Listening Post - Beach House - Bloom (Sub Pop/Bella Union, 2012)

More swirling loveliness from Beach House.

Beach House's 2010 album 'Teen Dream' was a duskily ethereal slow-burning classic. Soaring melodies amid the gentle ebb and flow of a million guitars refracted in a gauzy hall of mirrors. Superlative dreampop in the vein of Cocteau Twins and AR Kane and a cousin of beautiful Korallreven.

'Bloom' is evolution rather revolution, taking 'Teen Dream' as a starting point, adding more clarity in the vocals but more dreamy sheen in the music's candyfloss of sweet fogginess.

Listen to Beach House 'Bloom' in full (NPR.org)

Listening Post: Peter Broderick - http://www.itstartshear.com (Bella Union, 2012)

New and beautiful from Peter Broderick.

How does he do it? From the opening piano chords, building through violin and, presumably using his trademark looping pedal action, more piano and violin, Peter Broderick magicks heart-stopping beauty from the simplest of ingredients.

The sound is in keeping with his 'Home' album rather than the more experimental side projects he's released of late. It's gorgeous, with flowing streams of guitar and/or piano, beautifully arranged and recorded.

Amusingly, for those who have ever been involved in a website project, it says "Coming Soon" at http://www.itstartshear.com.

He's better at music than websites then.

Trespassers Williams - Vapour Trail (Bella Union, 2003)

Languid version of the Ride shoegaze classic.

Now, let's be honest, it couldn't be better than the original. However, Trespassers William's slow, soft version of the closing track on Ride's perfect debut album is a joy.

The jangling, ringing guitars of the original are replaced with a steady piano line and yearning, male Shoegaze vocals are replaced with a blissed-out female take and heavenly backing vox. Beautiful.

Download Trespassers Williams 'Vapour Trail' (shoegaze mp3, Ride cover, mp3) (Mediafire)

The Dears '22: The Death of all the Romance' (Bella Union, 2005)

Impossibly melodramatic, cinematic alt pop.

Is it really six years since this came out? I fell hard for The Dears on this album but haven't really gelled with anything they've done since. I stumbled on this track again and can feel myself falling for them all over again.

It's an almost ridiculous confection, driving rhythms, strings, heartbreak, romance, piano solo and a lovely male-female duet.

There's hints of The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen's swooning alternative rock best, Tindersticks' moon-in-the-gutter romance , the more imaginative end of Britpop or one of my favourite under-rated bands Animals That Swim even. However, on this album - 'No Cities Left' - Murray Lightburn was on fire, a singular talent.

It builds and builds to an exotic flamenco-tinged finale, towering piles of strings, criss-crossing vocals, slashing guitar... The End. Perfection.

It also has an incredibly cute and brilliant video.

Download The Dears '22: The Death of all the Romance' (indie, alternative, mp3) (Mediafire)

Explosions In The Sky 'First Breath After Coma' (Live, 2004)

Breathless, euphoric instrumental post rock business from Explosions In The Sky.

A piercing, repetitive single-note reveille introduces Explosions In The Sky's signature tune. It builds from there, matching melodic loveliness with blasting sonic power, conjuring up images of the fireworks of their name.

Download Explosions In The Sky 'First Breath After Coma (Live, 2004)' (instrumental, post rock, live, mp3) (Mediafire)

Download the whole Explosions In The Sky live set from Nottingham Rescue Rooms, 02/09/2004 over on Archive:Live+Rare

Devics 'Red Morning' (Bella Union, 2003)

Languid, moody, downtempo melancholy. 


Devics seem to have passed into history now with pianist Dustin O'Halloran now releasing solo albums. They released a sequence of albums on the Bella Union label back before it had its breakout hits with Fleet Foxes et al.

'Red Morning' is a taster of their 'The Stars Of Saint Andrea album which is currently available from the Bella Union online store for very reasonable £5.99.

'Red Morning' starts with warm acoustic guitar and stately drum machine, adding in a yearning female croon and understated bass guitar. A curling synth tone weaves in and out of the mix creating a sense of unease, anticipation.


It's a delicious, oozing slab of moodiness that brings Beach House to mind or maybe the later records of the Cocteau Twins. Very lovely.

Download Devics 'Red Morning' (shoegaze, indie, alternative, mp3 download) (Mediafire)

I Break Horses 'Winter Beats' (Bella Union, 2011)

Icy, dramatic Shoegaze elegance wrapped around warm, warm vocals.

I Break Horses deal in electronically-driven shoegaze, creating vast cathedrals of spectral sound around simple sequenced lines.

'Winter Beats' is exactly that, a sheet of chilled but elegant air formed around crystalline patterns of ascending synths.

Soaring vocals create an organic, human edge to the sound, combining to generate an unstoppable rush that brings to mind the best work of Efterklang or the more austere moments of Spoonfed Hybrid. It's more linear than the Cocteau Twins but reminiscent of Seefeel's splicing of waterfalls of sequencer with soupy drones and gazing.

Delightful stuff.

Download I Break Horses 'Winter Beats' (indie, shoegaze mp3) (via Pitchfork)

Peter Broderick 'Roscoe (Midlake Cover)' (Bella Union, 2008)

The awesomely talented Peter Broderick turns in suitably unique alternative folk meets bluegrass Klezmer take on Midlake's finest moment.

Indie folkers Midlake's 'Roscoe' was a stand-out track on their 'Trials Of Van Occupanther' album, a lush, brown velvet jacket of folk-rock imagining. Already remixed in a different direction by Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, Bella Union labelmate Peter Broderick turns in a re-version as opposed to a re-mix.

It opens with woodland atmospherics, sombre strings, Broderick's lone voice and some sparse piano accompaniment. It has the air of Set Fire To Flames (a Godspeed You! Black Emporer side project) before picking up pace and feeling more like a campfire signalong as banjo and percussion are added. Very gorgeous.

Download Peter Broderick 'Roscoe' (Indie Alternative Folk, mp3) (Mediafire)