Aiming High

High Places

From: Los Angeles, United States

The Devil is still otherwise engaged on day job related activities and a little bit of sight seeing in London so today's post is another short but sweet one featuring the whisper folktastic High Places. On the trance inducing 'From Stardust To Sentience' singer Mary's vocals float and hover like wafer thin clouds over subtle, delicate melodies. 'Shared Islands' sounds like the point at which Sinead O'Connor meets Vampire Weekend (without sounding anything like Paul Simon!) while 'New Grace' sounds like The Cocteau Twins in a junk yard.

High Places take indie folktronica to the next level.

Go Try

MP3 - High Places - From Stardust To Sentience
MP3 - High Places - On Giving Up
These tracks are linked direct from High Places Last.FM site and are therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright

Go Visit

High Places - Myspace : Blog : Last.FM

Go View

High Places
New Grace

Poly Techniques

Polynya (an area of open water surrounded by sea ice) sound like they're auditioning to be the 4AD house band. Orlando, with it's isolated, whispering vocals, guitars ringing with reverb, the basslines wriggling along underneath the song sounds like it's been created from a 4AD flat pack. It's not all epic shoegazing, it's not all updated Cocteau Twins and Lush for the 21st century. No there's more to Polynya than mere 4AD mimickery.

Taking their cue from the source of their band name for Polynya shoegazing is merely the solid sea ice surrounding a more fluid sound. A sound that grabs fragments of their favourite bands, Wire, Can, Boards of Canada, Augustus Pablo and Pere Ubu and moulds them into something new. People in Pictures sounds like The Cranberries being regularly interrupted by My Bloody Valentine. The Devil's favourite track Tarantula is a psych pop echo from the summer of love.

Polynya is a cracker.

Go Try

MP3 - Polynya - People In Pictures
MP3 - Polynya - Orlando
MP3 - Polynya - Tarantula
These tracks are published with the permission of Polynya so please refrain from alleging infringement of copyright.

Go Visit

Polynya - Myspace : Website : Last.FM

Go View

Polynya
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