One of my favorite albums of 2007 was from unknown artist at the time by the name of Maps, the album was “We Can Create”.   Maps,  an alias for a James Chapman, recorded the entire album in his bedroom with nothing more than a 16 track.  Well, he’s back with a new release, “Valium in The Sunshine” from his latest effort titled, “Chemeleon” (Due out sometime in August).  You get a glimpse of what’s in store for his new opus toward the end of this track.  It’s a little more darker, a little more moodier, and alot more driven.

Maps  – Valium in The Sunshine

myspace | blog |

A shoegaze track with chorale-esque feel too it.   Fight Bite is based in DENTON, Texas and comprised of  Leanne Macomber and Jeff Louis III.  Their sounds is somewhat in the vein of This Mortal Coil meets Julee Crusie.  The entire album is quite special and should be picked up.

Fight Bite – Swissex Lover

Album link:

A little sullen toytronica to tickle the ear lobs from Twiggy Frostbite, which is the new project from Elin of The Deer Tracks.  Great vocals again from Elin on this track.  Anyone who enjoys the likes of Múm, Portishead, Sigur Rós, Mazzy Star, or The Knife will find something to fall in love with on this track.

Twiggy Frostbite -  Heroes

Video for Heroes:
Twiggy Frostbite – Heroes

Press:

Twiggy Frostbite took shape in the spring of 2006, inspired by the London Underground, and the music evolved to something unique. The untamed tones and frosty noise of the northern Swedish coast meet the acoustics of the tube and create a dreamlike atmosphere.

Twiggy Frostbite has its roots in Gävle and shares members with The Deer Tracks and Grizzly Twister. The debut album “Through Fire” will arrive in the winter of 2009 and is a melodical journey from doldrums to hurricane.

For more Twiggy Frostbite :

www.myspace.com/twiggyfrostbite

More of a shoegaze sound from David on this track, as well as the whole album (The Holy Pictures (2008)) in general — for me, i’m digging it!  This album as a whole is more about a journey and paying homage to David’s influences and loves.

Mellow vocals, warm bass sounds and 60′s esque drum kits played in a local pup adron this track.  What surprised me the most was David’s vocals on the track, I guess I never knew he could sing and does it quite well.

Be sure to check his video for his first single from The Holy Pictures -- I Heard Wonders:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwCBDF4robA

David Holmes -- Love Reign Over Me

last.fm bio:

Holmes began DJing in the pubs of his native belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song “DeNiro”, with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990’s he ran two highly acclaimed and successful club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain. Famously, the dance group Orbital wrote the track “Belfast”, released on their debut album “Orbital”, after playing at Sugar Sweet.

Loving this remix of Azoora’s “You Caputer Me” from their latest ep titled, “Revelations”, which can be downloaded for free from here:

bio from last.fm page:

“Azoora” are a blend of acoustic electronica which combines that dreamy shoe-gazing feel with a charming British indie twist. They have recently released their debut EP “Tall Tales” in which they have two alternative takes of each of their tracks, having both an original, and respective remix to tantalise most tastes. The album “Long Time Standing” is well underway to being completed this year. It will offer more of a wide mix of genres, being a double album with original and remixes presented seperately.

London based multi-instrumentalist John Purcell produces the band. Vocals are provided by the songwriter Paul Loader who now lives in Göteborg, Sweden and travels back to London to record in the studio with John, Ben Cochrane provides live drums and Trudi Laurence the fantastic complementary backing vocals.

More information: www.23seconds.org/azoora.htm & www.myspace.com/azoora

Azoora – You Capture Me (in slow motion remix)

Alias is Brendon Whitney from southern Maine. Mixing part trip-hop with shoegaze and a good portion of rock produces a groovy psychedelic sound. Alias is currently signed to the Anticon label and his current releas is entitled, “Alias – Collected Remixes”.

Alias – What you Gave Away (remix for The One am radio)

Alias – Sights Unseen

Au4 are from Vancouver and made up three brothers (Ben, Aaron, and Nathan Wylie) and friend Jason Nickel.

They mix elements such as shoegaze, electronica, dreampop, and ambient. Their entire album is quite solid and at times remind me of early Duran Duran, well… at the least the mellow tunes from early Duran Duran.

Here’s a short bio from cdbaby:

Ben Wylie (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Aaron Wylie (keyboards, vocals), Nathan Wylie (drums, percussion) and Jason Nickel (bass, vocals, keyboards) grew up on music, each starting Royal Conservatory training at a young age. In high school, the boys formed the requisite alternative rock bands, while continuing their musical study and touring in jazz, choir and theatrical productions. Jason and Nathan attended Capilano College’s Jazz Studies program, while Ben and Aaron began experimenting with the electronic loops and beats which would later morph into Au4.

Inspired in part by the electronica explosion, and landmark albums by Underworld, Massive Attack, Bjork, and Nine Inch Nails, Ben and Aaron (who was also DJing in Vancouver clubs) started writing with new tools, layering and shaping sounds late into the night. In 2003, Jason Nickel heard their demos and brought them to producer/engineer Richard Dolmat. The group Au4 was officially formed along with Nathan Wylie, their brother.

On Audio was produced by Au4 and Richard Dolmat at Digital Sound Magic studios in Vancouver and is released on their own label, Torn Open Records. The nine tracks draw from trip-hop, ambient and dreampop styles, featuring the breathy, haunting vocals of Ben Wylie, who also scripted the fantastical stories of love and life.

A melancholic tone weaves throughout On Audio, but the mood is of contemplative optimism: The acoustic-guitar laced love song “Hit and Miss” undulates like a watery embrace. The bass-driven “A Mile From Here” is an up-tempo track ready for clubs. Even the epic “An Ocean’s Measure of Sorrow” rocks, a fresh take on the piano ballad. “Everything’s Always Moving” sums up the album’s hypnotic qualities and themes of hope.

“‘Everything Always Moving’ came in a state of amazement as one reflects upon one’s own existence, and how we are always affecting, always being affected, always changing each other’s lives,” says Ben. “There are moments when this truth becomes more apparent and it always seems to be on the heels of either great hurt or extreme joy, moments where life feels like some heavenly poem or surreal nightmare. Regardless, as we continue to pour into one another, there is a fruit that grows. Such is the beauty of life.”

The result of a lifetime of love and study of music, five years of songwriting and two years of studio refinement, On Audio represents the beginning of Au4′s journey. The group plans to perform live in 2006 and is working on second album of remixes from On Audio. They are also working on an innovative website, a collaboration between Ben Wylie’s visual FX background, Aaron Wylie’s DigiCoyote Software company and Juno Award-winning designer Vincent Marcone. The multi-media and live aspects of Au4 complement and reinforce the band’s musical message.

“We just want to connect with people,” says Aaron. “At the end of the day, there’s much more satisfaction of being when you realize that, yes, there is bad and good in life, but that is our common ground. We should all try to look beyond ourselves and share the time we have. That’s what, for us, music is about.”

[audio:http://www.audiodrums.com/audio/01_Hit_and_Miss.mp3]

[download]

[myspace]

Listen to the full album at www.au4-audio.com. Hit the “listen” link.

Ulrich Schnauss - Stars

[audio:http://highrize.wordpress.com/files/2007/09/ulrich-schnauss-stars.mp3]

This track is a massive wall of sound similar to shoegazing acts like Lush, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins. Give this track a minute or two to be drawn in and drowned in a beautiful mix of electronic bliss and dreamy vocals.

Ulrich Schnauss - Medusa

[audio:http://highrize.wordpress.com/files/2007/09/08-medusa.mp3]
Meduse has swelling vocals that ebb and flow to a soothing wall of sound and a climactic wash, that has a little harder hitting action to it compaired to “Stars”

Both tracks can be found on the Goodbye album by Ulrich Schnauss