Sparkling like effervescent waves that lap with the constant pull of the tide, A Shoreline Dream drenches listeners in several shades of hazy bliss. Distorted guitars spin webs of droning ambiance while simultaneously suspending walls of cymbals such that it feels like any moment, it could all spill down in cacophonous splendor. But what a remarkable sound it would make.

Coastal, the band's latest EP, revels in the indistinct vocals and swirling guitars born of early '90s pedal-pushers (when it manages to gravitate back to the Earth's surface); the effect is blurred transcendence. In only three songs (four if you count the "found sound" track "The Barrier") A Shoreline Dream makes a solid case for the existence of yet another effects-heavy rock outfit.

Not to be outdone by so many other fledgling shoegazers of recent memory, ASD tear through the speaker felt on " New York ." Surfing a spindly, echoic guitar riff, lead singer Ryan Policky hides his vocals behind a massive edifice of escalating sound. Not that it really matters what he's saying, the swell of sheer noise more than makes up for any uncertainty in the lyrics department. " Ukraine "'s synthesizer dissolves like vapor at sunrise, relenting only with the onslaught of the EP's most fuzzed-out guitars. And even though "Aftershocking" nods appreciation to both The Cure and Cocteau Twins, the snare thwack and spacey atmospherics offer enough innovation to demand repeat listens.

From the mountainous altitudes of Denver, the promise of the open ocean must always seem like a faraway fantasy, but A Shoreline Dream invoke the feeling of a salty breeze and crashing waves better than most (with a little help from the rising mist).

Similar Albums:
My Bloody Valentine- Glider
Deerhunter - Fluorescent Grey EP
Silversun Pickups - Pikul

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Mars Simpson
08.13.2007