Gear Feature: The EH Freeze.

Gear Feature: The Daysleeper's Jeff Kandefer and his pedal board!

Video: Cosmicdust. Snow Noise Assemblage.

Top 5 Shoegaze Records of the Week.

By now you guys probably know the drill; When The Sun Hits does this cool thing every week which involves Danny & I doing a posting of our 5 most-listened-to shoegaze/dream pop albums - classic or new, whatever we happen to have been spinning obsessively that particular week. We think it's a great way to get weekly exposure to new and old shoegaze/dream pop bands; plus, we are nerdy list-makers. Perhaps you have picked up on this by now...

There is a new feature on the blog, located on the right sidebar, which allows you to conveniently browse all of the Top 5 lists from previous weeks, if you happen to be curious.

*Danny's Top Five Shoegaze/Dream Pop Records of the Week*

1. Sonic Youth. Daydream Nation. Geffen. (1988)












2. SPC ECO. Silver Clouds EP. Electric. (2010)












3. Tears Run Rings. Distance. Quince. (2010)












4. Lou Reed. Metal Machine Music. RCA. (1975)












5. Curve. Pubic Fruit. Anxious Records. (1992)













*Amber's Top 5 Shoegaze/Dream Pop Records of the Week*

1. Deerhunter. Revival 7 inch. 4AD. (2010)













2. The Mary Onettes. The Night Before the Funeral 7 inch. Labrador. (2010)












3. The Darling Buds. Pop Said. Epic. (1988)












4. Bailter Space. Robot World. Flying Nun Records. (1993)












5. Disco Inferno. In Debt. Carrot Top Records. (1995)

Interview: Dean Garcia of Curve and SPC ECO.

When The Sun Hits recently had a gazer's dream come true: we interviewed Mr. Dean Garcia, previously of the remarkable Curve, and now currently making music with the wildly talented group SPC ECO, which also includes Rose Berlin (Garcia's daughter) and Joey Levenson (check out Danny's review of SPC ECO's most recent EP, Silver Clouds, here). Curve was, beyond a doubt, one the most influential and important shoegaze acts of their time, and SPC ECO (formed in 2007) have already made a quite a name for themselves with a handful of unbelievably lush and beautiful releases. We were thrilled to speak with Dean, and we hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did!


1. How were Curve and SPC ECO formed?

Curve were formed when I'd just finished the tour with Sinead O'Connor around the time of Nothing Compares tour in the late 80's. I had been listening to Stone Roses and Happy Mondays a lot on that tour and wanted to work on a new project of my own when I got back, oddly for me Toni (Halliday) and I spoke about it during the Sinead tour, we had a meeting in a cafe somewhere when I got back off tour and decided that we should work on a few tracks and see what happened, we had worked on a few songs just before the Sinead tour that were quite good but nothing happened to them for one reason and another so we were both keen and hungry to meld our minds and make something we really wanted to make outside of any record company influence, which we did.


2. Where did the names Curve and SPC ECO come from?

Curve came from a phone call from Toni, she said I've just had a really cool idea for a band name...Curve, I said that's great and we went with it.

SPC ECO came from a word play thing I was doing with Joey via an aim IM conversation, I suggested we use a piece of gear as a name, something we both loved, Space Echo was mentioned and Joey wrote back spelling it SPC ECO which we both loved straight away.

3. At the time of Curve did you feel like you guys were a part of the "Shoegaze" scene of the time?

We were very much part of the scene that was about at that time, bands like Ride, MBV, JAMC, were our faves but we all felt that it was a timely wave of music rather than a sound that was the same thing for everyone. People need niches and labels to work with, it was more of a press thing really, shoegaze and all the rest, just something that works for press, similar to the triphop label, they all hated that tag as well. Everyone is influenced by everyone else but the way you go about it and the results you get are very individual, we felt influenced and inspired by all of it but remained individual as well. I think most of the bands around that time would say the same thing, also maybe it was all the similar drugs everyone scoffed.

4. Can you tell us what you've been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near future (recording, tour, the new SPC ECO EP)?

I can't really say at the moment, I'm working on a number of things but have taken a side step with music for a bit, I need to feel hungry for it to work for me, I like art, writing, film and photography and have been toying in this area for sometime, it's all a bit random really, I'm still into music but not in the same way as I once was. SPC ECO is the main thing that keeps me interested so I'll be working more on that but in a very random and unexpected way. Joey makes exceptional sounds that just inspire me and I love working with Rose Berlin, she is the best singer in the world, but I would say that wouldn't I. :)

5. What is the most important piece of gear for your sound (i.e. pedals, guitars etc.)?

probably the thing I record onto, I use a Pro Tools hard-disc recorder with out that I am unable to record anything, everything else is external, I use Abelton and Reason and a box of pedals that I have had for years, Joey is the gear head you should ask him how he makes his guitar sounds, I have little interest in gear other than it's got to work when I use it, I'm more interested in how the sound develops than what I'm gonna use to make it.


6. What Shoegaze and Dream Pop bands/artists (or whoever) have most influenced your work?

All sorts of people and bands, recently, yesterday in fact someone sent me a link to a Justin Bieber song that had been slowed down by 800% and it sounded like the most awesome sound scape I'd ever heard, move over ENO... It's all in the mind.


7. Tell us a little about what you are currently into (bands, books, films,
etc)?

Bands...er, I don't really listen to any, I hear a lot of music as there is so much access to it on the net etc but I have no idea who is making it or have much interest really I dunno, I get bored with bands quite quickly nowadays, I still like them but don't have the same energy I once had to sound out all the new ones etc, I quite like Crystal Castles, they sound cool, I saw them on Jules Holland.. I dunno the last band I got excited about was The Strokes around the This Is It time, so I'm pretty much out of touch with it all..Books would be a recent one I read by Ewan Morrison called Menage, all about sex, art, drugs and death. very cool. Film, I loved Inception and Shutter Island, I like Leonardo. A good film is still the thing that totally absorbs me, I love films.

8. Do you consider what you are doing "Shoegaze/Dream Pop"?



It's SPC ECO music, it is what it is. Music for all occasions.

9. What do you think of modern Shoegaze/Dream Pop artists, any favorites?

Don't really follow or know anything about anyone, but when I hear a lot of the bands that are involved with the AC30 label/promoters who are all lumped into that niche I love a lot of them, bands like Epic 45 and 93 Million Miles From The Sun, they have the right thought patterns, like minded, romantic space cadets just like me.

10.Do you think modern bands realize how important Curve were to the development of Shoegaze/Dream Pop sound?

I don't know, if we were important, we just made music we loved and pushed a few extraterrestrial buttons, I recommend everyone do the same.

11. What is your philosophy on life (i.e any pearls of wisdom, or beliefs you live by)?

Don't let anyone tell you what to be because you're alright, just look around and you'll see what I mean. Be who you wanna be, fuck who you wanna fuck, say what you wanna say, do what you wanna do and don't let the bastards get you down, know what I mean? ;) XX

Gear Feature: The Verve! Nick Mc Cabe's pedal board.

Video: Glifted. Is There Any Always.

Video: Holler, Wild Rose. Marylawn Hair.

Gear Feature: Sonic Youth! Photos of Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo's pedal boards!

Kim's:



Thurston's:

Lee's:

Video: Dwayne Sodahberk. You Got Got.

The Swedish artist Dwayne Sodahberk is generally overlooked by the shoegaze/dream pop scene, possibly because he normally releases his records on TigerBeat6 (an awesome record label run by Kid606, but that is mostly well-known for it's electro noise and glitch releases). Sodahberk definitely has his full-on glitch and electro moments, but albums like Cut Open (from which this track is taken), released in 2006, and 2009's Interdikt, are both superior examples of dreamy, dark, glitch-tinged shoegaze. I was especially impressed with Interdikt; I've never heard anything quite like it. I highly recommend it.

When The Sun Hits hopes to interview Mr. Sodahberk in the near future, so be on the look out for that. In the meantime, check out his back catalog!

Album Review: SPC ECO. Silver Clouds EP.

SPACE ECHO - Used as a delay/echo, the Roland RE-201 is said to produce an unpredictable delay that is warm and gritty sounding. It is also capable of producing a large variety of its own sound effects, even without an input signal (by turning the intensity control to maximum and allowing the unit to self-regenerate, or self-oscillate, while manipulating the tape speed and other controls.




Spc Eco (pronounced "space echo") is also a modern shoegaze/dream pop band consisting of members from both America and The United Kingdom.The band consists of former Curve member Dean Garcia (bass, drums, guitar and programming), Rose Berlin (Dean's daughter and vocalist for the band) and Joey Levenson (an amazing guitarist in his own right!). When performing live, the band consists of Garcia on bass, Berlin on vocals, HKG on guitar, Debbie Smith on guitar and Monti on drums. Spc Eco released the amazing 3-D in 2009 on The Electric Label (UK), Noiseplus Music (US) and Quince (Japan), and what an utterly superb album it is! It's not often that a band releases a fully realized artistic statement like 3D with its first release, but Spc Eco achieved just that, and more. We have all been waiting since with bated breath for something, anything new on the Spc Eco front. Finally, that something arrived, the 5 track Silver Clouds EP.

The ep is packaged like an old school 7 inch (very cool!) that actually looks like vinyl! It comes with a black card holder and a vinyl imprint cd. You could actually fool someone into thinking it's a 45. Definitely a nod to the old school (and the old school nods back in appreciation!). It is available through the Electric Label, which can be accessed through their MySpace page, or the links provided here.

Let me start the review by saying Rose is the star of the show. I guess being Dean's daughter has given Rose some amazing musical DNA?! This is not to take away from the talents of her band mates at all, but her voice...what a voice! The opening track, "Like It Is", is a dreamy lullaby of a song. Layered in dense, fuzzy haze of guitar heaven, it is true dream pop of the highest caliber. Rose's vocals reach out and tickle you with an addictive, feathery touch. Her voice is at once reminiscent of Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and Miki Berenyi of Lush. It is like a gossamer web, both beautiful and a bit dangerous. Once she catches you, you are done for. Hooked, addicted...a fan forever. I must have played this track five times in a row the first time I heard it. Outstanding!

Track two, "For All Time", mixed by non-other than the mighty Alan Moulder, is another gem. Alan produced, mixed, and/or assisted almost every shoegaze band of note during the 90's. For instance: JAMC, Ride, MBV, Curve, Swervedriver and Smashing Pumpkins (who are not really shoegaze in my opinion)! He is a master producer and his genius is still sought after today. He just produced The Morning After Girls amazing shoegaze album Alone (Buy it! I promise you wont be sorry.).

What Alan does for this track is really subtle and it almost seems to open up and breath. A perfect balance is struck between soft/hard and whisper/scream type dynamics. What an ear this guy has! The song kicks off with an almost music box like charm. Slowly simmering...until the drums and guitar explode and blow open the top of your skull! It instantly drops back down for the appearance of Rose's gorgeous and enigmatic vocals. It gives me such shivers; it is hard to explain what such beauty does to my soul. The melody is an absolutely intoxicating elixir, a truly beautiful thing to behold! Rose really knows how to use her vocal talent to draw the listener in and keep them in that dreamy, half-light place. The lyrical content is somewhat vague and impressionistic. The images they tend to conjure are bokeh and more than a little melancholy, which is right up this reviewer's alley! As in most great dream pop songs, this gives ample opportunity to interpret the song as you wish. Be warned, this song is a Class A narcotic! You could wind up spending lots of your time in "eco" land!

Track three, "Spotlight", is as beauty filled and dreamy as anything I have ever heard. Rose, again, blows minds with her voice. Melancholy never sounded so sweet.The longing...it kills me. This is a slow burning, minor key masterpiece. Its chiming guitar and descending bass line are reminiscent of Faith/Disintegration era Cure. This is my favorite song on the album. All I can say is...*sigh*.

This brings me to the title track, "Silver Clouds", previously available only on the Japanese edition of 3D. Thankfully, with this release, we can all have the majestic "Silver Clouds" along with four other unreleased gems! One thing you may not know - during 2008 Andy Bell (Ride/Oasis) collaborated with Spc Eco on said track. Andy contributes by playing an amazing electronic Sitar drone machine and a custom Dulcimer, as well as revising the songs lyrics. In my opinion Andy is a genius and Ride are seminal shoegaze. All Ride albums are must own, not to mention bloody Oasis!! Spc Eco couldn't have worked with a better collaborator for "Silver Clouds". They really nail the 60's psychedelic/90's shoegaze vibe in a very updated way. The track is immediately recognizable as a cross between The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "Swallow" by My Bloody Valentine, which both owe a major debt to classical Indian Raga. (If you really want to blow your mind play all three at the same time! HOLY CRAP! Amazing.)

I digress. "Silver Clouds" is an amazing piece of tripped out modern shoegaze. It definitely gives a nod to 60's psychedelia and all the great bands of that era. With its Raga drum beat and sitar, it is very Indian and mystical. Where it diverges from classical Indian and classic rock into modern dream pop is the production(all done by Dean), and Rose's immaculate voice! A total winner and a great amalgam of style and influence. A+!

The appropriately titled closing track, "Maybe I'll See You", is another slow burner. Building gradually with a droning synth-scape, it is another beauty-filled journey. Rose's butterfly kissed vocals gently brush the tangles from your weighted mind.Her honeyed voice is a medicine and does all the heavy lifting. By the end of the song there is an explosion of tremolo guitar, noise, bleeps, found sound and just plain beauty. It is the perfect end to a perfect album.

The Silver Clouds EP is another in a line of amazing EPs I have reviewed as of late. More please! The EP format seems to work well within the shoegaze/dream pop medium. This EP is no exception. It's a must have for any and all Curve fans, as well as dream pop fans and shoegaze fanatics. One of the top releases of the year. 5 out of 5 stars (or should that be Suns?)!

Review by Danny.

Top 5 Shoegaze Records of the Week.

By now you guys probably know the drill; When The Sun Hits does this cool thing every week which involves Danny & I doing a posting of our 5 most-listened-to shoegaze/dream pop albums - classic or new, whatever we happen to have been spinning obsessively that particular week. We think it's a great way to get weekly exposure to new and old shoegaze/dream pop bands; plus, we are nerdy list-makers. Perhaps you have picked up on this by now.

There is a new feature on the blog, located on the right sidebar, which allows you to conveniently browse all of the Top 5 lists from previous weeks, if you happen to be curious.

*Danny's Top 5 Shoegaze/Dream Pop Records of the week*

1. Magnog. More Weather. Kranky. (1997)












2. Swoon23. The Legendary Ether Pony. Astralwerks. (1997)











3. Skywave. Echodrone. Cherry Coated Records. (1999)











4. Bethany Curve. Gold. Unit Circle Rekkids. (1998)











5. Seefeel. Polyfusion. Astralwerks. (1994)












*Amber's Top 5 Shoegaze/Dream Pop Records of the Week*

1. Sunsplit. Sing For Sunday. Self-Released. (2007)











2. Monster Movie. All Lost. Graveface Records. (2006)











3. Bloody Knives. Burn It All Down. Killredrocketrecords. (2010)












4. Galaxie 500. This is Our Music. Rough Trade. (1990)











5. Mean Red Spiders. Starsandsons. Teenage USA Records. (2000)

Video: Bloody Knives. There Was.

Expect a review of the Bloody Knives new LP, Burn It All Down, in the near future!

Interview: Screen Vinyl Image.

Screen Vinyl Image are Jake and Kim Reid, a husband and wife team who, along with their growing roster of ace releases under the SVI moniker, were formerly of the very talented and now-defunt shoegaze band Alcian Blue. They also run the independent record label, Safranin Sound and Design (a label that has released impeccable albums from bands such as Skywave, Ceremony, the Offering, the Antiques, the Vera Violets, the Vandelles, Safe as Home and Vacuole Eyes). SVI just released the Ice Station EP (read When The Sun Hits' recent review of it here), which will be followed by the Siberian Eclipse 7″ this fall (both on Fan Death Records). When The Sun Hits recently interviewed the band, and we hope you enjoy getting to know them a little better. Screen Vinyl Image is a band to keep your eyes and ears on.

1. Can you tell us what you've been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near future (recording, tour, etc)?


We just released an EP of remixes and also a cassette called Ice Station which has two new songs, some live tracks and some live studio recordings. The two new songs off this will also be coming out on 7 inch in the fall. We’re also finishing up a single that will be out on 12 inch on Custom Made Music called "Too Much Speed" and we’re going to be doing a split 7 inch with Rude 66 which we're really stoked about. He’s part of the Dutch electro scene and has a long list of wicked releases (do a search for 1000 Year Storm).

We’ve got a bunch of shows lined up through November and then after that we are going to take a long break from shows so we can finish up our next full length.

2. What sort of set up/gear do you use? What is the most important piece of gear for your "shoegaze" sound?

Kim usually has a Prophet 600 and a few Jazzmasters live through a Roland JC-120. Lately I’ve been playing a Gibson ES-335 and sometimes a Six-Track synth through a Fender Twin. We have a bunch of pedals and our beats are run by two Korg Electribes and a Roland Sp404 sampler.



We both like using reverbs and Kim uses a old DOD 670 Flanger and I use a old Mu-tron Phasor II.



3. What shoegaze bands/artists have most influenced your work?

Slowdive, Curve, Cocteau Twins and The Jesus & Mary Chain.

4. Tell us a little about what you are currently into (bands, books, films, etc)?

We’ve had these records pretty much on rotation non-stop for a while:

Ceremony - Rocket Fire. Soundpool - Mirrors In Your Eyes. Bloody Knives - Burn It All Down. We Are Hex - Hail The Goer. Olympus Mons - Self Titled. Me You Us Them - Post-Data. Sonic Youth - Various Live Bootlegs from the Daydream Nation tours.

We’ve also been re-watching the entire X-Files series on Netflix and a long-running Dennis Hopper marathon of sorts including this really cool movie he did way back called "Night Tide".

5. What is your philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by?

Be excellent to each other.



Check out a live version of the new track, "Too Much Speed", slated for release this fall.

Album Review: Screen Vinyl Image. Ice Station EP.

Artist: Screen Vinyl Image.
Album: Ice Station EP.
Release Date: August 15, 2010.
Record Label: Fan Death Records.


Screen Vinyl Image are Jake and Kim Reid, a husband and wife team who were both former members of the now-defunct Alcian Blue (an incredibly talented shoegaze/new wave influenced band that parted ways in 2006. If you don't know Alcian Blue, I recommend you rectify that mistake immediately).

As a big fan of Alcian Blue, I was sad to see the group end, but from those ashes rose Screen Vinyl Image (the other members of Alcian Blue also went on to do excellent projects of their own - Vacuole Eyes, The Antiques, Torsion Fields and A Cricket in Times Square, to name a few), and this, my friends, is a very good thing, indeed. SVI's first release in 2007, entitled The Midnight Sun EP, was so incredibly promising that my no-more-Alcian-Blue pity party came to an abrupt halt. All things change, and evolution makes the world go around. Besides all that, and for lack of better phrasing, SVI essentially kicks ass.

Since the release of The Midnight Sun EP, SVI have gone on to release a slew of ever-more well-crafted releases, including the Chaser single (2007), a Split EP with Ceremony (2008), Interceptors (full length, 2009), and an album of remixes earlier this year. Every release leaves me more and more impressed (and I am not easily nor repeatedly impressed, I assure you). And not only do Jake and Kim consistently dazzle as SVI, but they also run the independent record label, Safranin Sound and Design, with a venerable roster of releases from bands such as Skywave, Ceremony, the Offering, the Antiques, the Vera Violets, the Vandelles, Safe as Home and Vacuole Eyes. These guys are creating and releasing some of the finest dark-tinged shoegaze around right now. Better recognize. When The Sun Hits is all about keeping a finger on the current pulse of shoegaze. Grab a wrist, people, because here it is.


The Ice Station EP is the band's most recent effort, issued first as a limited run of 200 red-tinted cassette tapes, and will be followed by the Siberian Eclipse 7″ this fall (both on Fan Death Records).

The Ice Station EP consists of two new tracks, "Siberian Eclipse" and "New Visions", as well as live tracks from the band’s May 2010 show with Spectrum at the Velvet Lounge in Washington, DC, and a few other songs from The Ice Station (SVI’s own studio) sessions. An additional track, "Too Much Speed", is also slated for release in the fall on the Custom Made Music label.

The cassette starts off with "Siberian Eclipse", and is an excellent example of SVI doing what they do best - a powerful and seamless blend of frigid electronica, dark shoegaze, and psychedelica, with a tinge of post-punk thrown in for good measure. Far from a rehashed melting pot of these genres, SVI combine these influences to create sonic soundscapes that are as fresh and vital as anything they've ever done. "Siberian Eclipse" is an aptly named track; it is as cold and ominous as it's title suggests. It wouldn't be out of place soundtracking the coolest horror flick you could ever hope to see. If you like your gaze on the somber side, with dark beats and attitude, this is for you. And if you don't like your gaze on the somber side, perhaps you should reconsider your stance. This song has a chilly, compelling atmosphere you aren't going to forget. Nor will you want to. Had Ian Curtis lived, I could easily imagine Joy Division creating an early prototype to this sound.

As if I wasn't already pleased enough by this, then comes "New Visions", quite possibly the best SVI track I have yet heard (which is saying a lot, considering how highly I regard everything I've heard by them). It is a synth and sequenced-beat driven track, still encapsulating the darkness SVI do so well, but there is also an upbeat, almost hopeful undertone to it. After all, after an eclipse, the sun does inevitably return. New visions appear. The vocals, while gorgeously delivered, take a backseat to the ambience of the track, bringing to mind some of the more restrained and distorted vox of certain the JAMC tracks. "New Visions" is nearly epic in scope of sound. If "Siberian Eclipse" could soundtrack a horror film, "New Visions" would play during the rolling credits.

I really couldn't speak more highly of this release, and that goes for all previous SVI releases as well. I eagerly await future releases from them. Screen Vinyl Image is, quite frankly, one of the most exciting and talented bands releasing their own unique brand of shoegaze music right now.

The band has also been touring recently, and here are the remaining dates I have available at the moment (stay current with their goings-on via their facebook page):

09/03 – Washington, DC – Velvet Lounge (with W/ Night & The City, Hot Cha Cha, Hiding Places).

09/17 – Philadelphia, PA – Pilam (with Ceremony, The Vandelles, Sounds of Kaleidescope, Stellarscope, 28 Degrees Taurus).

09/18 – Baltimore, MD – The Otto Bar (with The Flying Eyes and The Vandelles).

10/16 – Baltimore, MD – Talking Head Fan Death Records Presents (with Puerto Rico Flowers and Pfisters).

When The Sun Hits also has an interview with the band coming later today. Stay tuned.

Check out the video below; SVI doing "Fever" from the 2009 release, Interceptors.



Review by Amber.