Interview: Me You Us Them.

Me You Us Them is the Brooklyn based trio of Ryan Reesey on guitar/vocals, Ian Ljungquist on bass/vocals, and Zach Eichenhorn on drums. Their sound is amazing but difficult to describe; honestly, the description on their LastFm page - "an anthemic wall-of-sound blitzkrieg" - is basically as on target as you can get with English words. Their 2010 debut LP, Post-Data (which made our list as one of the best LPs of the year), instantly electrified listeners everywhere, and with good reason. It basically kicks ass. An upcoming 7 inch split with When The Sun Hits favorites, Bloody Knives, is soon to be released (read Amber's review of it here), and from where we sit, Me You Us Them are bound for continued greatness. We loved doing this interview - these guys are entertaining, to say the least! We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did.

1. How was the band formed?

Ian: Ryan and I knew each other from both growing up in Maryland. Over the years, our paths crossed unexpectedly, the last time being here in Brooklyn. He was looking for a drummer, and I had just quit my band. People came and went, I moved over to bass, we changed our name, got our good friend Zach to play drums, and here we are.

2. Where does the name "Me You Us Them" come from?

Ryan: We named ourselves after the only song we had at the time.

Ian: And it's also who we write songs about.

Me You Us Them. "Me You Us Them".

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

Ryan: I've been working on growing my hair out. It's at that awkward length right now.

Ian: We're writing new songs about it. He looks pretty Biebed out right now. We're also about to release a split 7" with some gents from Texas called Bloody Knives. Perhaps a spring tour.

4. Can you talk a little about some of the special packaging for Post-Data, for those that aren't aware how awesome it is?

Ian: I refuse to address those who aren't aware of us.

5. Do you consider Me You Us Them's music to be part of the current shoegaze/dream scene, or any scene?

Ryan: I never really considered us a part of that scene until people started grouping us in with those types of bands. I guess I can see how an outside perspective might think we're a bit gazey.

Ian: I think there are some very "gazey" and dreamy moments on the record, and I wouldn't hold it against anybody for using those classifications to help describe us to their friends. But I think there are also some influences in there that pull us away from completely fitting into that category. But call us whatever you want.

6. What do you think of modern shoegaze/dream pop artists, any favorites?

Ryan: Lately I've been listening to A Place To Bury Strangers and Hooray for Earth a lot. We can squeeze them in there, right?

Ian: After rehearsal, the last thing I want to hear is a Fender Jaguar and oodles of reverb.

7. What is the most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you prefer?

Ryan: Fender Jaguar. Reverb pedal.

Ian: Haha. He actually uses his Jazzmaster more often. I sound like I'm covering for him.

Ryan: I use whatever I can afford. It's all important, but we rely pretty heavily on our various pedals.

Ian: That's what we're staring at, people. Not our shoes.

Me You Us Them. "Big Time".

8. What artists (shoegaze/dream pop or otherwise) have most influenced your work?

Ian: My musical quilt: stitched together patches of South of Heaven, Surfer Rosa, Violator, Gone Glimmering, Emergency and I, and The Immaculate Collection. 1000 thread count.

Ryan: Nice. I'm going to go an all cotton blend of Sister, Hissing Prigs in Static Couture, Celebrate the New Dark Age, Dots and Loops, Over the Edge, and Songs from the Big Chair.

9. Can you tell us a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc)?

Ian: Old Kenny Loggins, "The Big Payback" by Dan Charnas, "Breaking Bad", Brie and honey mustard on Wheat Thins, Words with Friends.

Ryan: '80s rom-coms and sandwiches at Vanessa's Dumplings in Chinatown, NYC.

10. If you had to choose one Me You Us Them track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and why?

Ryan: From the album? Maybe "As of Now"? It covers a lot of landscape, so you may get an idea of who we are.

Ian: Sure, why not.

Me You Us Them. "As of Now".

11. How do your write your songs? Collectively or individually?

Ryan: Honestly, it's different every time, but me and Ian scrapping over a chord change or song structure is pretty standard practice.

Ian: While Zach just laughs and makes fun of us from the corner. We are probably most productive when we record as we write. That way no one forgets what they were doing last time, and it allows us to revisit, edit, and build ideas between sessions.

12. What is the most exciting thing that happened for Me You Us Them in 2010?

Ian: We released our 2009 debut. It was a little overdue.

Ryan: Haha. We also had the pleasure of getting to meet and play with some pretty fantastic bands, and made a lot of new friends in unexpected places.

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

Ryan: Are we there yet? It's my mission question.

Ian: "If time has taught me anything
Got to learn to be the ball
And I can’t keep from laughing at it all (whoa)
I’m gonna laugh" - Kenny Loggins

www.myspace.com/myutnyc

http://www.facebook.com/meyouusthem

New Video: Sleepmask. Run.

News: Northern Star Records to Re-Release The Voices' Final Album.

Breaking news! According to Scott Causer, of Northern Star Records: "The legendary lost album is lost no longer. The third and final album from The Voices will be available through iTunes, Amazon & Play from January 16th courtesy of Northern Star Records."

This is AMAZING news.

Video: Final. My Body is a Dying Machine.

We somehow missed that Justin Broadrick (of Jesu) put out a record of more Final material in 2010. Having now heard the record in it's entirety, it's official: Excellent.

Album Review: Keith Canisius. This Time It's Our High.

Artist: Keith Canisius.
Album Title: This Time It's Our High.
Record Label: Darla.
Release Date: September 2010.

Keith Canisius is an American-born Dane, now living and creating beautiful music in Copenhagen, Denmark (When The Sun Hits recently interviewed him - read it HERE). He first came into the spotlight as one half of the duo called Rumskib, who's 2007 self-titled release on Darla blew the minds of gazers and dreamers everywhere. In 2008, with Rumskib on hold, Keith went on to release two excellent solo LPs - Ferris Wheel Makeout (2008) and Waves (2009). Somewhere along the way his sound was dubbed as "chill wave", and the moniker certainly fits the music - Rumskib's sound was a soft swath of dreamy pop, and even solo, the foundation of his music still has that dreamy, "chilled out" quality.

However, with each solo release, these dreamy soundscapes evolved far beyond simple dream pop. Canisius started incorporating elements of psychedelia and other experimentations into his already shoegazey-dreamy sound, creating more sonically adventurous songs; songs that were more challenging, with incredible depth, and essentially pushing the limits of his talents. As a self taught (!) guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer, his talent for creating and composing music very much reminds me of Ulrich Schnauss (which is high praise in our book).

His huge talent and the further evolution of his sound is evident on his newest LP, This Time It's Our High. Within the first 10 seconds of track one, I pretty much knew I was about to get blown away. And I was right.

Out of the album's 9 tracks, there isn't a single dull moment or weakness. To me, one of the defining characteristics of a true artist is progression of sound with each release; to push the limits every time. Keith Canisius has consistently done this, and has topped himself once again with this LP. Impressed? Hell yes I am.

This Time It's Our High starts off with "People's Faces", a song that immediately pulls you in on first listen by it's sheer uniqueness. This new album shares plenty of qualities with Rumskib, but where Rumskib was breathy and soft, this solo album has attitude, swagger, and unexpectedness. The track starts off with a simple but catchy guitar riff that builds into nearly epic psychedelic proportions. Layers of heavenly effects, mesmerizing tape loops, superb beats, and amazing vocals all orbit the truly gorgeous dream pop chorus. Placing this record in a genre is utterly impossible. Is this shoegaze, dream pop, chill wave, psychedelia, or something else? The fact is, it's all of those, and more. It incorporates and then transcends all of these genres by the incredibly clever and deft way Canisius has combined them.

The second track, "First Tambourine Love", smoothly picks up where "People's Faces" left off (in fact, this album should be heard in it's entirety, start to finish, to get the full effect) and shares nearly the same basic formula as the first track, in that it starts off simply, and builds into a swirling soundscape of layered effects - a collage of sounds and genres. The difference from track one is that there is no straightforward dream pop chorus to centralize and ground the song. Instead, it takes you on a 6+ minute psychedelic journey with a looser song structure. One minute the beats are leading the song, the next fuzzy guitars, and the next incredible synth melodies. If you haven't caught on to this yet, multi-layering and creating sound textures are things Keith does exceptionally well. Considering that Keith is a completely self taught musician and producer, and quite a young one at that, this level of quality is beyond impressive.

Loops and vocal echoes are the driving force behind "Inner Blue, Outer Red". The shoegaze guitar sound woven with Keith's atmospheric vocals, layered effects and synth washes keep the listener quite riveted - not only because it's a great track, but because the incorporation of so many incredible and sometimes unexpected sounds and effects are endlessly entertaining to listen to. This can be said about every track on this record.

The middle of the record gets even more spaced out and psychedelic; the melodies are harder to discern, buried more deeply under deftly combined layers. However, if you listen closely, there is an incredible structure beneath the experimental atmospheres - a cerebral undertone buried under mesmerizing aural fireworks.

While some reviewers have said the album sags in the middle, I completely disagree. The dreamy, psychedelic tinge is the perfect nucleus for this album. The title track takes you on an 8 minute ride that you won't soon forget before transitioning into "Kill Your Systems For Earth", brimming with vocal loops and keyboards that make sure you get drawn in before the track takes on a life of it's own, changing everything from mood to tempo and back again.

"The Beach House", which smoothly transitions the listener from the experimental middle into less challenging territory, is yet another example of the multi-layered, tape looped soundscapes that are his forte, but with a definite dream pop edge to it that ousts the overt psychedelia and instead comes off as an exceedingly well crafted dream pop track. Gorgeous.

Keith Canisius. The Beach House.

Canisius' multi-tracked, celestial vocals are often compared to the Cocteau Twins (which I agree with) and the psychedelia tinged multi-tracking often gets compared to the Animal Collective (which I do not necessarily agree with, but that's probably a personal problem). His influences are audible in some cases, but to me, Canisius belongs in a class by himself, no comparisons needed.

Although this doesn't give justice to every nuance of brilliance the album offers, for the sake of trying to convey it's fundamental essence in words, let me say this: the entire LP can be loosely summed up by variations of the above mentioned techniques - starting a track with simplicity that builds into psychedelic layers of unique effects and beats, and/or songs that start off simply and then morph into clever and vibrant psychedelia tunes with no centralized melody, but instead vibrant with several melodies at once. You'd expect this to sound chaotic, but Canisius does it so well that instead it's a hypnotic ride through some of the most beautiful textures, atmospheres and songs I've ever heard.

These tracks lurk on the edge of many genres, not truly belonging to any certain one. Instead, This Time Our High transcends genres completely. It sounds like Keith Canisius, nothing else, no other genre - and it sounds startlingly incredible. His progression of sound, a heavier use of layered electronics, the experimentation, the unique atmospheres and soundscapes, the sheer freedom you hear emanating from these songs, among other things, puts This Time It's Our High in a class all of it's own. It is not only a must hear, but a most own. I'm telling you honestly that you are missing out on a work of musical genius if you don't hear this album.

Keith Canisius: You are fucking awesome. Never stop doing what you do.

Review by: Amber.

New Video: Soundpool. Sparkle in the Dark.

Video: Screen Vinyl Image. Lost in Repeat.

Free Download: Keith Canisius. Before We Dive.

Another free download! Keith Canisius has put up the track "Before We Dive", taken from his 2009 LP, Waves - click HERE to download!

When The Sun Hits recently interviewed Mr. Canisius, which you can read here. Next week Amber reviews his late 2010 release, This Time It's Our High, which made our Top LP List for 2010. Don't miss it!

Free Download: Insect Guide. Fuck You.

Free download of Insect Guide's cover track, "Fuck You", at their website, just up today!

Insect Guide's LP, Dark Days & Nights, was one of When The Sun Hits' top records of 2010.

We love these guys.

New Video: The Sunshine Factory. Twisted and Clover.

Brand new video from one of When The Sun Hits' top albums of 2010, The Sunshine Factory's Sugar. Beyond excited to see this band play Houston next month with another 2010 favorite, Bloody Knives. Exclusive photos by Amber will be along next month from the February 12, 2011 date.

When The Sun Hits Picks: Top 25 EPs/7 Inches of 2010.

This list could be as long as the LP list (or possibly even longer), but we'll reign it in and limit it to 25 (updated from the previous 20). Once again, in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Top 25 Shoegaze/Dream Pop EPs/7 Inches of 2010

1. Wild Nothing. Evertide.
2. SPC ECO. Silver Clouds.
3. Robin Guthrie. Sunflower Stories.
4. Whirl. Distressor.
5. Velochrome. Velochrome.
6. Screen Vinyl Image. The Ice Station.
7. The Mary Onettes. The Night Before The Funeral 7 inch.
8. Spotlight Kid. Crystal Dreams.
9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Say No To Love.
10. Between The Cities Are Stars. Between The Cities Are Stars.
11. Bliss City East/Vidulgi Ooyoo. Split.
12. Panda Riot. Far And Near.
13. The Depreciation Guild. Blue Lily 7 inch.
14. Seefeel. Faults.
15. Deerhunter. Revival 7 inch.
16. Love Culture. Aquamarine.
17. Autolux. Bouncing Wall/Census.
18. Glowfriends. Eyelash.
19. The Lost Rivers. My Beatific Vision.
20. Spell 336. Reverse.
21. The Radio Dept. Heaven's On Fire (single).
22. Pinkshinyultrablast. Happy Songs for Happy Zombies. (2009, it seems, but it deserves inclusion).
23. 800beloved. Tidal (single).
24. The Cult of Dom Keller. EP1.
25. SPC ECO. Out Of The Sky.

When The Sun Hits Picks: Top 35 Albums of 2010.

Top 35 Shoegaze/Dream Pop Albums of 2010

Understatement: 2010 - an insanely huge year for shoegaze and dream pop records. Danny and I thought long and hard about this, and we are sure that we probably left someone important off - but once we got up to 35, we just couldn't go any further. Never have we had end of year lists this lengthy, EVER. We have a Top EPs of 2010 list coming up shortly, with even more amazing stuff, as well as some re-issue shout outs, but for now, here are our favorite long players of 2010...in no particular order...ready, set, (gasp) go!

1. Wild Nothing. Gemini.
2. 800beloved. Everything Purple.
3. The Sunshine Factory. Sugar.
4. Tears Run Rings. Distance.
5. Ceremony. Rocket Fire.
6. Bloody Knives. Burn It All Down.
7. Insect Guide. Dark Days & Nights.
8. Me You Us Them. Post-Data.
9. Walls. Walls.
10. Soundpool. Mirrors In Your Eyes.
11. Deerhunter. Halcyon Digest.
12. Sway. This Was Tomorrow.
13. Presents for Sally. A Touch of Joy, A Touch of Sadness.
14. Candy Claws. Hidden Lands.
15. The Prids. Chronosynclastic.
16. Serena Maneesh. No. 2 Abyss in B Minor.
17. Hammock. Chasing After Shadows...Living With Ghosts.
18. Crash City Saints. Glow In The Dark Music.
19. The Black Angels. Phosphene Dream.
20. The Depreciation Guild. Spirit Youth.
21. Keith Canisius. This Time It's Our High.
22. Dead Leaf Echo. Truth.

23. Highspire. Aquatic.
24. Lovesliescrushing. Girl. Echo. Suns. Veils.
25. Air Formation. Nothing to Wish For (Nothing To Lose).
26. The High Violets. Cinema.
27. Sleep Party People. Sleep Party People.
28. Ulrich Schnauss. Missing Deadlines, Selected Remixes.
29. Viernes. Sinister Devices.
30. Ghost Society. The Back of His Hands, Then the Palms.
31. Seinking Ships. Museum Quality Capture.
32. Malory. Pearl Diver.
33. The Daysleepers. Waves of Creation (Remixes, B-sides, Demos).
34. Autolux. Transit Transit.
35. Blonde Redhead. Penny Sparkle.

Video: Between The Cities Are Stars. All That Mad Trouble.

Video: Sea Dweller. Every Inch.

Shoegaze Quote Of the Month. Brian Eno. The Master of Ambient Talks About Sound.

As soon as I hear a sound, it always suggests a mood to me. For me it's always contingent on getting a sound-the sound always suggests what kind of melody it should be. So it's always sound first and then the line afterwards.~ Eno