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Here's a brief, but compelling, release from Athens, GA's Pacific
UV - funny, for some reason I'd thought they were from Germany
until reading their bio. The EP is a stop gap between full length
albums; the band's eponymous debut LP was released back in 2003, while
the follow up is slated for winter 2007.
The first album was welcomed by shoegaze fans everywhere for its
dreamy, woozy space rock; you could have been forgiven for thinking
that Slowdive had reformed while listening to it, given all
the echoed guitars and fey, muffled vocals, plus the stately tempo
of the songs. The new songs on the EP (the last song is a remix of
the the debut album's "LAPD vs. NYPD") are a bit of a departure,
with some faster tempos, clearer singing and less effects. I'm reminded
of the great Ambulance Ltd - about time those guys came up
with a sequel to their fantastic debut, too.
"Know" kicks right off with insistent, buzzsaw guitars
and pounding drums. It's quite reminiscent of one of Ride's
faster numbers, from around the time of Going Blank Again,
maybe. The effect is complete even down to the singer's somewhat English
vowel sounds.
"Chemical" starts slow and shimmering, with zipping electronic
effects to spice things up, then ups the tempo to a stroll with more
fuzz guitar. This one harks bark even further to the prime of 60's
Britpop - there are definitely some similarities to The Kinks
in here.
"50s" is a nice ballad with shimmering guitars; the closest
similarity I can think of here is one of The House Of Love's
quieter moments - and you can't get a much better influence than that.
The "LAPD vs NYPD" (remixed by Eluvium) is much
more of a return to the form of the first LP - instrumental, majestic,
echo laden guitars ebb and flow with a wave-like crashing effect.
It's an improvement over the original version, which starts off meandering
and quiet before it builds to a true sonic cathedral (sorry, I couldn't
resist using that one !)
Overall, it sounds like Pacific UV are developing nicely; I
hope they keep some of the old sonic majesty on the new record,
but new ideas are always welcome.
-Gareth Bowles
Track listing:
1. Know
2. Chemical
3. 50s
4. LAPD vs. NYPD (Eluvium remix)
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