Crystal Canyon - Yours with Affection and Sorrow (2021)

Earlier this year, my attention was caught by Crystal Canyon's excellent single. I blogged already about them when they released their debut album back in 2018 so I knew what can be expected. And indeed, Yours with Affection and Sorrow makes a great example of classy and noisy dream pop release.

The albums is opened by the most ethereal moment in the very dream pop angelic Pollyanna as, although the whole release is kept in this tone, it is usually more guitar-based with more shoegaze-like fragments. Those come as soon as in the second track, Luminous with its heavy wall of sound in the chorus and Lynda Mandolyn's airy vocals put on top. This is a top-quality shoegaze there. There's quite a lot of mood changing as some tracks are very rock and roll in their dance nature (Boomerang) while others either noisy and heavy (fittingly crushing in Crush You) or simply heading towards indie pop ballads (Tender Waves). The whole album sounds like dream pop played by people who very well know what shoegaze is. And it shows.

Yours with Affection and Sorrow costs 8 USD.

Crystal Canyon - Crystal Canyon (2018) EN

Check: Luminous 

Country: Maine, US

Genre: shoegazing dream pop.

Label: Repeating Cloud

:bandcamp:

:facebook:
:spotify:

Crystal Canyon - Crystal Canyon (2018) EN

Crystal Canyon may have borrow a name from God Is An Astronaut's song (from their album "Moment of Stillness") but instead of moody post-rock, they play the catchiest and most rebellious shoegaze you can imagine. 

The whole debut album by the Portland based artists is one big garage concert - with the whole insensitivity and honesty of its sounds and energy pouring off of their music. Plus the airy voice of Lynda Mandolyn that makes Crystal Canyon's music more shoegaze than punk-rock.

The Americans' strongest side is authenticity. It is audible both in ravenous songs ("Silverday") and almost post-rock-drone compositions ("Sleeper"). They are not afraid of take a lively pop song and drown it in the omnipresent noise ("Permeate") either only to seduce the audience with long (for their standards) and extremely atmospheric "Only in a Daydream" and "Sometimes Summertime" after a while. Thanks to all of this, they sound as if they had started the band three decades ago.

"Crystal Canyon" can be yours for 8 USD.

:bandcamp:

:facebook:

:official:

Crystal Canyon - Crystal Canyon (2018) PL

Crystal Canyon być może pożyczyli nazwę od God Is An Astronaut (którzy nagrali "Crystal Canyon" na swoją płytę "A Moment Of Stillness") ale zamiast nastrojowego post-rocka grają najbardziej przebojowy i zaczepny shoegaze jaki można sobie wymarzyć.

Cała debiutancka płyta portlandczyków to jeden wielki koncert w garażu - z całą intensywnością i szczerością dźwięków oraz energią kipiącą z ich muzyki. A do tego eteryczny głos Lyndy Mandolyn, dzięki któremu muzyka Crystal Canyon to bardziej shoegaze niż punk-rock. 

Siłą Amerykanów jest autentyczność. Słychać to zarówno w drapieżnych kompozycjach ("Silverday") jak i w zasadzie post-rockowo dronowych pasażach ("Sleeper"). Nie boją się też wziąć radosną, popową piosenkę i zanurzyć ją we wszechobecnym noise'ie ("Permeate") by za chwilę zauroczyć publikę długimi jak na swoje standardy i niezwykle nastrojowymi "Only in a Daydream" i "Sometimes Summertime". Brzmią dzięki temu jakby zespół założyli dobre trzy dekady wcześniej.

"Crystal Canyon" może być Twoja za 27 złotych (8 USD).

:bandcamp:

:facebook:

:official: