Monday, August 12, 2013

CRYSTAL STILTS / SURVIVAL / GHOST OF CHANCE @ BAR Aug 14

Another great show at BAR this Wednesday! Crystal Stilts are joined by Survival and Ghost of Chance!




From the Facebook Event:

Crystal Stilts
Back in 2008, a lot of heads turned to clock Crystal Stilts' Alight Of Night, their first album after a string of here-today-gone-tomorrow singles and EPs. It wasn't exactly a surprise – Crystal Stilts felt like part of a new age dawning, of underground collectives and random, crazy groups who'd rediscovered the joys of noise-pop and set about creating their own Creations – but there was something unique about Crystal Stilts, something hermetic yet gorgeous about the world they created. With their new Slumberland Records album, In Love With Oblivion, they stretch things further still, honing their songcraft, indulging their more strung-out sides, full of elliptical verses and perfectly chiming guitars, cranky pop organs and the punkest of rhythms. It's a perfect blend of pop smarts and beguiling experiment. The best songs on In Love With Oblivion are effortless, rapturous – "Through The Floor" burns on fevered energy; "Silver Sun" kisses the air with a beautiful stream of jangle guitar; "Alien Rivers" is a spooked, psychedelic requiem, roughly Opal's Happy Nightmare Baby + 14 Iced Bears' "Mother Sleep" x Victor Dimisich Band. (But that was my math, not theirs.) "Precarious Stair" is my favourite girl-pop-song-not-actually-fronted-by-a-girl since, I dunno, "Just Like Honey."

"This is one of the best garage pop sides since The Chills' own Brave Words." –-The Wire

"Quite simply, Alight Of Night is one of the most breathtaking records these ears have been partial to in a long while, and even if Crystal Stilts never make another record, their legacy is assured." –-Drowned In Sound

"One of the year's best albums." –-Brooklyn Vegan


Survival (feat. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy)
Survival is an album of dark and meditative heavy rock. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, Greg Smith, and Jeff Bobula have been playing together for over a decade and recorded this album as Survival with Colin Marston (Krallice, Dysrhythmia) at The Thousand Caves. Syncopated riffs, intricate rhythms and atypical time signatures create dramatic and complex melodic lines that provide a bed for chant-like lyrics. The group operates as a collective, writing lyrics, riffs and singing with one voice. The album is a unique document that harkens back to post-hardcore, Black Sabbath, Magma, Aphrodite’s Child, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aaron Copeland, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the first wave of math rock.

The galloping “Tragedy of the Mind” opens the album, triumphantly proclaiming, “Ending begins.” On “Since Sun” and “Tragedy (Reprise)” the group also employs acoustic guitars to create a hushed atmosphere of contemplation and reflection. The final song, “Triumph of the Good,” provides the Survival’s most cathartic moment; as the distorted, almost baroque guitars slowly ascend and get louder the group collectively sings “Forgive us” before all of the instruments line up to create a massive rhythmic assault.

Survival was born out of the ashes of band Birthday Boy. The songs on Survival emerged after years of retooling and rearranging, with the riffs, melodies, and song structures evolving gradually over time.

The band will be touring the US this summer for the first time to celebrate the release of the album. Liturgy is also in the process of recording material to be released next year.



Ghost of Chance
Ghost of Chance are an post-garage rock band based in New Haven, Connecticut. The group's distinctive style is characterized by subtle time signature changes and sonically open experimentation set to surrealist lyrics. Ghost of Chance's sound takes its influence from 1960s psychedelica and garage rock while maintaining the shimmer of classic pop sensibilities. All of this adds to the unique yet familiar sound that Ghost of Chance have cleverly cultivated. Engaging the audience with a anxious energy and the desire to communicate, Ghost of Chance share a sense of imperativeness with great pop predecessors like the 13th Floor Elevators and John Cale -- sincerity combined with pop knowledge.





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