When I first heard Ringo Deathstarr, I thought that I was listening to a reformed and refocused Jesus and Mary Chain. As I said with the entry for Male Bonding, this was a great year if you loved shoegazer rock. Ringo Deathstarr take the fuzzed-out, feedback-drenched guitar esthetic of classic shoegaze ca. 1987 and merges it with a more modern pop sensibility, with a slight nod to the psychedelic rock of the 60s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3xATi5s9-A
Once the drugged out guitar loop of the opening track, "Imagine Hearts", kicks in, the album hits you like a woozy and figurative tonne of bricks. The music swirls and disorients, the vocals fade in and out of comprehension. As the album progresses, the guitars get loud and fuzzy and the vocals become even more unintelligible. You are carried along in a wave of feedback and static. Then, this hits:
http://youtu.be/z6J-qS4eLWY
"So High" merges the sing along qualities of a 60s pop song with the feedback of a 90s guitar. Here is where the band truly coalesces its sound. Simultaneously playful and deadly serious, "So High" is the pinnacle of this stellar album. Every song on the album hits the right note, and this album deserves to be my #1 album of the past year. It also deserves more of your attention.
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