Those of you searching for the score to those dreamy indie flicks you’ve seen cinematic unknown geniuses conjure up over the years – well this is it. “About Everything and More” is the sophomore follow-up to the fantastic “Holofon” by Dorena. An outfit based out of Sweden, Dorena carves their niche with superb and intelligent instrumental indie pop music that seems simple but quickly becomes holistically visionary and diverse. Deep Elm Records, once again, has defined the movement of instrumental pop music by having the likes of Moving Mountains, Dorena and Goonies Never Say Die on their roster. Guitars pop and weave like a bantamweight division champ in the middle of the ring. Melodic nuances dance patterns in the icy wintry cold that Dorena evokes. And in case you were wondering – there are lyrics and vocals spotlighted throughout “About Everything and More” but this is certainly an instrumental-first approach as the vocals are just another instrument that helps move along the emotional enormity of each song’s structure. The odd and quirky synth pop of “We’ll Never Meet This Young Again” is just incredible as it then cascades into a bedroom guitar plucking only to be then re-cast as a symphonic journey that lights the way for the downtrodden and misguided. Fantastic songwriting with a strong sense of purpose and a calm wit about it, “About Everything and More” is a definite must-have for any music fan.
Posts tagged shoegazer
Hundred Year Storm – The Future Belongs to the Brave

On Hundred Year Storm‘s latest, giant shoegazer guitars glaze their way across giant Mt. Everest tall space rock adventures that mount an epic journey through indie rock’s more spacious caverns. The band has a lot to say with songs like “Success of Liberty” featuring samples of Hitler, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Bush Sr., and Franklin Roosevelt. Militaristic charging drums work to steer the panic-inducing distorted guitars that wail with delight. You’ll find yourself panting by the end of this massively genius rock record that recalls the best of Explosions in the Sky, Failure, and Brandtson.
Tearwave – Different Shade of Beauty
Vast. Huge. Monumental. Paramount. These are words that engage the listener as Tearwave‘s latest opus “Different Shade of Beauty” pours its soul into their ears, whispering its way through their nervous system, and into their bloodstream. Dark and sweeping guitars ala My Bloody Valentine visit churning shoegazer atmospheres and ghastly female vocals. Once you sink your teeth in deep, “Different Shade of Beauty” is a dark version of the Cranberries with better musicianship, a knack for writing horror novels, and an uncanny ability to wash ashore as a desert island disc classic. You simply need this album.
The Union Trade – Everyday Including
The first full-length album from The Union Trade debuts their cinematic post-rock experience that is mapped out with crafty climaxes and dips into caverns of lows. Cheering on the recent wave of minor key grandeur in indie rock, The Union Trade seem destined to swiftly pour their influence into the pores of songwriters across the States. Dense walls of guitar are glazed and spackled with inflections of sound effects and distortion. Their record label, Tricycle Records, better make sure they have a solid contract in place with these folks as the Union Trade is easily the next Coldplay. As emotional as it could get, “Everyday Including” is a transcendental album awash in guitar fuzzy logic and hugely catchy triumphs. Simply amazing and simply essential. Own it and friend them on myspace.
Moving Mountains – Pneuma
Not since I first heard Statistics have I been this impressed with an indie rock outfit; Moving Mountains’ “Pneuma” will not only burn the charts but be the very top of so many “best of”’s that it seems as if it’s the very first essential album of this new millennium. Greek for “breathe”, the album features airy ambience and complex arrangements that take the term post-rock to a whole new plane of existence. Beautiful textures and dominant guitar arpeggio collide to forge a happy union between emotional rock, math-oriented punk, and the epically melodic. Space rock ventures are found on songs that are as deep as the Northeastern woods. Perhaps the best song on the album, “Grow On, Grow Up, Grow Out”, ends with crashing crescendo lapping at your feet like cold wet waves, building things up to smash it all down amid storied layers of intimate and intricately woven harmonies. Simply said: riveting.



