Ceremony- 'Our Last Goodbye' EP

Very seldom can a stellar band split up and form two equal (if not better) bands in the wake of their demise. This is fortunately the case with Skywave, a since defunct noise-pop band from Virginia which yielded both previously covered A Place to Bury Strangers and today's band, Ceremony.

Whereas APTBS was formed in NYC by guitarist Oliver Ackermann, ex-Skywave members Paul Baker and John Fedowitz continued on as Ceremony in their hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Though Ceremony also continues down a similarly apocalyptic path with their blend of harsh noise rock, they've taken added a more notable synthetic element to their songs, which splinter with distortion, hard-hitting drum machines, and whirring electronic melodies.

I've uploaded a single track from their newest offering, 2007's full length recording, Disappear. As a bonus, I've also zipped up an earlier EP for your listening pleasure.

download Ceremony- 'I Heard You Call My Name'



Ceremony- Our Last Goodbye EP
1. Our Last Goodbye
2. Someday
3. Marianne
4. Do You Love Me?

*download it here*

Lo and behold! For the first time in what feels like ages, I can effectively post purchasing links and live videos as additional treats, since Ceremony is a currently active band with easily available material. On that note, here's an appropriately glitchy video for the song 'You Never Stay,' also featured on Disappear.



and last but not least, a few web resources for more information and purchasing:
Myspace page
Purchase Disappear from Safranin Sound

A Place to Bury Strangers

Anyone who's known me both online and off knows that I champion today's band at every single step, having seen them live about a dozen times and talked about them in conversation to absolutely no end. After catching them live once more at Galapogos this past Friday eve, it's only appropriate for them to make their appearance on these pages...

Hailing from New York City, A Place to Bury Strangers are explosively sonic post-punk/shoegaze outfit often deemed "the Loudest Band in NYC." Rather than being loud for the sake of being loud, the band combines the coarse sonic textures of both the shoegaze and no-wave movement with the craft and beauty of dreampop, a delicate yet perfect balance that is far more moving than it is unsettling.

The origins of the band trace back to Virginia's Skywave, a similarly styled outfit featuring fuzzed out guitar tones and abrasive drum machines. Guitarist Oliver Ackermann relocated to NYC and took the helm of a A Place to Bury Strangers, expanding on the already jagged soundscapes of Skywave, adding more catchy rhythmic undertones and a more intense approach for this new outfit. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Skywave remained local and formed fellow shoegaze group Ceremony.

On record, the band is overdriven and sharp, all instruments pushing into the red with a pseudo-industrial aesthetic, while on stage they are an intensely passionate and pummeling force of fury, a treat for both the eyes and the ears.

Oliver is also founder of the Brooklyn-based experimental pedal company, Death By Audio. Many of the band's unique sonic textures are the result of his own audio experimentation and deconstruction of electronics.

Needless to say, this band is best experienced at maximum volume. For your listening pleasure, here's a handful of self-released EP tracks:

download A Place to Bury Strangers- 'My Weakness'
download A Place to Bury Strangers- 'I Know I'll See You'
download A Place to Bury Strangers- 'I've Lived My Life to Stand in the Shadow of Your Heart'

...and here's a live video of the band performing the yet-to-be-released track 'Gimme Acid' at a Jezebel Music showcase at Union Pool on April 17th of this year. If you look closely, you may spot me thrashing away in the front...



For more information about the band, including more tracks, visuals, and show information:

homepage
myspace page

Wierd Records / Xeno and Oaklander

Allow me this opportunity to plug a rather solid compilation of new, rare minimal and coldwave acts that has been making the circuit and breathing fresh life into it. Since 2003, Wierd Records has existed in the recess of the NYC music scene, a series of weekly events that combine live music and solid djs spinning synth, gothic, darkwave, post-punk, etc. The label is run by artist and DJ Pieter Schoolwerth, and this compilation, released on vinyl last year (3 lps and a bonus 7''!) yields a hefty bounty for anyone with a proper turntable and a passion for underground wave.

Today's tracks are featured on this compilation and come from Xeno and Oaklander, a NYC-based minimal outfit featuring multi-instrumentalists Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride (also the brainchild of fellow Wierd act Martial Cantarel). Pulsing layers of synthesizers and catchy female vocals lace these two songs, and I hope you all enjoy 'em.

download Xeno and Oaklander- 'Non-Senti'
download Xeno and Oaklander- 'Cold Forever'

and here's another youtube video for you folks, featuring Xeno and Oaklander playing 'Non-Senti' live at Wierd Records' original night in Brooklyn.

more information about the Wierd Records compilation, including tracklisting and purchase information can be found here:

Wierd Records

and on myspace (check here for information about their new weekly night at Home Sweet Home in NYC):

Wierd Records on myspace