The time hath come: When The Sun Hits merchandise is now for sale!
The posters below are each a Limited Run of 20. These special edition posters will be numbered and printed on heavy matte cardstock, so they look extremely nice. They are approximately 12x12 and are $7.50 apiece. The money we receive from these sales goes directly into our WTSH fund, which is used to pay our writers and plan awesome things for our readers. Please allow 3-4 business days for processing. Photography by Amber Crain.
To order, go to the right sidebar, under "Merchandise".
International orders - there will be a slightly higher shipping fee.
Be the first to get yourself some gaze swag from When The Sun Hits! More merchandise coming soon.
Screen Vinyl Image, Kim and Jake Ried, a husband wife duo from Arlington, formed in 2007 from what was Alcian Blue. Since then, they have been a very industrious pair. Three LPs -- Interceptors (2009), Ice Station (2010) and now Strange Behavior (2011) along with a variety of split seven inches and EPs have kept them busy.
From the start, SVI set out on an expedition into the darker side of shoegaze. Or maybe they brought shoegaze to the Hacienda with Ian Curtis spastically twitching on a stage that turns out to be a club floor on industrial goth night. Whichever route they took, they ended up with a racing, haunting, echoing, reverb-drenched sound that is felt throughout their catalogue. Played at the right volume (loud, very loud) the sonic riot can put an already predisposed mind into an altered state. This is a very good thing (if you like altered states).
SVI. Station 4.
Strange Behavior is somewhat of a departure for SVI. While Jake’s vocals are still heavily drenched in reverb, on the first track “We Don’t Belong,” they seem to come up for air and more to the forefront. This trend continues on and off throughout the album. The thick fuzz-bass strips down for a while, resurfacing later, usually in tandem with the throbbing bass drum. Other sonic elements follow suit, allowing room for each to have its moment. They use this room to play more with the tension between its instruments.
The song that I really keep coming back to is “My Confession.” Maybe it’s the startling introduction of the very present acoustic guitar, but this song has an Angels of Light intensity to it. Jake’s voice, which drops an octave or two, picks up some serious delay, giving the song a morose, almost funereal quality. Yum! The acoustic guitar continues through Station #4, in which its stark contrast against the tachycardic drum beat and 80s synth melodies have a more of a Cure-like component, which although still melancholic, is more danceable.
SVI. My Confession.
And hey, if you’re looking for a darkwave rave, “Rx” brings it back. Fuzz base, check! Throbbing bass drum, check! Dance floor polyrhythms (hey, tambourine, I’m looking at you), check! And yeah, the cool, saturated vocals, check again! The final track, “Night Trip” is a bit of a tease, but one that summates Strange Behavior eloquently. At first you think you might still be on the dance floor, but it pulls you right back, intermingling sad melodies with a jittering rhythm section. Like Strange Behavior it pits nakedness and space against SVI’s familiar excessiveness and comes through with the goods.
Heads up, local folks, that's 9pm-10pm CST! Tonight!
Come join me this Wednesday for When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. When The Sun Hits is one full hour of distilled shoegazey goodness, so black out the windows, grab your headphones, and go down the rabbit hole this Wednesday night on Strangeways Radio.
Expect to hear a mixed bag of classics and new stuff...
Don't forget to log in to the Strangeways chatroom during the show to hang out with me and many other awesome people while we talk about the music that is airing in real time and god knows what else... Tune in live every Wednesday, 10pm-11pm (EST), for When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. Join us in the Strangeways chat room for additional entertainment!
Stream it here: http://www.strangewaysradio.com/
"When The Sun Hits: Many nude pelvic thrusts will be made tomorrow evening in honor of bad ass music." - David Goffan
We've been anxiously awaiting the release of The Spiracles' How Things Went Well When I Met You EP, which is due out 1/24/2012 via Saint Marie Records (you can pre-order it HERE)...but until that day comes, we'll make due with the DEBUT video for the wonderful track "Fireflies" that we just received from the record label...ENJOY!
We already know it's bad ass, but we want to read it in good soundin' english - TOMORROW - Nikki Roszko's review of Screen Vinyl Image's new album, Strange Behavior, goes live! Until then, enjoy the video...
When The Sun Hits Interviews Aidan Baker of Nadja Interview by Amber Crain
Aidan Baker is a musician and writer currently based in Toronto, Canada. Classically trained in flute, he is self-taught on guitar, drums and various other instruments. Baker (guitars/vocals/drum programming) is also one half of the band Nadja, along with Leah Buckareff (bass/vocals). Originally formed in 2003 as a Baker solo project, the now-duo creates ambient-shoegazey-drone-metal, combining ambient electronics & fragmentary vocals with snail-crawl, epic riffs & dirge-like percussion. To date, Nadja has released over 10 full-length albums, in addition to various EPs, splits, and collaborations. Baker himself has released numerous albums on independent labels from around the world and is the author of two books of poetry, two poetry chapbooks and has published poetry, fiction and criticism in various international and scholarly journals. When The Sun Hits is understandably thrilled to bring you the following interview with a very talented and enigmatic person - Aidan Baker of Nadja.
I originally formed Nadja a solo, studio-based project in 2003 to explore the heavier, noiser side of drone music (compared to the more ambient, mellower music I make under my own name). Leah joined on bass in 2005 to bring the project out of the studio and perform live.
Can you tell us what you and the band has been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near future (new releases, tour, etc)?
We will be touring Japan for the first time at the end of January, then a short European tour in March, and a Scandinavian tour in May. As for releases, we have a few re-issues planned plus a 2CD compilation of vinyl-only or limited release tracks coming out with Important Records in the new year. We are currently working on a new full-length album that will hopefully be out by the end of 2012.
Do you consider your music to be part of the current shoegaze/dream pop scene, or any scene? Defining one's sound by genre can be tiresome, but do you feel that the band identifies closely with any genre? How do you feel about genres in music, in a general sense?
We don't really feel to be part of any specific scene, since our music tends to span a few different genres. We tend to fit more into the metal or noise/experimental scenes, though, than the shoegaze/dream pop -- although people often consider us too metal to be noise or too experimental to be metal. Defining one's work, and all music in general, by genre is ridiculous and limiting -- music is more interesting when it spans multiple genres.
What do you think of modern shoegaze/dream pop/psychedelia artists, any favorites?
To be frank, I tend to listen to older shoegaze/dream pop bands...but in terms of modern psychedelia or drone acts, though, some favorites are Date Palms, Expo '70, Thisquietarmy, Natural Snow Buildings...
What is the most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you prefer?
I guess my Akai Headrush looping pedal is pretty integral to my sound. But as much as I rely on pedals, it's technique not technology that should make the musician.
What is your process for recording your music? What gear and/or software do you use? What would you recommend for others?
We record in our home studio on a laptop, previously using Cubase but we recently switched to Logic (though we're still trying to figure out how the work the program). We generally record live and use the computer mainly for arranging and mixing and not for generating or effecting sounds.
Nadja. Veil of Disillusion.
How do you feel about the state of the music industry today? There is no doubt a massive change underway; how do you see it and do you feel it’s positive at all?
Hopefully, the changing music industry will mean the end of the parasitic major label and give artists more freedom and ability to earn a living on their own. It would be nice if the commercialism of the music industry changed, but that seems unlikely in the immediate future. Perhaps it is in the indie scene, but the mainstream music industry is still too concerned about profits and marketability. Of course, indie record labels and musicians have a right to be compensated for what they produce, but I think society needs to re-assess how they consume music before that can happen in a fair and meaningful way. When it comes to label releases versus DIY/bandcamp and the like, what is your stance, if any?
Both are equally fine -- it really depends on the individual label and/or artist and the way they operate.
Do you prefer vinyl, CD, cassette tape or mp3 format when listening to music? Do you have any strong feelings toward any of them?
I think each format has its own legitimacy for different reasons. Apart from cassettes -- I see little value in them.
What artists (musicians or otherwise) have most influenced your work?
Here are a few: Caspar Brotzmann, Justin Broadrick, James Plotkin, Vini Reilly, PJ Harvey, Mark Kozelek, Adam Franklin, Alan Sparhawk, Glenn Branca, Michael Gira, etc.
Can you tell us a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc)?
I'm concurrently (re-)reading Steve Erickson 's Tours of the BlackClock, Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, and David Foster Wallace's The Pale King. Some recent listening: Kate Bush, Red House Painters, Rollins Band, Lenny Breau, Fugazi. I can't remember the last really good film I saw... If you had to choose one Nadja track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and why?
I guess "Stays Demons" since it features a little bit of everything that encompasses our sound: heaviness, melodicism, noise, drone, darkness, prettiness...
Nadja. Stays Demons.
Can you tell us a little about the band’s song writing process?
We usually start with a few basic riffs and build the drums tracks around those riffs. We then put the song together allowing for textural and largely improvisational passages.
What is your philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by?
Tis the season - to dream big (we gazers are very good at the dreaming bit...) and to make it happen. When The Sun Hits has been gearing up for expansion for months, and starting in January 2012, we are taking the blog to the next level. We weren't expecting to grow so quickly or so fast (or at all, ever, really) but here we are.
Starting in 2012, WTSH will be expanding our number of staff writers, whom we plan to pay, because they deserve it. We will also be selling merchandise of all sorts - posters, pin badges, t-shirts and special edition compilations are just a FEW items we'll be offering our readers in the very near future. Cool, right? By mid-2012, expect to be able to buy the very first special edition PRINT version of WTSH, which is going to be RAD. We have even more surprises planned for the coming year, but we'll remain hush hush about those. :)
It is now possible, via Paypal, to donate as little or as much as you'd like (or none!) to our blog fund. The money will go toward maintaining the site, paying our writers, getting merchandise made, bringing WTSH to print, planning festivals, supporting musicians and more. You can click on the Donate button in the right sidebar of the blog, and you will always find that same button located in that same place, if you'd like to give in the future. We don't want to muck up the blog with adverts and such (plus we advertise the shit we like for FREE, that's just how we do), so a donation fund seemed like a better idea.
Thank you to everyone - gazers all over the globe - for reading and supporting us. We are beyond humbled by all of it. Happy Holidays, Gazers.
Heads up, local folks, that's 9pm-10pm CST! Wednesday night!
Come join me this Wednesday for When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. When The Sun Hits is one full hour of distilled shoegazey goodness, so black out the windows, grab your headphones, and go down the rabbit hole this Wednesday night on Strangeways Radio.
Expect to hear cuts from The Prids, This Mortal Coil, The Stargazer Lilies - and a LOT more.
Don't forget to log in to the Strangeways chatroom during the show to hang out with me and many other awesome people while we talk about the music that is airing in real time and god knows what else...
Tune in live every Wednesday, 10pm-11pm (EST), for When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. Join us in the Strangeways chat room for additional entertainment!
Stream it here: http://www.strangewaysradio.com/
"When The Sun Hits: Many nude pelvic thrusts will be made tomorrow evening in honor of bad ass music." - David Goffan
Be Forest is Costanza Delle Rose, Erica Terenzi, and Nicola Lampredi. Be Forest's sound is a clear and cold breath that comes from winter. It is not a memory, not a revival. There’s the same dark and dazzling shock that still shakes the feedback of their restless guitars, that bounces in their dark drums, which sparkles in the icy glare of that voice. A perfectly balanced sound, between the extent of absolute cold and the full passion of their songs. From the first moment hearing the band's 2011 album Cold, When The Sun Hits absolutely adored Be Forest. Enjoy the interview!
How and when was Be Forest formed? Costanza: Be Forest was born in April 2010. Nicola and I had already decided to build a very minimal band from the point of view of the sound and the tools to use; however, things were not going in the right direction so we decided to call a third element, Erica, who complete our initial idea. That's how Be Forest was born. Can you tell us what the band has been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near future (new releases, tour, etc)? Nicola: After our album, Cold (released in March with WWNBB) and a moderately successful European tour, we are working on new songs. We do not know exactly when the songs will be released but we do not think very quickly. Cosa vuoi dire? Obviously we didn’t leave the stage, not yet. In a bit we will pull the plug to devote entirely to composing.
Do you consider your music to be part of the current shoegaze/dream pop scene, or any scene? Defining one's sound by genre can be tiresome, but do you feel that the band identifies closely with any genre? How do you feel about genres in music, in a general sense? Erica: We play our music without worrying too much about categorizing our stuff. Music is music and musical genres are just conventions to describe a band to persons who are too lazy to listen to it. What is the most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you prefer? Costanza: Among us, Nicola is the most meticulous. He can’t play without his Fender DeVille and his pedals. Erica and I can adapt more easily to other instruments.
How do you feel about the state of the music industry today? There is no doubt a massive change underway; how do you see it and do you feel it’s positive at all? Costanza: In our, opinion that radical change is not positive at all. Of course, the music with Internet has become more easily accessible from all over the world. Anyone can illegally buy music...For musicians and labels it's not too nice... Do you prefer vinyl, CD, cassette tape or mp3 format when listening to music? Do you have any strong feelings toward any of them? Nicola: I prefer cds and vinyl. I have only original music, and I have downloads from the internet …
What artists (musicians or otherwise) have most influenced your work? We are not inspired by a particular artist. We have a completely different musical path so it’s difficult to define what’s the common thread that brought us to do certain stuff in music...
Can you tell us a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc)? Erica: We can say that we identify in the Sophia Coppola's film "The Virgin Suicides," in the Witkin’s photographs and in the Modigliani’s portraits. What else can we say? If you had to choose one Be Forest track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and why? “Buck and crow” or maybe “Florence” but we don’t know why… We feel more connected to these two songs.
Can you tell us a little about the band’s song writing process?
Costanza: First of all, the music. Just after finishing a song we (Erica and I) write the lyrics, completely subordinated to the music.
What goals did you have for the band in 2011? We have already reached - and exceeded - our goal for 2011. Now we just think to 2012 and the end of the world, too!
What is your philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by? Our philosophy of life is "the secret", the interpretation is up to you.
Dead Parties is Etienne Mamo (guit vox) Marty Umanski (guit vox) Arni Rey Paras (guit vox percussion) Francis Mezza (Bass) Tim Martino (drums). Dead Parties is the musical project of Etienne Mamo, singer and songwriter for The New Black. With this band he has toured the east coast of Australia, has several releases and received airplay nationally, including rotation on Triple J. In 2007 The New Black were nominees for the Music Oz Song of The Year and Band Of The Year.
Dead Parties sees Etienne explore his shoegaze/indie roots, experimenting with layered guitars, vocals, percussion and noise. The first single to be released, "In Dreams Of Decadence," will be included on the upcoming Psychedelica 5 later this year through Northern Star Records (UK). When The Sun Hits has chosen a track from Dead Parties to be on the upcoming 200,000 Gazes compilation (which will be released Jan. 1, 2012) so that's how much we think they are awesome! Without further ado, here's Etienne Mamo of Dead Parties.
How and when was the band formed?
I was playing in The New Black and found that I was writing a lot that we didn’t have time to work on. That band was also becoming more collaborative and pushing in a different direction style wise. So in 2010 I started putting down all these new songs using Garageband and then Logic. This blew open the doors to my writing, coz for the first time I was able to complete songs without having to wait for each member to put down their parts. I was also writing songs that were very reverby and effected, and I was layering all these guitars, creating a dreamy shoegazey sound. It wasn’t really what The New Black was doing and so in 2011 Dead Parties was born.
Can you tell us what the band has been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near future (new releases, tour, etc)?
I put together a band this year and we launched the first single in Melbourne in May. I’m currently recording and mixing songs for an upcoming release. I’d love to release an album but it’s quite costly, particularly coz it’s essentially a solo project. "In Dreams Of Decadence" is going to be released as part of a psychedelia compilation early 2012 through Northern Star Records.
Do you consider the music of Dead Parties to be part of the current shoegaze/dream pop scene, or any scene? Defining one's sound by genre can be tiresome, but do you feel that the band identifies closely with any genre? How do you feel about genres in music, in a general sense?
Yeah I do, but it’s not intentional. People have labeled Dead Parties psychedelic or shoegaze, but they’re both such broad genres. I love layered guitar and effects that are used to move you emotionally. It certainly isn’t hero guitar music. At heart there’s always a pop song, something catchy that progresses. I’m into anything that catches my ear, whether it’s reggae, 70s country or 90s shoegaze. I think genres are a good starting point, then you can dig deeper and find what’s at the heart of each band. Then you can ask yourself, is it genuine? I relish discovering a new band that ‘wakes’ me up.
What do you think of modern shoegaze/dream pop/psychedelia artists, any favorites?
It’s all good. Anything that’s pushing that style of music is gonna get my interest coz it’s an antidote to everything that’s thrown at us via commercial radio. In Australia there’s a revival of all things shoegaze/indie with bands like The Laurels, Iowa, Gosteleradio and The Demon Parade. I’m loving a couple of bands at the moment from Europe – 93millionmilesfromthesun and Youngteam. Awesome stuff.
What is the most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you prefer?
I’ve had my trusty green ts-9 and rat combo from the start. I’ve got an amazing shape shifter tremolo by Seymour Duncan that can really fuck with your sound, as well as a couple of boss reverb and delay pedals. I’m loving oscillations so I bought a rotary pedal recently and also a POG.
How do you feel about the state of the music industry today? There is no doubt a massive change underway; how do you see it and do you feel it’s positive at all?
What music industry? If you mean people setting up makeshift studios and creating music then sure, but I think it’s common knowledge that the big companies are dying; in their current format anyway. The best thing is that power has been handed to the artist, in that anyone can record music and put it out there, and that there are small labels that are helping these artists reach a wider audience, or more accurately, their audience. People are discovering new artists everyday via the internet and social networking and going to see them play live. It’s all positive.
When it comes to label releases versus DIY/bandcamp and the like, what is your stance, if any?
You need it all. In effect the artist has become the label also. The role played by small labels is extremely important because it gives the artist time to work on their music. But if you haven’t got a label behind you then it’s up to you to get your music out there.
Do you prefer vinyl, CD, cassette tape or mp3 format when listening to music? Do you have any strong feelings toward any of them?
Mp3 is incredibly portable, so it wins there. But nothing beats the crackle of vinyl. As a kid I used to listen to cassette a lot, so it has a soft spot in my heart…cd is probably the most annoying coz they scratch so easily.
What artists (musicians or otherwise) have most influenced your work?
Where to start…The Beatles gave me pop, the Stones gave me grit, Teenage Fanclub and The Beach Boys showed me how to harmonize, My Bloody Valentine taught me about layering guitars, The Doors gave me a soundtrack, BJM helped me fall in love with music again, and Mazzy Star kept me dreaming.
Can you tell us a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc)?
I’m reading Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, one of those classics I missed. I’m watching a lot on Bill Hicks, what an amazingly beautiful soul. I’m currently living in Barcelona so I’m digging all the Dali and Gaudi works. Mindblowing actually. Hallucinogens anyone?
If you had to choose one Dead Parties track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and why?
Tribe. It’s really fuzzy with big string bends that sound like sirens. I guess it captures that feeling of not knowing what’s coming next. Anxiety versus anticipation. It talks about the way people come into your life, play a pivotal role in who you are and then drop away. It’s looking back while moving forward. I like that.
Can you tell us a little about the band’s song writing process?
I usually always come up with a melody or idea for a riff, then work on that. Meanwhile some lyrics will fall into place. I find walking helps me write. I also like to listen to the song before sleeping, coz I’ll often wake with an idea for it.
What is the band’s goal for 2011?
Finish mixing six songs, perhaps have the other 6 mostly recorded so we can release something in the first quarter of 2012 and tour.
What is your philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by?
Be kind. To never compromise your first love. No matter what’s at stake, if you have a burning desire for something, do it.
