A Shoreline Dream - Three, 3, III Ep's

It's been a while since I've really written anything about a band, but when local post-dark-dream-pop kids A Shoreline Dream sent me their newest triple EP release, felt compelled to talk about it.

Three, 3, and III, released this last September, has A Shoreline Dream moving slightly in a new direction.  They've kept the crisp, emphatic drum production, ethereal vocals, spaced out guitar tones, and dialed-down-post-punk bass lines, but they're approach to the sound is a little different.

Their previous full lengths, Avoiding the Consequences and Recollections of Memory (I haven't had a chance to check out last year's Losing The All to This Time), at times leaned more toward harsher, more complex compositions, juxtaposed with very nearly ambient landscapes.

All three EP's here marry these two worlds, and cut out any remaining superflous complexity seen on the last LP's, which at times had a muddling and disengaging effect.  These three EP's are as focused as I've ever heard the band, who continue to meld their influences (I'm hearing a mix of shoegaze, 90's alt rock, ambient, dream pop, early 00's post-rock) into a solid foundation, allowing them steady ground from which to launch their own creative devices.

Check out 103 from the Three EP.  I thought there was a little bit of Brian in there.  Anything that reminds me of Brian is good in my book.

I wish I were able to post my favorite track, "Sixth" from III, but it hasn't been made available yet.  Maybe it'll show up on a bandcamp page though.  Here's hoping!

In their own words:

BIOGRAPHYMelodipsych night dreamers A Shoreline Dream spent the first part of 2012 locked away in their Barnum studio creating a series of EPs inspired by their mountainscape surroundings and the never-ending changes going on around them. 

Created as a concept album of sorts, these three EPs, released digitally over the course of three months, and each containing three songs, have come together as a full album once stitched together. Each disc plays a role to what was going on during these secluded sessions, which is ever present while listening to them with ears open and eyes shut. 

With mountains of tone, and dream drenched roads paving the way through the songs themselves, the 333 series is a unique gazed-out listening experience, similar in vein to the vibe contained on their 2007 EP, Coastal. The first EP, Three, brings to mind open landscapes, dune inspired within epic environments. The second, 3, sets its tone to the night, and to Barnum itself, with it's vibe being set by the studio and the circus neighborhood it was recorded in. The third and final EP, III, was written with driving in mind, as each song is dedicated to the roads the band uses to test their tracks, with the final epic song "103" actually being written as a soundtrack to the drive up the highest paved road in North America, to the very top of Mt. Evans. 

This unique collection of songs is soon to be available through toneVendor exclusively, in a quantity of 100only and then they will be gone for good. What you'll get is a set of 3 custom digipak CDs, in a O-card wrapped box, and each copy will be hand numbered and signed by the band.

Alan Alda – EP
My Thoughts: Like ()

Not the guy from M*A*S*H. I swear that’s the last time I’ll tell that joke. The first time I had the opportunity to see these cool cats was actually this EP’s release show that my band played with them, and when I was packing my stuff up during the begining of their set, I thought for a moment the venue was just going to play the EP through the house speakers really loud. Then I realized the drums sounded way to real, and checked out the stage to see what was going on. Lo and Behold Alan Alda was there rocking out infinitely more professionally than I've seen it done in a long time. They were basically perfect. I've never seen a better performance at the Meadowlark.

Their music is indie rock awesomeness reminiscent of an era that has kind of past, but this album shows us there is still ground to be covered. The drums sound full and alive, and guitars dirty and distorted. The vocals come off as little unfocused at first, but then you realize he's hitting every pitch just right, it's just that he has a strangely unique voice. Certainly something to take notice of:

Alan Alda - Red Sky Morning

'08's Music to Love More Than Music: Love, Pt. 9

Love (<)
Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending A Night In
Thee Oh Sees are a peculiar bunch. I instantly attached to the album, but after a while I found myself only listening to a few key songs. After I noticed that I went back and listened to the other songs and there was nothing wrong with them, they just didn't grab me. This release appears to be the first big release by TOS, so I am excited to hear the stuff they're going to come out with next.
Thee Oh Sees - Ghost in the Trees

Mahjongg - Kontpab
I don't know many people who would really like this album, but that's probably because of the circle of friends I have. The music is repetitive to the point of becoming a churning, living rhythm. The entire album is shamelessly devoted to rhythm and layered beats. It brings you back to tribal moments in your species' history. Masterful. for fans of Fuck Buttons.
Mahjongg - Pontiac

King Khan and The Shrines - The Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines
"My baby's fat, she's ugly." This album is like a mix of James Brown, the Hives, and a psychedelic ska band. Wicked fun and offensive on purpose. I need to see them live. And so do you, I have a feeling.
King Khan and The Shrines - Took My Lady to Dinner

Elks - Elks
A sort of mix of Tool and Foals, Elks is (are?) a straaaange group straight outta London. Their music instantly drew me in, but turned me off. I could tell there were amazing parts to it, but it was hard to get attached. I listened to it many times, and it grew on my like I knew it would, but it's weird that I had to do listen to it a couple times in order to really like it. It's a damn good album though. These guys are talented, and they only reason they're not as popular as Foals is because they're not as pop-y as Foals, and they're not as metal as Tool. these are not bad things.
Elks - London

Varsovia - EP
Indie Rock beginnings are always hard to talk about, because you never know what might happen (*cough* ... The Black Kids). But I think this band has a good thing going for them. They kind of worry me sometimes, because if it doesn't get more inventive than this, then it's not really going to rock my world. That said, the commercial world might just jump all over it. I like them, and I'd like to see them go far.
Varsovia - Monster