New Music: A Sunny Day In Glasgow- Bye Bye Big Ocean (The End)

Only a could of weeks now until Philadelphia's A Sunny Day in Glasgow drop their new album Sea When Absent, and to prepare us for it the band has released the wonderful track titled "Bye Bye Big Ocean (The End)". This song might be the most anthemic thing they have ever released, thanks in part to the beautiful voice of singer Jen Goma (She is on a role, having contributed her voice to a couple of songs on The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's new album Day of Abandon). That being said, the band's experimental shoegaze is still prevalent, and the track features a very chaotic blend of synths and reverb. Check it below:

Sea When Absent is out June 24th via Lefse.

New Music: Alvvays- Archie, Marry Me

It has been a while since we've heard from Toronto indie band Alvvays and their particular brand of reverb friendly sunshine pop. Their first single "Adult Diversion" was released way back in the fall of 2013, and since then the track has gotten them a lot of attention including heavy rotation on a local Toronto radio station. That success led the band to a new record deal with Polyvinyl, and that means that we are finally going to get their debut album. The new record will be out in the summer but for now the band have shared "Archie, Marry Me", a love song featuring a dreamy chorus that is also the title of the song. Who would ever turn down a marriage invitation from someone who's voice is as beautiful as Molly Rankin's? Check out the song below:

New Music: Ummagma- The Road To Lees

Canadian/Ukrainian dream pop duo Ummagma are back with a brand new music video for their song "The Road to Lees". We already know from previous posts that this band has an eclectic sound with splashes of shoegaze, post rock, psychedelica and electronica heard throughout their body of songs. "The Road To Lees" is no exception and is a song that showcases the electronic side of their talent-the mesmerizing track might even be considered trip hop.

The music video for the song is a shimmering kaleidoscope of colours interwoven with scenes of mid  20th century American life. Shauna from the band sees this video as somewhat of a juxtaposition: “unfortunately, apart from that which was familial or community-based, what we knew as the good old days did indeed seem ‘real’, but it was based on a faulty foundation, which we’re only hearing about now. Just the same, this is still a happy place for many”.

Ummagma are also releasing a remix LP on May 16th with several reworkings of their excellent single "Lama". You can preview that LP right now on Soundcloud.

New Music: Eternal Summers- Never Enough + A Burial

Eternal Summers have dropped a couple of great new tracks to tide us over before they release The Drop Beneath in early March.  "Never Enough" has that familiar fuzzy dream pop sound that make Eternal Summers so great, while "A Burial" sees the band take a slight turn to the dark side. Check them out below:

The Drop Beneath is out March 4th via Kanine Records.

New Music: Tashaki Miyaki- Cool Runnings

It's been a couple of years since we have heard from Los Angeles dream pop band Tashaki Miyaki. Now, the trio are back with the short but sweet "Cool Runnings", a mellow song, but a quiet song that is enhanced by the wonderous, sexy voice of singer Lucy Miyaki. Listen below:

The single will be available on 7" February 25th via their own imprint Blonde Dog.

New Music: Eternal Summers- Gouge

Stereogum premiered Eternal Summers new single "Gouge" earlier today and described as "a surprisingly pretty piece of music with a crisp guitar line to cut through its gentle haze." That is kind a of a puzzling statement because anybody that is a fan of this band knows that they have been making beautiful music their whole career, so it is not surprising at all. The beauty has always lay in Nicole Yun's airy voice, that is intertwined with jangly shoegaze guitar and "Gouge" is no exception.  Listen below:

The band have made two extraordinary albums and are set to follow up with a third, The Drop Beneath, that will be out March 4th via Kanine Records.

Five Star Songs: School Of Seven Bells- Sempiternal/Amaranth

I meant to write something regarding dream pop band School Of Seven Bells and death of Benjamin Curtis from cancer last week, but I was too busy to get around to it. Cancer is a mean motherfucker, especially when it strikes down a young and talented person no matter what he does for a living.

Even though I am of fan of Secret Machines, I didn't really fall in love with Curtis' work until he started School of Seven Bells with Brazilian by way of Brooklyn singer Alejandra Deheza, along with her sister Claudia. ( I also didn't know he was a drummer for 90's alt rock band Tripping Daisy until after he died). Curtis passed away at the age of 35, but he was a seasoned veteran of the music industry admired by many artists including Paul Banks or Interpol, Robin Guthrie of The Cocteau Twins and even U2's The Edge.

Unfortunately, I never got to see School of Seven Bells when they came to Toronto to play live, something that I will regret for the rest of my life. Thank goodness there is YouTube to keep alive a genius like Curtis' amazing work. Watch below a concert from 2012 that the band recorded in Berlin and make sure you stick around for the encore to watch the band play an epic shoegaze version of "Sempiternal/Amaranth".

New Music: A Sunny Day in Glasgow- In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry In The Tradition Of Passing)

For the longest time I thought dream pop group A Sunny Day in Glasgow were actually a Scottish band. It kind of shocked me when I found out they were from Philadelphia and I don't know why. Maybe, it's because when I think of that city, soul music or Americana comes to mind and not shoegaze.

Anyway, after a short hiatus, the Pennsylvania band are back with the new single "In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry In The Tradition Of Passing)". When I think of this band I think of wanderlust and this track is no exception. The angelic tune, with its indiscernible lyrics and overlaying production, will take you to a place where you can daydream and escape reality while dancing the night away. Check it below:

Not sure when they will put out their new LP, but it should be on the way very soon.

New Music: Ummagma- Rotation + Live and Let Die

After winning the Alternative Eurovision prize earlier this year, Ukrainian-Canadian dream pop band Ummagma are not resting on their laurels and have released a brand new double A-side single titled "Rotation"/"Live and Let Die". "Rotation" is the more electronic of the two songs and features a slow build up of wailing synth lines that leads into fuzzy, textured, grandiose dream pop. Meanwhile, " Live and Let Die" is maybe the funkiest song I have heard from the duo. The rhythmic track has really cool choppy guitar riffs, bombastic drums and I think I am not wrong in comparing this to some of Broadcast's poppier songs. Take a listen below:

The single is just the beginning as Ummagma plans to release more singles in 2014 on German label Emerald & Doreen Recordings. The new single is now available on iTunes, Juno Download, Amazon, Beatport and other major digital platforms. 

New Music: Elsa- In Two

Another great new Toronto band that I am more than happy to present to you. This time it is the dream pop four piece group Elsa, a band that Fucked Up's Mike Haliechuk and his record label have taken under their wing. These guys make wonderful hushed, fuzzy indie pop that make the grey autumn days of October and November bearable. Watch the video for their reverb friendly new song "In Two" below:

The band have a 4 track EP titled I Do that is available now via One Big Silence.



Elsa - In Two from Colin Medley on Vimeo.

Five Star Songs- Asobi Seksu- Walk On The Moon

So sad to hear that dream pop/shoegazer band Asobi Seksu have announced they are going on indefinite hiatus. The group made the announcement on their Facebook page last week by posting "Thanks for all the memories guys. Hope to make more down the line. We miss you all.” which left fans thinking they were breaking up. However, they later clarified their statement by writing “Saying goodbye for the forseeable future, but we may write for Asobi again in a couple of years…” (Ironically, the last thing the band did was release a cover of Japanese sludge metal band Boris's song "Farewell.") 

Let's hope that they get plenty of rest in the next couple of years and that they come back even stronger.

"Walk on the Moon" is my personal favourite Asobi Seksu song. The track is taken from their 2004 debut self titled album.

New Music: Cuushe- I Miss You

Stunning new dream pop from Japanese singer Cuushe. "I Miss You" is a very beautiful song off of her new LP Butterfly Case which is out today via Tokyo label Flau. The track is awash with reverb with a hint of jangly guitar which are nicely complimented by Cuuuhe's sweet fragile voice. Listen below:

New Music: Boardwalk- I'm to Blame + Music Video

West coast dreaminess from California duo Boardwalk. "I'm to Blame" sounds like the slowed down dream pop of Mazzy Star, Widowspeak or even a more laid back version of Beach House. Watch the hazy music video for the track below:

The couple are working on a new album which should be out in October.

New Music: Breeze- Dolls + Music Video

Toronto indie rock project Breeze is a band put together by Beliefs' member Josh Korody who enrolled an impressive list of Canadian musicians to help out. Among the members of the group are Shawn Dell (Great Bloomers), Dustin Hawthorne (Islands) and Kyle Connolly (Elk).

The band have just released a brand new music video for their single "Dolls", a jangle rock song that is gleaming with dream pop greatness. The digital single is available now through Hand Drawn Dracula and the band are working on a new album which will be available in the near future.

New Music: Blouse- No Shelter + A Feeling Like This

Ooooh...didn't realize there is a new Blouse LP on the way. The band released "No Shelter" a few  weeks ago and now they have put out another great new single titled "A Feeling Like This." No more synths for these guys. The band now ride the dream pop waves over angular guitars and the familiar voice of Charlie Hilton. Listen to both songs below:

Blouse will release their new album Imperium on September 17th via Captured Tracks.

New Music: The Stargazer Lilies- We Are The Dreamers + Endless Days

The Stargazer Lilies are a new shoegaze/dream pop band that was started by two former members of psychedelic dance band Soundpool. With their new group, guitarist John Cep and singer Kim Field are still making psychedelic music, but in a more traditional, late 80's style of play.

The duo are about to release their debut long player We Are The Dreamers that was recorded with the help of Thomas Fec, the mysterious dude behind the freaky psych pop band Tobacco. Thankfully, the band doesn't employ the incredibly irritating vocoder that Fec uses with his own music. The sound is strictly beautiful, dreamy reverb on these two tracks. Listen below:

We Are The Dreamers is out September 10th via Graveface Records.

New Music: Frankie Rose- Sorrow

This news just made my Friday......

Frankie Rose has announced she is following up her awesome 2012 album Interstellar with a brand new LP this fall. The record is titled Herein Wild and will be available September 24th via Fat Possum.

The first single, "Sorrow" sounds even more post punk than anything she recorded on Interstellar. I guess she has left that lo-fi garage music in the dust and fully immersed herself in the magic that is dream pop. Listen below:

New Music: Hockeysmith- Let's Bang

Hockeysmith are a couple of sisters, Georgie and Annie, who do all of their best work while residing in a caravan (trailer) park in southern England. The misleadingly titled Let's Go is a blissful piece of dream pop that features foggy electronics and distant guitars and a beat that you can very well dance to. Don't let the fade out at the 1:00 mark fool you - the song doesn't end and actually gets better from that point. Listen below

New Music: The Band in Heaven- Dandelion Wine + Music Video

I see why these guys named their group The Band in Heaven. They produce some glorious heavenly dream pop music, especially this song. “Dandelion Wine" is jangle pop of the twee-est kind.

The video for the song features the band celebrating some pagan ritual that has bubble blowing, horse heads and half naked women. Watch below.

They have a debut album coming out titled Caught in a Summer Swell, and it will be available September 17th.

Music Video: Her Vanished Grace- Turn It Over

Some news from our friends Her Vanished Grace from last week....

Firstly, they released a new video for their beautiful song"Turn It Over" from last year's Star Crossed LP. If you are a fan of The Cocteau Twins then this song is perfect for you. Watch the video below:

Secondly, lead singer Charles Nieland released a solo work, UNDER DARK, a collection unsettling ethereal landscapes. The tracks on UNDER DARK are a series of live improvisations using Electric Guitar, Transistor Radio, GR-33 Guitar Synth, Steel Guitar, Trumpet and a variety of looping devices and effects. You can listen to the album or pay what you can for it over at the band's Bandcamp site.