Drowner Reviewed on Consequence of Sound
Heavyweight music blog Consequence of Sound weighs in on Drowner’s debut S/T, with a thoughtful review by Austin Trunick. Calling us “a brighter, more pop-minded noise-jangle unit more in the vein of a later, Honey’s Dead-era Jesus and Mary Chain,” he lays out for those less familiar with shoegaze and nugaze music just where we fit into that spectrum. “This isn’t really the zillion-layered, blissful noise currents that came out of bands such as My Bloody Valentine or Ride, acts that will likely first jump to mind whenever the term [shoegaze] is trotted out.” And yet, “This is a very good album; just rethink your expectations.” He goes on to say:
Album opener “Point Dume” is probably as close as it gets to the denser, Loveless-esque aural overload, building from quiet, reverb-drenched guitar arpeggios and vocals and then stacking layer over layer of drums, keys, and distortion. Singer Anna Bouchard’s voice doubles and even triples on itself throughout the record so much that you’d almost think there were two vocalists sharing many of her parts. “Never Go Away” opens their sound a whole lot wider, taking a slower, more gradual burn towards a spacey, clamorous finale over the span of nearly eight minutes. “Chime” is a darker, rhythmic, even slightly intimidating track, which nevertheless might be the album’s catchiest song. They also show some hints of a proggier, Pink Floyd-ish side on “Wildflowers”, an airy, six-minute swath of gentle noise and streams of synthesizer that gives off a warm, summery vibe.
We like the way Trunick zeros in on the specifics that make us unique as a band, as well as the conclusion he comes to when he says, “While so many bands have been kicking up the fuzz, stomping on their looping pedals, and jumping aboard the shoegaze/dream pop revival, Drowner has shown enough flash in its debut to stand out from the pack.” Thanks so much, Austin, for your generous and insightful review, and for recommending us to the readers of Consequence of Sound, which we know are many. If you want to read more great reviews and all the latest new music news, head over to CoS, where you can also read the entire review of Drowner in situ.
Drowner on Nugazer
That he loves the work of John Steinbeck and T.C. Boyle is not the only thing that has endeared him to us. Jonny Shoegaze, scribe of the wonderful blog Nugazer: The Shoegaze Blog, has penned some beautiful words about our debut S/T. Calling our music “a sparkling journey through the very best in contemporary shoegaze and dream pop,” and “another feather in the cap for the remarkable US independent, Saint Marie Records,” he elaborates:
Drowner is an album spanning vast sonic spectrums. From the lazy calm of Never Gonna Go Away to the euphoric Here (featured below), you sense it’s a genuine labour of love… so it comes as little surprise that Emmanuel took three years between the recording of early demos to the recruitment of final members, Sean Evans (guitar) and Mike Brewer (bass).
But it’s a patient approach that paid off. Indeed, as the first bars of album-opener, Point Dume, ring in, it’s clear we’re looking at something a little bit special… It’s an immediate rush; a hit of neo-Cocteau’s bliss-pop and a soaring statement of intent; buffered only by the emergence of edgier tracks, such as the near-gothic Chime.
Immaculately produced and intelligently written, this is an album of genuine craft – and never more so than when consumed by the FX-laden ambience of Emmanuel’s patchwork guitars. The lucid dreamtime of Tiny Ship explodes into a dizzying pedal-charged roar, and the glorious This threatens to literally burst with joy.
Jonny, thanks so much for your amazing words, and for recommending us so wholeheartedly to your intelligent readers. To read the entire review, and other great shoegaze, dreampop and nugaze reviews (some of our favorite bands in that sidebar!), go here.
Drowner on The Daily Vault
Drowner scores an A- with our debut S/T, according to The Daily Vault. Their thoughtful review of our material, continues thus:
“…Drowner is noisy, dense, and dreamy. Singer Anna Bouchard, with her chiffon smooth vocals sounds like Elizabeth Frazer or Beth Thompson (of Medicine), depending upon the tone of the music. On the mellower end of the spectrum are songs like “Point Dume” and “This,” with a more ethereal quality, resembling a mix of Pale Saints and Cocteau Twins. On the more thickset side are the clattery “Chime,” “Written,” and “Here,” with beefy walls of guitars and phantasmagoric noises. Although the band has a sound that will surely please any shoegazer aficionado, the real deal, however, are the superbly arranged songs themselves.
Alongwith the healthy bombardment of guitar drone, Drowner indulges in many a moment of silence, which make for some of the most rewarding parts of the album. The record’s longest numbers, the five and half minute long “Tiny Ship,” the six-and-half minute long “Wildflowers,” and the almost eight minute long “Never Go Away,” comprise of the psychedelic half of the album, which start with meditative serenity, and explode somewhere in the middle of the song like a cosmic bang of wild guitar textures.”
Thanks so much to Vish Iyer for penning the review, and for referring to our current release as “one great record.” You can read the full text here on The Daily Vault.
Drowner S/T Reviewed on The 405
The always amaze The 405 has followed up their “Band of the Day” honor for Drowner with an analysis of our debut S/T (out on Saint Marie Records on March 13), and we couldn’t be more pleased. Attributing to our record an “air of jubilation,” Tom Jenkins, in his thoughtful and well-considered review, had this to say:
“…This is gigantic, impassioned shoegaze music, ear-deafeningly loud and sonically breath taking in places. Thankfully, they understand the power of dynamics. For every blistering guitar coda, there are four to five minutes of proceeding – and there really is no alternative but to use that most overused of adjectives here – ‘ethereal’ bliss. Hints of Spiritualized’s lysergic gospel skewer the likes of ‘Wildflowers’ and ‘Tiny Ship’. This lends the record a delicious tension throughout.”
We are so grateful and honored to have the ear of an astute critic like Tom, and so we thank him and The 405 for their time and attention. If you want to read Tom’s article in context, along with tons of other great new music news, reviews and premieres, head this way.
Drowner Featured in IMPOSE Magazine
Drowner has the distinct pleasure of being featured in IMPOSE Magazine today. Amid a stellar line up of new music, our track “Never Go Away” gets some love.
Drowner caught us offguard this week with the mind expanding elegance of “Never Go Away.” Heralding from Space City, USA – Houston, TX – the band are like dreamancers that repeat the sounds that have made their way from the unconscious into the awakend world of far away sounding buzz-saw guitars. Drowner’s self-titled comes out March 13 on Saint Marie.
Thanks to Sjimon Gompers for his wonderful words, and for turning us on to some other great acts in his amazing “Week in Pop” rundown. To catch this mention in context, and to see the other awesome bands who made the list, go here.
Review of Drowner’s Debut on ReadJunk
Gracious thanks to Adam Coozer of ReadJunk for his amazing review of Drowner’s debut release for Saint Marie records. Describing our sound as “Shoegaze on a symphonic, grand scale,” he details:
“Drowner is aptly named. The album, but particularly the first four tracks, sounds like a song arc – first, a feeling of being swept into a maelstrom: powerful, ominous, swirling indie rock clashing with an echo chamber of shoegazing female vocals. Then the tracks flow into an afterlife of tension, release, introspection, and grace. The multilayered, reverbing vocals sound like a flock of angels commenting from above on a drowning victim’s last moments.
…The guitar chords are expansive, often minor key, and the rhythm is steady but understated like a fading pulse. But it’s the fuzzy, dreamy vocals that take the oceanic music and make it otherworldly. It’s like bathing in an eternity of cosmic radiation.”
You can read the full text of the review, as well as discover other great content on ReadJunk.com.
Drowner S/T is slated for release on 3/13/2012. But, you can get it early via pre-order on SMR’s website, or on Amazon.com.
Drowner Point Dume Video on Spinner
We’re excited to announce that Drowner’s video for our first single off our upcoming expanded EP on Saint Marie Records (out 3.13.12), Point Dume, is featured on the mega music blog Spinner.com. Check it out.
Drowner on 200,000 Gazes Compilation
The intrepid when the sun hits. has done it again! This incredible blog devoted to shoegaze and dreampop, the brain child of the lovely Amber Crain of the show of the same name on Strangeways Radio and Danny Lackey of Deepfieldview, has now reached an incredible 200, 000 Gazes, an amazing feat for any blog. We are so stoked to be a part of the great when the sun hits. community (they have an awesome Facebook group, which if you love shoegaze and dreampop, you should definitely check out), where we regularly receive news and exclusives related to two of our favorite genres in music. Now, we have the privilege of being featured on Volume One of the superfantastic comp that was released to celebrate this milestone of amaze bloghood. Our track Chime, gets cozy with some outstanding ‘gaze from dead leaf echo, Screen Vinyl Image, The Bloody Knives, Highspire, Astrobrite, 2060 Chiron, Deepfieldview, The Sunshine Factory, Presents for Sally, Elika, The Consolation Project and more. If you haven’t already, you can download 200, 000 Gazes Volume One for free on Bandcamp. Yes, we said free. What are you waiting for? You can read more about it on when the sun hits., truly “your resource for all things shoegaze and dreampop.” Gaze on.
Drowner on Beats Per Minute
The incredible Beats Per Minute with their impeccably-curated and stunningly well-laid out site honored Drowner today with a feature of our track, Never Go Away. Erik Burg beautifully describes the song as “a meticulously crafted and perfectly paced track, a great accomplishment in today’s mostly bustling world. As piano keys build atop cymbal crashes, vocal echoes roar, and xylophones sparkle in the distance, “Never Go Away” all comes crashing together in a beautiful mix of screeching guitar and faint harmony.” We are really grateful to have BPM’s ear and to have the opportunity to reach their music-savvy readers, and so we offer them a hearty Cheers and thanks! You can check out the mini review and the rest of the incredible site here.
Drowner Wins Best EP in IATP 2011 Listener Polls
Drowner wins BEST EP and BEST NEWCOMER in the IATP 2011 Listener Polls. From the moment we debuted on IATP’s lauded Flights 013 with our track Point Dume, we have had much love from the amazing IATP community. Thanks so much to everyone who voted for us and thanks to the fearless and talented Ryan Abato for working night and day to bring the very best in intelligent new music to the masses. Be sure to check out all the other incredible artists involved. Of note: Lilies on Mars, who won Best Album for Wish you were a pony, Her Vanished Grace, who won Best Single for Passenger and our dear friends, Morpheme, who gave us a run for the money with their killer Red Dog EP.
Drowner E.P. One of the Best Shoegaze Albums of 2011
Drowner is stoked to have made ENT Clic’s Music for the Masses: Best Shoegaze/Noise-Pop Albums of 2011 list. The honor is all the more special when you consider who we are sharing it with: undoubtedly some of the best shoegaze, dreampop and noise pop albums to come out this year. We get cozy with some of our favorites (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Asobi Seksu, SPC ECO, The Raveonettes, The Sunshine Factory, Ringo Deathstarr, I Break Horses, 93MillionMilesFromTheSun, Astrobrite and Purple Bloom), as well as get a fine shout out for our upcoming full length album on Saint Marie Records next Spring. Thanks, Han, for your kind words. You just made our holidays a little brighter.
Check out the complete list here.
Drowner Interviewed on The Blog That Celebrates Itself
Drowner recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on one of the preeminent international shoegaze and dreampop blogs, the aptly titled The Blog That Celebrates Itself. We had a chance to sit down (via the miracle of the internet) with the blog’s founder, Renato Malizia and go in-depth about how we came together as a band, what our writing and recording processes are like and to drop a few hints about what’s coming soon for Drowner. Renato’s beautiful opening review describes our sound as “tak[ing] us to an imaginary world of glittering and ethereal dreams, accessing a fascinating space filled with delays, sustains, a cozy little piece of heaven where we end up spending part of our lives, at least 30 minutes, during the full seduction that Drowner’s namesake EP has to offer.” If you want to drop in on the celebration and check it out in the original, lucid Portuguese (the interview is in English) click here. Thanks so much, Renato!
