Show Us Yours 21: The Cherry Wave

We're not sure whether it is a surprise or not, that the brain-scraping, ear-bleeding shoegaze of Glaswegian quartet The Cherry Wave is made in a muted, sterile-looking (but apparently not -smelling) grey-and-beige rehearsal space. We were picturing something charred and dank, but given the searing volume the Scottish act characteristically weilds, a burned-clean look perhaps isn't to be unexpected. The band played its first live show two years ago and caught our attention not long after. Since then The Cherry Wave has released a self-titled (and now unavailable) demo EP, a titanic second EP titled Blush and a feedback-laden cut for a compilation, all of which firmly established the foursome as one to watch. The act is nearing completion of its debut full-length, a set that appears poised to both intensify and expand on The Cherry Wave's uncompromising sound. Indeed, the collection apparently closes with a nine-minute epic titled "Fuzzthrower," and is in the final stages of mixing. With the debut LP set to drop (perhaps very soon) and recent and approaching live dates with The Telescopes and Ringo Deathstarr in its datebook, we thought it was high time to check in with The Cherry Wave to learn a bit more about where and how (but mostly where, as the purpose of our Show Us Yours features is to peek into the practice spaces of our favorite bands) it crafts its beautiful tidal wave of sound. Fronter and guitarist Paul Owens was gracious enough to answer some questions for us, which we present below. Read on, and if you haven't yet availed yourself of the opportunity, be certain to click on the Bandcamp embeds at the foot of the piece to get indoctrinated so that you're ready once Cherry Wave's LP hits. We expect it to hit quite hard.

Clicky Clicky: So why do you use this practice space?

Paul Owens: It's cheap and nearby. The gear there's decent and the rooms are pretty spacious, which is nice. You don't want to be stuck in a tiny cupboard when you have 6 fuzzes on.

CC: Is there an idiosyncrasy or quirk to the space that has affected the sound of one of your songs, or even the overall (deafening) sound of The Cherry Wave?

PO: We've recorded a couple of times in the room -- our first EP and "Under Dull Grey Skies" were both recorded in it -- but generally it's just a place where we can rehearse loud, nothing particularly quirky about it.

CC: You walk into your space. What's the first thing you smell?

PO: The previous band's sweat, which is (as we say in Scotland) minging.

CC: As a guy who accesses contemporary Scottish indie rock solely and selectively through the Internet, I feel unqualified to say this, given what seems like an incomplete view of "the scene," as it were. But even so, there seem to be certain identifiable traits to Scottish indie rock, such as a willingness to embrace noise (and inflict it on listeners), and a certain cutting sense of humor, going at least as far back as Jesus And Mary Chain. As an actual Scotsman, do you feel like this is accurate? Are there representative characteristics of Scottish indie rock that are impossible for an American living in America to perceive via a laptop? There must be, yeah?

PO: I'd say we're probably just the same as any other country: we have a varied musical expression, an absolute ton of atrocious crappy bands that could be from anywhere, and a few decent bands who could also be from anywhere. Maybe an identifiable trait of Scottish bands and musicians is that we generally tend to be politically on the left, but I'm sure that's maybe also the case with artistic communities the world over.

CC: As long-time fans, we're very excited about your full-length debut. We saw that you finished tracking in late spring, that the album was being mixed, that Nick Blinko will do the art and James Plotkin will master. What's left to do? Is there anything about the record will surprise fans of your earlier EPs? Any luck finding a label?

PO: We've not put much effort into looking for a label, so no news on that front. I think there's maybe a few surprises on there, yeah. There's a bit more aggression and variety than we've been able to express on an EP. We're just finishing off the mixing, so hopefully it'll be out very, very soon.

CC: What does the second half of 2014 look like for the band? Grand touring plans? Heading to India to study meditation like the Beatles in '68?

PO: We're just taking things a step at a time, get the album out, then we'll see, but we're not looking to take over the world or make a load of money or sell a million records. We just want to make music we actually like.

CC: Cheers, Paul, thanks for being a part of the feature.

PO: Thanks for asking us! Really appreciate it.

The Cherry Wave: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud





Related Coverage:
Today's Hotness: The Cherry Wave
Today's Hotness: The Cherry Wave

Previous Show Us Yours episodes:
Shapes And Sizes | Dirty On Purpose | Relay | Mobius Band | Frightened Rabbit | Assembly Now | Meneguar | Okay Paddy | Charmparticles | Calories | Sun Airway | It Hugs Back | Lubec | A Giant Dog | Bent Shapes | Krill | Golden Gurls | Earthquake Party! | Hallelujah The Hills | Seeds Of Doubt

Today's Hotness: Moonbell, What Moon Things, White Reaper

>> San Francisco quartet Moonbell make faraway and trippy shoegaze with a very distinctive sound, one that makes the act's long-player Afterlives among the most singular dream-pop albums of 2014 to date. Its 11 songs carry copious reverb on nearly every instrument, and the unexpected wandering bass lines and schizophrenic patterns of this record add to its otherworldly nature. Opener "Never Seems" establishes a mood with loping snare work, and the drifting vocals and strings simultaneously disorient and engage. In an especially cool touch at 1:22, the tune transforms from electric to acoustic -- a solid example of the unexpected elements that Moonbell regularly employ. The title track, an album highlight, goes for a more monolithic approach, with punchy, slightly dissonant bass work reminding this reviewer of the colossal "Periscope" from Lilys' masterpiece In The Presence Of Nothing (which, as we wrote last month, may finally be getting the reissue it so dearly deserves). The vocals, while airy, bear the charmingly innocent and slightly out-of-tune feel of shoegaze greats like The Telescopes and early The Brian Jonestown Massacre -- a welcome revival of the style. Afterlives was released April 1 on the band's own Hypnogram imprint in a limited edition of 100 cassettes and as a digital download; purchase it right here. The entire set may be streamed via the embed below, and a new EP comprised of music recorded during the same sessions as Afterlives is slated for release this summer, according to this interview. Moonbell, which formed in 2010, previously released a digital single "The Golden Hour" and two EPs, Figurine and Parallel, all of which are available as free downloads via Moonbell's Bandcamp yert right here. The two EPs were packaged together for a CD release in 2012. But particularly based on the strength of its newest material, Moonbell's unusual blend of styles and sounds makes it a band to watch. Watch we will. -- Edward Charlton



>> The news was a long time coming, but New Paltz-based noise rockers What Moon Things revealed at last today that it has signed to the new imprint Hot Grits, which will release the trio's self-titled debut LP June 3. It's a record about the making of other records, a record populated by vampires (and which at one point was to have been titled The Vampire), populated by data lint scraped from and used to stuff the taxidermied remains of failed relationships. What Moon Things carries its own specific and murky atmosphere, marked by prickly but patient guitars, wide-hipped reverbs and fronter Jake Harms' existentially uneasy tenor. The eight-song set fluidly slides from moody groove to desperate thrash, making it not only just a little sexy, but also a gripping listen. The spooky preview track "The Astronaut" conveys via giant but spare drumming, percolating guitars and Mr. Harms' emotional, drawling vocals a deep isolation, an outsiderness whose introversion fuels an arresting gravity that draws listeners in. It's a promising single from among a strong set of songs. There is as yet no pre-order information available for What Moon Things, which will be on offer as a 12" flat vinyl disc, compact disc, and, we imagine, digital download. Despite a pretty gnarly injury to Harms' thumb recently, the band embarks on a short strand of tour dates tomorrow, including a stop at Boston's Great Scott next week. We've posted all the dates below, and below that you can stream and download "The Astronaut" via a Soundcloud embed. We first wrote about What Moon Things, "The Astronaut" and the swerving anti-anthem "Squirrel Girl" right here last July.

04/10 -- The Batcave -- Montclaire, NY
04/11 -- Suburbia -- Brooklyn, NY
04/12 -- Upstate Artists Guild -- Albany, NY
04/15 -- Great Scott -- Boston, MA
04/18 -- 158 Salon -- New Paltz, NY
04/19 -- Cameo Gallery -- Brooklyn, NY
04/25 -- Bard College -- Red Hook, NY
05/06 -- Oasis Cafe -- New Paltz, NY



>> Last time we wrote about garage punks White Reaper last August, the Louisville duo was prepping a full-length for a German label. It appears that plan never came to fruition, based on a scan of the label's web site, but there is new music from White Reaper -- now a trio -- in the offing, and on a label much closer to home. The venerable Polyvinyl revealed today that it will release in June a self-titled EP from the threesome. A blazing preview track from the EP, titled "Half Bad," bashes and pops with abandon, and touts a ridiculously keen, burbling organ lead whose space-age vibrato threatens to separate the tones from the speakers of your hi-fi, particularly during the rave-up of the cymbal-soaked final chorus. The six-song EP also features a version of the 2013 A-side "Conspirator," and is available for pre-order now as a 180-gram, clear pink 12" vinyl disc, CD, cassette or digital download. White Reaper will be released June 24; pre-orders will ship June 13, according to Polyvinyl. Stream the blaster "Half Bad" via the Soundcloud embed below.

Today's Hotness: The Raveonettes, The Cherry Wave, Videotape

>> We won't go so far as to say we dislike The Doors, as we spent far too many happy times with family in our formative years listening to the act to turn our back on them. There are even songs we look forward to hearing, such as "The WASP (Texas Radio and The Big Beat)" and "Love Her Madly" (particularly the piano playing on the latter cut). But the bloated blues often purveyed by the band now sounds lazy, and the faux mysticism and sophomoric intellectual tripe offered by Jim Morrison, well let's just say that ever since we turned onto alternative and punk music in the mid-'80s we haven't had any time for that. We bring this up because, as we referenced in our review of the new Raveonettes record Observator published by The Boston Phoenix this week, we had a moment of genuine fear that The Doors' influence on Raveonettes songwriter Sune Rose Wagner might alter his band's terrific and fizzy noir pop. In collecting materials as part of our research for the review we noted Mr. Wagner more than once professing taking inspiration from Morrison and company, and we were concerned that influence would manifest itself audibly on Observator. Fortunately, that didn't happen. As we summed up in the Phoenix: "Instead, The Raveonettes here plot the aural dimensions of a timeless autumn. Ever-present reverb casts long chiaroscuro shadows across undeniable pop hooks in uptempo strummers 'Downtown' and 'Till the End.' Observator's melancholy California come-downs are equally arresting, including opener 'Young and Cold,' one of three songs featuring piano (a first for the Raveonettes, now six albums deep" into its career. Read the entire review right here. Observator is a very rewarding collection perfectly suited to the change in season that is just about upon us. Stream the album cut "Observations" via the Soundcloud embed below, or stream the entire record over at RollingStone.com right here. The Raveonettes will perform at Boston's Paradise Rock Club Oct. 7; buy tickets here.



>> The delightfully gnarly noise-pop on the recent self-titled EP from Glasgow's The Cherry Wave captured our interest, as it fires aural pleasure centers first activated in our brains more than two decades ago. Much is made of the more produced and synthetic qualities of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, particularly by the many shimmering bands whose work interprets it. However, considerably less focus is placed these days on the early arc of MBV, and the sounds that the fabled act explored before releasing the aforementioned, genre-defining album. It's a shame too, as it's one of the best damn moments in rock music's endless evolution. MBV’s earlier recordings don't hide the band's love of the scuzzy American indie and hardcore underground, inspired as they were by noise rockers like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. In turn, of course, My Bloody Valentine influenced countless others, including The Telescopes, The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, and later Male Bonding, and now The Cherry Wave. The Glaswegian quartet, which played its first live gig only last month, extends the fine tradition with its five-song, aggressive and noisy set that affirms once more the practice of marrying blissed chord structures and dejected vocals to punky angst. Opener "Doe Eyes" touts enthusiastic and scraping guitar tracks so clotted with rich grit that they sound three dimensional. Overly dry drum tracks offer an unexpected and interesting contrast to the faraway reverb and trebly guitars on songs such as "Indian Summer." That initially might seem like a music production no-no, but it ends up grounding the mix and emphasizes the dangerous teen-hardcore aspect that lurks throughout this release and gives it real spirit. Grab this "gaze-punk" release from Bandcamp right here for a grand total of... nothing! The EP is slated for physical release on cassette next month via Good Grief (which, we presume, is this). A new EP is expected from The Cherry Wave in December, according to a post on Facebook. -- Edward Charlton



>> Pleasant surprises abound on This Is Disconnect, the full-length debut self-released by Chicago-based guitar-pop quintet Videotape Sept. 4. First there's "Static," the earworm that opens the set, which we discuss further below. Then there's the clear, yet maxed-out production that isn't afraid to keep the guitars panned and big in a way that would make Butch Vig flash a smug smile in his mid-'90s flannel factory. And finally, singer Sophie Liegh's assured vocals are a real treat, pairing less typically feminine affectations and modest allure with precise melodies. Videotape exudes a workman-like quality that doesn't seem as evident in indie music these days as it was in decades past. Of course, this reviewer is thinking of female-fronted mainstays like Throwing Muses or The Breeders, and how those groups never overshadowed their focus and taste with mystery and empty style. Sure, the Chicagoans trade in carefully conceived guitar effects and minor chords, but only to the extent that they serve the song toward building clean and pounding tracks that can appeal to anyone. Aforementioned highlight "Static" doesn't eclipse the two-minute mark, but manages to corral therein a choppy and danceable guitar lead, a demanding verse melody, sudden tempo breaks and an ethereal bridge. "No One" offers hard-hitting grunge slinkiness that somehow still feels fresh (the tune also borrows a fair bit of the great riff from Lilys' slacker-oddball "Evel Knievel"). Elsewhere, "The Creeps" captures what it must be like to have Florence And The Machine attempt the riot-grrrl-politik that characterizes Sonic Youth's Dirty. With all those pop smarts paired with such brevity, one could say that Videotape is a dream-pop analogue to Clicky Clicky-approved indie poppers Hospitality. Based on the strength of This Is Disconnect, it is certainly an exceptional band with big and open aspirations, and we're hopeful that any success they enjoy is indicative of a larger cultural shift toward their noble thinking. Buy the album via Bandcamp right here. -- Edward Charlton