A Shoreline Dream - Dreaming Diary: LIVE Review :: FILTER :: THE FALCON

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

LIVE Review :: FILTER :: THE FALCON

Originally published at the following site:
http://www.uptheantics.com/blog/entry/a_shoreline_dream_denver_july_9

July 14, 2008
A Shoreline Dream. Denver. July 9

Text & photo by Robert Castro

Last night I had the opportunity to witness a transformational night of music, compliments of Denver’s own A Shoreline Dream and German import Ulrich Schnauss. A Shoreline Dream opened their set with an awe-inspiring dream-rock sound that is often compared to Sigur Rós and Vast (lead singer Ryan Policky even going as far as to wearing a Vast t-shirt during their set). The intimate crowd seemed to be riding a tidal wave of musical bliss that was coming from this four-piece outfit. With atmospheric guitar riffs and sonic bass lines, in addition to Policky’s chiseled vocals, it’s no wonder the band has received various accolades from the press, even recording with master producer Schnauss, who took the stage with them for the song “neverChanger” off the EP of the same name.

If I could describe Ulrich Schnauss’ music, I would say it is Herbie Hancock meets Hans Zimmer. At times during his set I, like many others in the crowd, found myself in a euphoric state enjoying the masterpiece of sound he was creating. With complementing visuals, Ulrich conducted his one-man orchestra to the tune of electronic bleeps and beats mixed in with a touch of ambient techno. It was a rare opportunity to catch these two performances in a single night; nonetheless the crowd absorbed every square-inch of musical mastery served to them.

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FILTER MAGAZINE - review

album: "avoiding the consequences"
release: 9/19/07
label: latenight weeknight records

"85% - A Shoreline Dream might be one of the most aptly named bands to emerge from the musical seascape this year. Their debut LP, reminiscent of Sigur Rós meets Placebo, sweeps high and low with the lunar guidance of a tidal somnambulant. As with the changing levels of the ocean, a potential to be drowned lurks behind every moment of tepid wading. But as with individual waves, the particulars of each track are overrun by the vastness of the sea itself."

WESTWORD "BEST OF DENVER"

Best Neo-Shoegaze Album (2007) Avoiding the Consequences

The artistic ambition behind Drop the Fear, Ryan Policky and Gabriel Ratliff's previous band, was undeniable, but the act's music felt unfinished. When Avoiding the Consequences swept into stores last fall, all of the hyperbolic critical accolades seemed a bit premature. However, the dreamy, moody atmosphere of this album firmly establishes the band as heirs apparent of acts Sigur Rós, Slowdive and M83. Songs like "Love Is a Ghost in America," which recalls Kevin Shields's sleepy yet gently moving work for Lost in Translation, drift in like warm, spectral winds in places untainted by recent human presence. Elsewhere, "Zoning" whispers softly before hypnotically soaring into the neglected regions of the imagination. Throughout the album, inspiring vistas of melody and electronically generated sound are flawlessly melded with expertly nuanced rhythms. Easily on the same level of musical sophistication as their influences, the members of A Shoreline Dream prove that their vision is one worth sharing.

SXSW & NX35 - March 2010

neverChanger tour 2008

WESTWORD - REVIEW

album: "neverChanger - EP"
release: 6/10/08
label: latenight weeknight records

By Tom Murphy
Published on July 10, 2008

The latest release from A Shoreline Dream is an exploration of broader sonic vistas than those of the dream-pop wunderkinds' three excellent previous efforts. Essentially a single with two remixes, Neverchanger is a collaboration with noted German composer Ulrich Schnauss. The original track is a work of breathtaking depth that stirs the imagination and carries the listener into the outer reaches of inner space. Layers of electronic and conventional instrumentation are seamlessly bound together to produce textures both soothing and electrifying. The Cacheflowe remix is dub-like in its emphasis on percussion, while Jap Jap's remix is delicately hypnotic, ensuring a revelatory, rather than repetitive, listen. Until Shoreline's next full-length album is released, this is a rich taste of what's to come.

FENSEPOST.COM - review

album: "COASTAL - EP"
release: 7/31/07
label: latenight weeknight records

"2007 appears to be the year of the atmospheric group. I’ve come across several, specifically over the past few months, including Terrene, Tramplini, and several others that escape my mind at this precise time. A Shoreline Dream also fits the mold. However, where Tramplini and Terrene find themselves undeniably in the pop category, the music of A Shoreline Dream is much darker. The drums are quite prominent, purposefully, and the guitar epic and stormy. The vocals on the other hand are mixed lower, adding mystery to the sound and forcing the listener to focus on other elements within the music. It’s as if the band wants you to focus more on the guitars—and it’s an effective tool throughout the EP."

SENTIMENTALIST - review

album: "COASTAL - EP"
release: 7/31/07
label: latenight weeknight records

"This Denver shoegazer act is back with an EP that expands on their shimmering wall of sound, opening with the all-encompasing “Ukraine”. The coastal theme comes across on all four songs, with guitars as the strong current, swirling through all the drawn-out melodies, and odd metal sounds in “The Barrier” crashing as the waves. The overall trance-like Spiritualized state is cut short too soon, with the disc clocking in at just twenty minutes. It’s almost startling once the songs are over to be once again faced with silence rather than dark dreams."

XLR8R MAGAZINE - review

album: "avoiding the consequences"
release: 9/19/07
label: latenight weeknight records

"When Avoiding the Consequences' hour-long stare finally breaks, there's sea foam at your feet, sleep in your eyes, and it's clear why Ryan Policky and his Colorado-based four-piece call themselves A Shoreline Dream. But while the distant melodies, the swirling, treated guitars, the understated drumming, and the muffled sonics are on a perpetual slow dive toward shoegaze, Policky and Company's ride offers up a different kind of atmosphere. It‘s a complicated brand of sorcery that spooks and rattles as songs smear themselves all over the record in an experience that never truly ends, even after album-closer "The End" promises you it has."