I’m a fan of the indie record label Z Tapes, run by Filip Zemčík out of Slovakia. He’s turned me onto some amazing bedroom artists, and now he has a blog, START TRACK, where he highlights interesting things he finds on Bandcamp. Consider following.
Dream Pop
[Music] Arctica – Hanami in Tokyo
DMT Records tend to be hit-or-miss for me, which is no surprise considering the sheer volume of releases they put out. Still, on average, they rarely disappoint, and can in fact still surprise me with a charming release.
A case in point would be Montreal’s Arctica, who put out an EP’s worth of music that sits in a hole between vaporwave, ethereal music and dream pop. I really enjoyed what I heard here, and I hope that DMT continue to put out releases like this.
[Music] Various Artists – Welcome To The Occupation, A Reverence to R.E.M
The Blog That Celebrates Itself continues to release the finest covers compilations in a shoegaze style. This time, the band getting the royal treatment is R.E.M., who haven’t sounded this good since about 1990.
[Music] Oak – Not Afraid Anymore
I came across these guys thanks to a fine poster over at Reddit. Very solid post-rock out of France, not too derivative of other bands like Immanu El and the like.
[Music] Blankenberge – Radiogaze (LP 2017)
Today’s pleasant surprise is Blankenberge, a dreampop/shoegaze band out of Russia. Not quite My Bloody Valentine at their peak, but pretty decent nonetheless.
[Music] Silver Rose – Silver Rose
I know of quite a few artists in Brazil who are doing stupendous work in the genre of Shoegaze music, but this release by Silver Rose, a Mexican band, equals or surpasses these, having a lot in common with their fellow British and American co-practicioners of this sonic art.
Those of you who like Dream Pop will find a lot to enjoy with this release as well, as, for those of us over the age of 40, we’ll remember swaying to Hope Sandoval’s lush vocals. For a moment, this album transported me back to those days. A keeper.
[Music] Imandra Lake – Küll süda teab (singel)
If My Bloody Valentine left a love child in the Baltic states, that child would grow up to be Estonia’s coolest indie band, Imandra Lake.
[Music] vivienxo – w84u
vivienxo is a Finnish musician who does ‘dreampop’. I have no idea what the genre really is, but there’s a lovely, muffled sound to it that reminds me of old 80s dreampop that I’m familiar with, such as bands like Dream Academy. Definitely worth investigating further.
[Music] Sparklehorse – Weird Sisters
A real tragedy. Sparklehorse, led by Mark Linkous, were indie rock darlings, collaborating and touring with artists as wide-ranging as Fennesz and Radiohead. Unfortunately, Linkous also suffered with drug addiction and ensuing health problems for years, and took his life in 2010.
[Sample] J. Mascis – Fade Into You
J. Mascis, guitarist and singer of Dinosaur Jr., has a venerable tradition of covering songs in an incredibly pleasant, heartfelt way. For Valentine’s Day Eve, we present you with a rather tender cover of Mazzy Star’s sumptuous single.
