with Markus Stock from Empyrium fame and it is described by the band as "a kaleidoscopic soundtrack for the modern era". After the release of the full-length, Amesoeurs split up due to personal tensions and conflicting ideas regarding the band’s future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amesoeurs

Recommended listening – Amesoeurs (2009)

Agalloch

Agalloch is an American metal band formed in 1995 in Portland, Oregon. The band is led by vocalist and guitarist John Haughm and so far have released four limited EPs, three full-length albums, two demos, one split album, one compilation album and one live DVD. A fourth full-length album is planned for future release.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalloch

Recommended listening – Ashes Against the Grain (2006)

Githead – Landing

Track listing:

1. Faster
2. Take Off
3. Before Tomorrow
4. Landing
5. Ride
6. Over The Limit
7. Lightswimmer
8. From My Perspective
9. Displacement & Time
10. Transmission Tower

Landing by Githead is a melding of music into a smooth, steady reliable delivery. With drums and bass providing the solid framework over which the guitars can layer their melodic chimes and accents, atop this rides the almost dispassionate vocals. After several listens it certainly makes me want to check out the record collection for My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Curve, Ride, Stereolab, Bolshoi and a bit of Wire.

Reviewed at:

The Onion – http://www.avclub.com/articles/githead-landing,35684/

Dusted Magazine – http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5367

Pop Matters – http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/117288-githead-landing/

Drowned In Sound – http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14860/reviews/4138380

The Skaden – You’ll Hope I Had Died

  Track listing:

1    Pain and Sexual Overdose Delusion        
2    The Suicide of Thoughts        
3    A Peaceful Moment        
4    White Noise In a Monochrome Night        
5    Grand Final        
6    You’ll Hope I Had Died

The Skaden’s new album You’ll Hope I Had Died is an interesting combination of post Black Metal and Shoegaze. Both grim and female vocals sit atop this unique combination of styles with the themes very much in the area of solitude, despair and desolation. There have been combinations of alternative music and black metal before but this often just extends to  covering, although well, songs by bands such as The Cure or sounding like you are covering songs by The Cure. There is an entirely different approach in use here and it works really well. 

More information here:

BlackMetal.com – http://www.blackmetal.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=search&item=BMC66652CD&type=store

The Omega Order – http://www.theomegaorder.com/SKADEN-THE-You-Will-Hope-I-Had-Died

The Skaden’s MySpace Page – http://www.myspace.com/eikenskaden

Tape Deck Mountain – Ghost

Track listing:
1. Scantrons
2. F-
3. On My Honor
4. 80/20
5. Dead Doctors Don’t Lie
6. In the Dirt
7. Ghost Colony
8. A+
9. Bat Lies

I can pretty much sum Ghost by Tape Deck Mountain up in one equation, (33.3333333/45)rpm x ((Slowdive + Jesus and Mary Chain + Stone Roses) x uber-reverb). But, of course, I really love it! It’s a bizarre holiday science project set to music.

Reviewed at:
Pitchfork – http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13757-ghost/

Prefixmag.com – http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/tape-deck-mountain/ghost/33399/

Engineers – Three Fact Fader

Track listing:

1. Clean Coloured Wire
2. Sometimes I Realise
3. International Dirge
4. Helped by Science
5. Brighter As We Fall
6. Hang Your Head
7. Crawl From the Wreckage
8. Three Fact Fader
9. Song For Andy
10. Emergency Room
11. The Fear Has Gone
12. Be What You Are
13. What Pushed Us Together

Engeeners second album, Three Fact Finder, is a trippy, loopy and laid back ride through laconic sonic diversity. Simon Phipps’ seductive vocals ride on a heady flow of lethargic angst. Shoegaze perfection!

Reviewed at:

Delusions of Adequacy – http://www.adequacy.net/2009/12/engineers-three-fact-fader/

Drowned In Sound – http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14482/reviews/4137217

musicOMH.com – http://www.musicomh.com/albums/engineers_0709.htm

New Musical Express – http://www.nme.com/reviews/engineers/10633

PopMatters – http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/116472-engineers-three-fact-fader/

Lost At Sea – http://www.lostatsea.net/review.phtml?id=10606239904b235b537f2c1

All Music Guide  – http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0xftxztaldse~T1