shoegaze

Spokes are an alt-indie band based in Manchester, UK. Brought together in 2006 by a combination of boyhood friendships, family ties and a relentless love of recording and touring. They quickly made a name for themselves as a loud and passionate band as they travelled the country in cramped vans, steadily perfecting their ecstatic highs and devastating lows. In 2007 they recorded their debut EP People Like People Like You which combined their folk inflected indie with more flowing structures influenced by post-rock and classical music.

Fifty Six is Joel Chapen, a solo artist from Los Angeles. His music is nostalgic shoegaze with folk roots, a lush atmospheric pop music with breathy ethereal vocals over down tempo electronic music. Joel’s haunting vocal sound carries the listener into the somber mood of Fifty Six with a dreamy sadness. The songs arrangements carry a feeling of plaintive harmony on the back of his classical acoustic guitars’ muted warmth. There is a profound sense of nostalgia that permeates all of the music of Fifty Six.

The Duchesses sound is the manifestation of four musicians from very different backgrounds. Their broad spectrum of influences is evident in their atmospheric music, which transcends arbitrary genres. Not satisfied with following trends, the Duchesses have forged their own unique sound. Their debut album guides listeners through a dark sonic landscape of resonating guitars, bold rhythms and dynamic vocals, all surging into intricate and aggressive harmony.

SEEKAE is a three piece experimental electronica outfit formed in Sydney, Australia, by high school friends George Nicholas, John Hassell and Alex Cameron in 2006. Collectively, the band uses a number of instruments including drum machines, synths, samplers, melodicas, guitars, glockenspiels and even spoons. The band's style sifts through ambient electronica and glitchy hip hop, expanding on the sounds of Xela, Boards of Canada and Telefon Tel Aviv, via the pop affability of Hot Chip or Hudson Mohawke.