Comprised of Ryan Policky, Erik Jeffries, Adam Edwards, Kevin Keim, the Denver, CO-based quartet A Shoreline Dream are pioneers of a subgenre described as melodipsych, which pairs lush sampled textures, layered vocals and a wall of sound dynamic featuring layers of guitars and feedback. And with many critics and bloggers describing the band’s sound to the likes of RIDE, Slowdive and Sigur Ros (although to my ears I also hear Big Deal), the band has received national attention from media outlets like XLR8R, Skyscraper and Westword, and they’ve had singles appear on samplers for Landmark Theatres, Urban Outfitters, Sundance Film Festival, Vice Magazine and Paste Magazine (who also have critically applauded the band).
After a Fall 2007 West Coast tour with Innaway and an appearance at Filter‘s Revenge of the Sunset Strip, the Denver-based quartet began a lengthy collaboration with Ulrich Schnauss and producer Mark Kramer, best known for his work with Low, Joy Zipper and Galaxie 500 (which from my understanding has continued through several different efforts).
The band is currently working on a new album and then revealing the entire creative process of the album by leaking material as its written and recorded, essentially eschewing the traditional marketing and promotion format of most records — that is recording the album, hiring a PR firm, releasing a couple of singles, seeing which ones hit, then shooting a video or two and then a tour. And although they’ve released a single or two off their forthcoming and untitled (as of this writing) album, I wanted to talk about a song off their previous full-length effort, The Silent Sunrise, which caught my attention. “the heart never recovers,” is an anthemic and cinematic song that effortlessly meshes the sound of classic 4AD post punk with shoegaze in a way that’s hazy, hypnotic and towering while possessing a tight and propulsive motorik-like groove.
The music video for the song follows a nihilistic goth woman as she writes in a journal, wanders around and discovers surreptitiously placed notes written as though directly to her. Shot through hazy filters, the video further emphasizes the psychedelic and hypnotic feel of the song.
