you resource for all things shoegaze & dream pop.
31 October 2012
Danny Lackey Fundraiser Ends Tonight at Midnight - Donate Here.
Hi gazers. Maybe you knew, maybe you didn't, but our beloved Danny Lackey, who co-created this blog with me, has been battling cancer for over a year. He has been amazing through all of this; he is so strong. However, as you might imagine, these medications and medical procedures are extremely expensive. It's time for us to pull together as a community and donate what we can to help Danny through this. He would do it for us in a second. We are a close-knit community, and when one of us is in need, the rest of us will step up. Now is that time.
Through out the month of October, WTSH will be holding a fundraiser for Danny, and you can donate right here, via Paypal. There is also a "Donate" button along the right sidebar of the blog.
All donations over $10 will receive a 12x12 limited edition WTSH poster. All donations over $50 will receive a limited edition series of WTSH poster, along with a one-of-a-kind WTSH poster made especially for you.
Donate as little or as much as you like. Every little bit counts. Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.
DONATE HERE:
DONATE HERE:
30 October 2012
29 October 2012
28 October 2012
Flashback Track: Skylight. As You Leave (1991).
Skylight Bandcamp
We've heard a rumor that maybe, just maybe, first gen gazer band Skylight is considering recording and releasing something new. (!!) Let's take a peak down memory lane, shall we? Check out the track, read the interview, and cross your fucking fingers for a new Skylight release!
Presents for Sally to Auction Rare Items for Danny Lackey Fundraiser.
Presents for Sally to Auction Rare Items
for Danny Lackey Fundraiser
Here is the message from Anne Marie + details:
Background story is, as some of you may know, that one of our greatest human capacities of the Indie scene has been fighting serious disease for over a year now.
Danny is co-creator of When The Sun Hits blog + doing truly amazing stuff with his band Deepfieldview, and for years, he's been one of the main discoverers, promoters and supporters of new bands all over the world.
Luckily, his health seems to be improving and he's heading the right direction, but he still has some way to go before he's back to his old and sparkling, shoegaze-loving self. He still needs treatments, and above all, he needs to be able to have his lovely wife by his side! Some action has already been taken in order to help financially - and this one should be a whole lot of fun!!
Without Danny, many of us wouldn't be where we are today - and without truly and deeply believing in everything he stands for, none of us would be doing what we do, taking part in this music scene. Here's your chance to make a difference and add something really special to your music collection, as well!
The Loot:
The package contains a white label test pressing of the current Presents For Sally // Anything Anymore 7". Only 5 of these were pressed and the band have only ever seen 2 of them - and one of those 2 can be yours. Included with this is a copy of the released version of Anything Anymore as well as a copy of the first ever 7" Catch Your Fall which sold out a long time ago (this is the only copy the band have) Also, there's a signed copy of the cd album A Touch Of Joy, A Touch Of Sadness with various promo posters and postcards/flyers the band still own.
Matt of PFS says, "We know we won't get megabucks, but whatever people can spare to help Danny at this time will be worth it as none of us can fucking even begin to imagine what they are going through.. Danny has always said nice things about our band and him and Amber were strong supporters back when no one else cared.... so SPEND YOUR MONEY!!!!!"
The auction will run until
November 15th 2012.
The person with the highest final bid gets the whole package of rare Presents For Sally items!!
To place your bids, message me (Anne Marie Taul de Neergaard) or Paul Lopez on Facebook.
We will post updates about how the bids are coming!
Set List for WTSH on Strangeways Radio. Aired October 24th, 2012.
band name/track title
The Cherry Wave. Doe Eyes.
Curve. Die Like a Dog.
Bell Hollow. Our Water Burden.
Airiel. Cinnamon.
Dead Leaf Echo. Kingmaker.
Tamaryn. Prizma.
The Sorry Shop. Bloody, Fuzzy, Cozy.
Jessica Bailiff. Failing Yesterday.
Star Horse. Marybelle.
Brighter. Frostbite.
The High Violets. Sun Baby.
Pure X. Surface.
The Cherry Wave. Doe Eyes.
Curve. Die Like a Dog.
Bell Hollow. Our Water Burden.
Airiel. Cinnamon.
Dead Leaf Echo. Kingmaker.
Tamaryn. Prizma.
The Sorry Shop. Bloody, Fuzzy, Cozy.
Jessica Bailiff. Failing Yesterday.
Star Horse. Marybelle.
Brighter. Frostbite.
The High Violets. Sun Baby.
Pure X. Surface.
25 October 2012
Band Submission Spotlight: The Cherry Wave.
Spotlight: The Cherry Wave
Latest Release:
The Cherry Wave EP
(Summer 2012)
or
Stream it below
Band Submission Spotlight: Early Maze.
Spotlight: Early Maze
Brand New LP/Released October 22, 2012:
Sad Lit Skies
24 October 2012
TONIGHT! WTSH on Strangeways Radio. 9pm CST/10pm EST.
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!
23 October 2012
22 October 2012
19 October 2012
WTSH Shoegaze Spotlight on the Strangeways Radio Blog: This Week's Gaze - Landing.
When The Sun Hits and Strangeways Radio join forces each week to provide the world with a Shoegaze Spotlight feature on the Strangeways blog. Sometimes I cover classic bands, often I cover contemporary bands, I occasionally sneak some dream pop into the mix; plus it's all educational and junk. It's just like book learnin' - only better, because you can't find this type of thing in books. Level up!
Activate the weekly Shoegaze Spotlight.
Read about the spotlight bands on the SWs blog, learn about them...and then start listening to them and buying their music and supporting them because these bands deserve it.
Upcoming Awesome Release Alert: You Walk Through Walls. Destroyed Places EP.
Record Label: Club AC30
Release Date: December 3rd, 2012
I have been counting the days for this release; so stoked. Coming soon is the debut 5-track EP entitled Destroyed Places by You Walk Through Walls. YWTW are Matt Bartram, James Harrison (both formerly of Air Formation) and Harry Irving. The EP is very limited, and on transparent blue vinyl 10" format.
Release date: December 3rd, but ClubAC30 is currently taking pre-orders. They ship orders when the stock arrives, which should be mid to late November. All vinyl EPs come with a lossless digital download link (wavs).
Pressing Information: Transparent blue vinyl 10", limited to 250 copies.
Tracks
Say Goodbye
Sleepwalking
Not Like You At All
To The Core
Complicity
Say Goodbye
Sleepwalking
Not Like You At All
To The Core
Complicity
Set List for WTSH on Strangeways Radio. Aired October 17th, 2012.
band name/track titledodecahedron. Frozen.
The Raveonettes. Curse the Night.
Echo Lake. Young Silence.
Chapterhouse. Breather.
Cold Cave. Young Prisoner Dreams of Romance.
Letting up Despite Great Faults. Visions.
The Cure. A Letter to Elise (rare, out of print version).
Come Back Harriet. Side.
The Pastels. Million Tears.
The June Brides. Sunday to Saturday.
The Curtain Society. All Over You (Blue Mix).
Monster Movie. Return to Yesterday.
Bat for Lashes. Lilies.
Talk Talk. I Beileve in You.
www.strangewaysradio.com
Album Review: 36. Lithea.
When The Sun Hits
Reviews
Lithea by 36
(pronounced three-six)
Review By: Avet
Review By: Avet
Today, I was in for a surprise. A rather odd looking, red &vwhite cover caught my attention while I was browsing some ambient-related Facebook groups. You know how albums with odd covers are; you can't help but check them out. This one is definitely odd, but - oddly enchanting.
And so, it has begun...
Lithea is like being trapped among infinite worlds, like experiencing the most grandiose out-of-this-world Dreamscapes, like being trapped in a cage of sound for eternity. Seconds are days. Days become years. On soundwaves of softly played ambient, we drift through this world of sleep...
Let yourself loose and drown with the Deluge... and then wake yourself up, suddenly, through Reunion. Let the Broken Toys guide your path to the Radio, and then, listen closely to hear Leviathan slowly Levitating around the Cocoon. It's all Clear, suddenly. You are the only One here. The Seance is starting.
...and it really was like this. A mixture of everything. Just do yourself a favor. Get this now.
Stream or buy the album via Bandcamp
18 October 2012
17 October 2012
TONIGHT! When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. Airs 9pm CST/10pm EST.
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!
16 October 2012
Interview: Aaron Snow of Landing.
When The Sun Hits Interviews
Aaron Snow
of Landing
Interview by: amber crain.
How and when was the band formed?
Landing was formed in 1998 by myself and Adrienne. We had been playing shows as a two piece called May Landing and decided to shift focus a little bit from the weird noise drone we’d been playing toward something lighter and poppier. We dropped the “May” and became Landing. In the fall of that year we added Dick Baldwin on bass/guitar and Daron Gardner on drums/bass. They brought more of a post rock aesthetic and are two awesome bros. Our longtime friend Peter Baumann joined the group when Dick Baldwin left in 2004, but since 2007 we’ve been a three piece (Daron, Adrienne and Aaron).
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.)?
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?Back in the early 2000’s we were part of the “Vessyl Collective” spearheaded by Adam Forkner (Yume Bitsu/White Rainbow) and included us, Yume Bitsu, Surface of Eceyon, Dirty Projectors, Alex Bundy, etc. We played shows together and recorded at each other’s houses. Our aesthetics were pretty wide ranging, so it was kind of an odd fit- more like a group of friends. Since we went on hiatus in ’06, it’s been SO cool watching the resurgence of shoegaze and drifty, droney musics! It’s been really inspiring actually. As we refocused the band after taking so many years off, we decided to let our earliest inspirations guide us. We all share a love of early Cure records, Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Joy Division and the like so we set out to make music informed by what we would like as 17 year olds. I don’t feel like Landing fits too comfortably into one genre. It’s more fun for us to try new ideas and change up our sound from album to album- sometimes even from song to song within an album. I do think that musical genres are a necessary evil, though. I never would have gotten into Seefeel if I hadn’t been into Cocteau Twins beforehand. While genres tend to pigeonhole bands, sometimes incorrectly, they also open them up to a lot of fans that might never hear of them otherwise. That being said, I always hated the fact that we were tagged as being “slowcore” for years and years.
I’m kind of old, so I’m not all that familiar with what’s happening now but I LOVE what I’ve heard from Belong, Lyonnais, Bear In Heaven, Moon Duo, The KVB, Fever Ray, White Rainbow, Emeralds, Lotus Plaza, Forma, Warm Ghost, lots more… I LOVE the fact that people are being inspired by the music that inspired me in the 90’s! Seeing all the love that My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Chapterhouse, Lush, Seefeel, and others are getting is awesome!
What is the most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you prefer?
The most important piece of gear for me at the moment is my laptop, actually! We’ve finally made the leap to using Ableton for live shows and recording after years of resistance. For my guitar sound, the most important piece of gear is my Boss DD-20. I have up to 5 slots for preset delay settings, which makes playing live WAY easier! Now, instead of struggling to find the proper setting for each song, I can program it in and it’s there whenever I need it. A close second would be a vintage Electro Harmonix Poly Chorus that I bought fairly recently. It’s got that 80’s chorus sound that I LOVE. I’ve totally rediscovered my love of the chorus after swearing it off for years. I’m a fender guy when it comes to guitars and amps. I’ve got a ’68 Jaguar and a ’72 Mustang that I’ve used for every Landing release. I play through a Fender Bantam Bass.
What is your process for recording your music? What gear and/or software do you use? What would you recommend for others?Until this last album, we recorded on a ½” 8 track tape machine. Totally old school. Now we use Ableton Live, which has opened up new possibilities and helped with the songwriting process. We’re making beats, looping parts, re-arranging songs and using effects that we never could have a few years ago. It was daunting to learn how to use the new software, but once we figured it out, I would never go back to doing it the way we used to. I’d recommend anyone just starting out to buy a little 4 track recorder and work your way upward. I’m glad I did it that way.
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?
I have mixed feelings. On the positive side, the ability to directly interact with our fans is incredible! We’ve released a lot of our rare stuff and older records on Bandcamp , which we love. Facebook has allowed us to promote shows like we never could have before. On the other hand, because it’s so easy to record and release music, it’s hard to stand out amongst all the millions of bands vying for attention. It’s really easy to get lost in the shuffle. On the whole, I’m really glad that labels still want to put our music on vinyl and I love the fact that people can easily download it on iTunes or Bandcamp or whatever. I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
When it comes to label releases versus DIY/bandcamp and the like, what is your stance, if any?
We’re really lucky that labels are still interested in putting out physical versions of our stuff. The guys at Geographic North really sort of kicked us in the butt to make new music… we had sort of given up. I feel like our situation is ideal and I’d be really bummed if we were forced to ONLY release our music digitally. We wouldn’t hesitate to release digital albums though, and we actually have a few ideas for special Bandcamp only releases.
My preference is vinyl, for sure. I like how engaging it is to have to physically turn over the record and I also love the fact that it forces the listener to listen to an entire album! While I love the LP, I mostly listen to mp3’s because it’s so easy. Cassettes are really cool too, we used to release a tour cassette every year! It’s great that they’re making a comeback. I’m glad CD’s are dying, however. They are awful. LP’s and MP3’s, that’s how I do it.
What artists (musicians or otherwise) have most influenced your work?This will be a pretty long list- but here’s a few:
The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Seefeel, Stereolab, Kate Bush, Harmonia, The Smiths, Flying Saucer Attack, Bright, Lush, Transient Waves, Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Kraftwerk, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, Light, Bowery Electric, R.E.M., The Sundays, Mazzy Star, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Dead Can Dance, Cluster, Spacemen 3, Chapterhouse, Windy & Carl, Fuxa, Auburn Lull, Catherine Wheel, Cranes, Jessamine, Mahogany, Bardo Pond… lots and lot more.
Can you tell us a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc.)?
We’ve been busy working on recording music lately, so I haven’t been listening to that much music but I have been listening to a lot of Kate Bush. I was raised on Kate Bush, my Mom LOVES her! I’ve been introducing my daughter, Elise, to her music, which has been awesome. I’m reading a few books lately- “The Wordy Shipmates” by Sarah Vowell and “Manhunt” by Peter Bergen. I’m a history nerd, so I usually go for that sort of thing. Since I have a 5 year old daughter, I watch a LOT of children’s movies. My recent favorite is Frankenweenie- totally vintage Tim Burton. My sister is part of an art collective called The Women’s Auxilliary. I’ve been to few of their installations. They are fantastic.
If you had to choose one track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and why?
We’re really proud of the song “Heart Finds the Beat” off our most recent album. It incorporates a lot of the feel and texture of our older stuff, but moves into more rhythmic territory. It’s hard to say for sure, but I can see us doing a lot more rhythmic stuff in the future.
Can you tell us a little about the band’s song writing process?
I’ll usually write a part on guitar or bass and start layering from there. Once I have the skeleton of the song figured out, I’ll get together with Daron and we’ll work on arrangement and other ideas. Daron is amazing to work with, he’s the most thoughtful, positive dude EVER- and his parts always blow my mind. Once the song is 95% complete, we bring Adrienne in for the final say. She’ll usually have a tweak or two. Vocals come last and it’s usually up to Adrienne to decide who sings on what. If she wants to sing on something, she does! Recently, I’ve been writing songs in Ableton and on my Fairlight iPad app. A few songs on our forthcoming mini LP “Wave Lair” were written on the sequencer.
What is your philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by?
I don’t really have any sort of rigid philosophy other than I try to treat others the way I’d like to be treated. It’s pretty simple.
15 October 2012
Strangeways Radio to donate The English Way proceeds to fundraiser for Danny Lackey.
Strangeways Radio is a labor of love. The staff gives their time and energy free of charge just for the joy of bringing music your way. We know that we are not alone. Sites like When The Sun Hits, Slicing Up Eyeballs, and the Von Pip Music Express all share the same love and enthusiasm for bringing music your way.At this time, we would like to take a moment to speak out on behalf of one of our comrades. Danny Lackey, co-founder of when The Sun Hits, has been struggling with brain and lung cancer for over a year. As you can imagine, this is a very expensive disease to fight and we would like to help. Amber, his partner in When The Sun Hits, has organized a fundraiser to help raise money for Danny's medical expenses (see below)
Strangeways would like to help as well. for this entire week, we will donate 100% of the proceeds of sales of The English Way to Amber's fundraiser. By purchasing the compilation, you will not only get a great collection of music, but you will directly help Danny fight his battle.
Strangeways was built on the basis of community. We love our brother/sister blog sites and when they are down, we will do our part to pick them up. Please consider helping out as we are sure, whether you realize it or not, you have at one point in time been a recipient of a story/blog/article or music recommendation via Danny through his When The Sun Hits site.
Strangeways Radio
WTSH Fundraiser for Blog Co-Creator Danny Lackey. DONATE HERE.
Hi gazers. Maybe you knew, maybe you didn't, but our beloved Danny Lackey, who co-created this blog with me, has been battling cancer for over a year. He has been amazing through all of this; he is so strong. However, as you might imagine, these medications and medical procedures are extremely expensive. It's time for us to pull together as a community and donate what we can to help Danny through this. He would do it for us in a second. We are a close-knit community, and when one of us is in need, the rest of us will step up. Now is that time.
Through out the month of October, WTSH will be holding a fundraiser for Danny, and you can donate right here, via Paypal. There is also a "Donate" button along the right sidebar of the blog.
All donations over $10 will receive a 12x12 limited edition WTSH poster. All donations over $50 will receive a limited edition series of WTSH poster, along with a one-of-a-kind WTSH poster made especially for you.
Donate as little or as much as you like. Every little bit counts. Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.
DONATE HERE:
DONATE HERE:
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