Linoleum Dream - EP
(Self-Released 2014)
"Ethereal" is one of the terms most often employed to describe recent shoegaze releases, and for good reason: 21st century new-gazers tend to borrow from the genre's more delicate aspects, its glimmering guitars and bouyant drone, yet they seem to forget about the brute force that a roaring wall of sound can deliver. There's a certain muscle evident in the meaty chords of Swervedriver's "Duel" and the pounding drums that open MBV's "Only Shallow" that is integral to the genre - even the Cocteau Twins knew the importance of balancing a smooth, velvety timbre with the occasional hit of abrasion or sour-ness. Oakland's Linoleum Dream hold firm to this virtue on their self-titled debut, spindly tangles of lead guitar giving way to an all-consuming storm of grim, metallic distortion and in-your-face percussion on the opening cut, "Iridescent". Dylan Burton's vocals are not sung so much as they are breathed, evaporating into misty nothingness, the masculine equivalent of Belinda Butcher's vague intonation. In true shoegaze fashion, the release is a 3-song EP, each track spanning 5+ minutes and reveling in its own dreaminess. For a dream-pop superfan like myself, Linoleum Dream is a breath of fresh air. Give them a try below.
