Oceanless

They Say...

Review by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Continuing its run of captivating recordings, Landing on Oceanless creates an hour-long web of psych-shoegaze mystery and mood that perfectly matches the deep blue cover art. Some songs like the majestic, 20 minutes plus "Are You Gone to Vast Arc Hues?" work within the areas established by the band already, captivating and haunting, stretching out for as long as it wants to. Elsewhere, there's a definite sense of captivating experimentation in the group's arrangements, such as the droned keyboard buzz that dominates "Harmonies," Adrienne Snow's work creating an aura of warning mixed with slow spiraling relaxation. The steady, buried drums on "How Did You Feel?" suggest a murky, strange ritual, while the slow burn of the guitars and Aaron Snow's quietly rasped vocals emphasize that feeling even more -- rarely has the quartet sounded so downright threatening, even as everything unfolds like a slow dream. The concluding solo guitar wail from Snow is a masterpiece of minimal drama, like a clarion call from some sad wounded thing not quite of this earth. "Structure Vs. Chaos," the other extensive, quarter-hour, and then some, number, rides the gentlest, most entrancing of waves, keyboard tones bubbling up through the mix with Dick Baldwin's bass, Daron Gardner's drums ever so softly keeping the beats. One number is, interestingly, apparently a collaboration after the fact -- "Rial Veed Für," which grew out of the guitar/vocal/loops effort of one David Lifreiri. The band add their own talents to the track, a contrast between crumbling tape dankness and sparkling, quietly exultant shimmer that makes for lovely listening.