BCD-1067
The debut album by these alt-instrumentalist soundscapists.
Here's a German review from:
http://www.rocktimes.de/gesamt/d/days_between_stations/same.html
Days Between Stations/Same
Playtime: 48:22
Medium: CD
Label: Bright Orange Records
Style: Psychedelic
Review from August 7, 2007 by Uli Heiser
Days Between Stations was founded in 2003 by the guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboard player Oscar Fuentes. The Californians named themselves after the novel by Steve Erickson and devoted themselves to, as they say, Art Rock and Post Prog.
And it fits somehow or other. And already the "opener" "Requiem For The Living" makes clear that an extraordinary (concept) album turns in the player. We can hear dominant, from spherical sounds masterfully surrounded keyboard clangs with embedded moaning in the presentation of Sepand’s uncle Jeffrey Samzadeh. Jeffrey usually sings traditional Iranian music and his lamentation brings a pertinent portion of exotic in the piece. In the second half, we can hear a mixture of Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream.
The band’s music is exciting and never predictable. There is a sweetish and solemnly hammering piano rapidly and brutally overpowered by the both guitars with their psychedelic riffs. Hollie intonates vocal interludes almost wordlessly and brings the piece in always higher spheres. ("Either / Or"). Naturally, electronics may not be absent in this type of music. And so the sound waves roll from the chips and transistors, dimension always new waves and let the listener float with them in the music-cosmos.
The short third track offers snatches of movements here, gloomy moods there – everything in the cooperation of acoustic guitar and light traces of classical music.
"How To Seduce A Ghost" starts mystically, almost agreeably scary; for this atmosphere provides keyboard mainly. Lonely and sadly sounding keystrokes predominate. Guitars float over the whole thing while bass and drums rule the ground like lead balls. Also the "Radio Song" starts similarly, becomes then through percussion and robot-like, squeaky keyboard almost comic. Estranged and not distinguishable vocals mix in the whole thing. When the wind section marches in lively, one has to hand a proper drive to the song.
The "Laudanum", comprising of several parts, is undeniably the high point of the record. It is impressive, when a lonely saxophone in front of towering sound walls performs its drive. Colosseum meets Pink Floyd and a director has crowned his film with a fitting end. The keyboard takes command; but immediately afterwards it competes with saxophone which spreads the best spirits. The sax wins clearly. Now, the cymbal comes in and a bass, grumbling as if from long distance. On this bass and the tenderly stormy cymbal put on guitar and saxophone. The wind takes over also here very fast. A psychedelic ambience spreds out. It reminds remotely of a type of Mexican wind music. Somehow like this I imagine a patient in coma, to whom music is being played. The music of Days Between Stations stretches one’s imagination heavily, when one admits it. Dreadfully nice, with masterful keystrokes dies the piece down. A great record.
Line-up:
Sepand Samzadeh (guitar)
Oscar Fuentes (keyboards)
Additional Musicians:
Jon Mattox (drums)
Jeremy Castillo (guitars)
Vivi Rama (bass)
Jason Hemmens (saxophone)
Hollie Shepard (vocals)
Sean Erick (trumpet)
Kevin Williams (trombone)
Jeffrey Samzadeh (vocals -#1)
|
