#slowshine

[man-deville]

[onestowatch]

Golden Vessel and Emerson Leif Pen an Ethereal Love Song in “HIGHWAY” [PREMIERE]

There is an all-encompassing tranquility to the hazy sonic meditations of Golden Vessel. The left-of-center Australian artist blurs the lines between whispered R&B and DIY electro-pop to increasingly beautiful effect with each new release, a fact he makes all the more apparent in his latest single, “HIGHWAY.”

“HIGHWAY,” the latest taste from Golden Vessel’s highly-anticipated debut album SLOWSHINE, set to release in May, is an ethereal love song stringed together from hushed lulls and electronic coos. Once again joining forces with longtime collaborator Emerson Leif, the unorthodox duo piece together a sleepily-sung love letter with mesmerizing electronic threads. Leif spoke on the lyrics of “HIGHWAY,” which flow forth like loosely strung together poetry, sharing,

“The lyrics for ‘HIGHWAY’ went straight from the heart into the microphone. When I woke up that morning my beautiful wife had been joking around hiding under the covers and saying that she might sleep in all day and I could wake her up when I got home. Sometimes those seemingly insignificant moments end up being the most magical things we share with people. That sentiment was no doubt echoing in my head on the drive to Max’s [Golden Vessel] studio and its intimacy made its way into the song in a beautifully genuine way. Sometimes these magical moments happen when you are comfortable and not overthinking your environment or who you are with. It is a great gift being able to create something beautiful and honest with a friend.”

The new single also arrives with an accompanying music video that captures the profound intimacy of Golden Vessel and Emerson Leif’s electronic-fueled meditations. The DIY Australian artist spoke on making the music video for “HIGHWAY,” sharing,

“This is the second of three videos that I filmed in Japan with my friend Matt. We wanted to do a one-take shot in the back of a Tokyo taxi to match the sleepiness of the song. We actually spent over an hour trying to find a taxi that would let us and finally a guy agreed to drive us.”

Watch the Lost In Translation-reminiscent video for “HIGHWAY” below before the song is available everywhere tomorrow:

[laws-respecter]

[empirestatenoise]

Prince Daddy & the Hyena, others perform at The Treehouse: a haven for Albany punks

              Attendees precariously slithered through a narrow, pitch black alleyway, sandwiched between two worn-down houses that epitomize the Pine Hills neighborhood in downtown Albany. The crunch and crackle of feet stepping on mysterious pieces of aluminum and other indefinable objects could be heard from the backyard, which is where the alleyway opened up to. Clusters of punks, indie heads, and various other twenty-something hipsters were spread throughout the yard and a swirl of friendly conversation, tuning guitars, and incomprehensible background music was emanating from the open back door of the house, beckoning newcomers into the basement.

               The deteriorating concrete of the basement floor was partially covered in tattered rugs, but the excess of empty beer cans and peculiar number of unopened condoms strewn about the room negated any sense of conventional homeliness. The ceiling, dotted with protruding rusty nails, was low enough to assure everyone that they’d be cramped throughout the night, and the string of colored Christmas lights that lined the walls provided just enough light to convince people that they’re better off not checking to see what it was they just stepped in.

               The side opposite the staircase is where the instruments and monitors were. However, the soundboard was off to the side of the room in an area that was partially walled off by a series of thin planks. The bands’ merchandise, accompanied by frayed pieces of cardboard with handwritten prices on them, was haphazardly placed atop the washing machines next to the staircase.

               The house is a DIY basement venue called The Treehouse. It’s owned by a handful of Albany punks, some of which graduated from the University at Albany. Underground punk and indie bands from all over the country come to play there. It’s beautiful.

               The show on Monday Nov. 16 consisted of two Albany bands, Slowshine and Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Utica’s Comfy, and Connecticut’s Posture & the Grizzly. The basement was packed tight, beers were in hand, and each band put on an impressive set.

               Slowshine started off the night with a mixed selection of both upbeat and laid-back shoegaze tunes. With only one guitar, a bass, a drummer and a slew of effect pedals, they were able to create a wall of reverby, delay-ridden rock music that evoked their genre’s signature feeling of distance. However, the interesting time signatures and off-kilter rhythms showed they’re intent on expanding beyond the traditional shoegaze formula. The only thing their performance lacked was consistency, as the bassist and guitarist switched vocal duties mid-set, leading to a change in the overall vibe of their performance.

Slowshine 

               The fuzzy, power-pop trio Comfy followed with the tightest set of the evening. Weaving in between soft, lo-fi verses and breakout, foot-tapping choruses, the band were clearly well-rehearsed and the guitar solos, electronic samplings and seamless transitions between songs sounded as they would on recording. Most of their songs were upbeat, making them inherently fit to be enjoyed in the live setting.

Comfy 

               But it was Prince Daddy & the Hyena who really stole the show. Although their set was followed up by their labelmates Posture & the Grizzly (essentially the brainchild of frontman/guitarist “J Nasty” and accompanied live by a rotating cast of members, who were in this case 4/5 of P. Daddy), P. Daddy themselves were at home and the majority of the crowd was there for them.

              The show acted as a record release show for their new EP “Adult Summers” which was put out via the rising, underground label Broken World Media last month. The band played through all five songs on the EP, as well as a handful of other unreleased material that a surprising number of audience members actually knew the words to. As their absolutely outrageous name would imply, P. Daddy were a freakin’ ball to see perform. Their fast, jammy, rough-around-the-edges pop punk songs are littered with earworm, “woah-oh” singalong parts and simple, yet incredibly satisfying riffs that induce head-bobbing, excessive swaying, and massive smiles. P. Daddy are simply a good time, and their songs are designed to be played in an atmosphere like The Treehouse.

P. Daddy 

             As the attendees exited “punkdom” by ascending the rickety staircase, and the cold November air greeted them back into the bleak, darkness of reality, each one of them knew that they now had a place where they could escape to. They had a treehouse.  

Posture & the Grizzly 

-Eli Enis 

An abbreviated version of this article was originally published in the Albany Student Press. 

All photos by Ariel Einbinder 

[kewlcapital-blog]

Albany-based shoegaze trio, slowshine, are a band that seem to be on a legit lineup at least every other week, which to be honest is pretty rare for the area. The track “July” is more than a year old, but it’s vibez are legit. Below the surface, the song is about a break-up, the breakee not taking the time to take a time out and reevaluate the situation, and then heading off into some FUCKING LOSER’S bed. Fuck that guy. 

slowshine are a mix of The Cure, early days of indiemo (Promise Ring, Sunny Day) and Dinosaur Jr. They are playing this Thursday at The Low Beat with Home Body and Eternal Crimes. Rad.