The Oscars are over, along with another lazy weekend (for us, anyway). Time to focus on the week ahead, and to provide some musical accompaniment.
This week's SOTW is by a Manhattan two-piece that achieved some acclaim in indie rock circles in the mid-90's. Bowery Electric released two albums of moody, atmospheric drone rock featuring alternating male/female vocals by guitarist Lawrence Chandler and bassist Martha Schwendener, as well as instrumental pieces featuring Chandler's mammoth, distortion-laden guitar swells.
In 1995 they released their self-titled debut, full of dark, vaguely sinister soundscapes. On 1996's Beat, their sound was a bit more polished, but featured the same wall of swirling guitars and hushed vocals that drew frequent comparisons to shoegaze bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.
The lead track is "Empty Words", and it introduced a new, more melodic dream pop sound to the band's repertoire. Schwendener's gentle, angelic vocals mesh seamlessly with Chandler's ethereal guitar tones to create a blissful tune that seems the perfect soundtrack for floating through clouds.
Plug in your headphones, press Play, and close your eyes and you'll see what we mean.
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