By Dean Wolfe, Prog Dog Media (album released 2015 in Japan, 2016 in America).
First of all, forgive me. I'm a recent and enthusiastic shoegaze convert (though no stranger to alternative indie rock). So my review may touch on the generalities of the genre as much as it will on Austin trio Ringo Deathstarr, whom I happily lucked upon in an internet or YouTube search.
They may or may not have a closet full of skeletons, but hopefully guitarist Elliot Frazier has extra room in there to keep some guitar pedals. Collectively those little metal boxes are like a 4th member of the band- performing a key role in the overall sound.
For those not aware, the guitar pedal business is booming and we are living in the throes of a pedal renaissance, with boutique pedal makers springing up around the world offering unlimited ways to colour the sound of your guitar, bass, or any instrument really.
Ringo Deathstarr are surprisingly rocking. Vocals are fairly prominent but not overemphasized. Bassist Alex Gehring and guitarist Elliot Frazier share lead vocal responsibilities. Drummer Daniel Coburn's energy is integral to the sound and he plays like a composer as much as a time-keeper.
I love how this band weaves together it's songs. They are melodic and textural. They have distinct structure but seem unorthodox. Amidst the huge melodic and spacious sounds this band creates, structure sometimes loses importance as verses and choruses evolve simply into organic parts of one whole.
Gehering's bass plays a huge role here- often voicing key melodic parts- perhaps McCartney-inspired to a degree? She sometimes partakes in the textural pedal-effected adventurousness as well, moving between clean and distorted sounds.
Ambience is a key aspect of the overall sound- whether it be soft or abrasive sheets of sound or waves of echoes. Even when kind of harsh there is a softening effect handled well in the mixing and mastering. Perhaps the real softening comes from the female presence imparted from bassist/singer Gehring's sweet vocals? There are some gorgeous harmonies too.
The album has a bit of Nirvana-esqueness grunge-leanings away from the pure shoegaze sound on tracks like Heavy Metal Suicide and it's male-led vocals by guitarist Elliot Frazier. Which leads me to ask: of all the musicians who died a tragic death, isn't Kurt Cobain on the top of the list as our world's biggest musical loss? Did grunge and whatever else it would have evolved into die with Kurt?
Tone-setting textures are big with Ringo as with most Shoegaze and dream pop. Jangly guitar-driven pedals ring gloriously and unselfconsciously. Can't always make out the lyrics or vocals? Too bad. Don't worry about it. You could listen harder or just accept that singing is not at an elevated level in shoegaze, though Ringo Deathstarr do break that mould on tracks like Show Me the Truth of Your Love in which we have an easy to hear male/female.
Overproduction with a band like Ringo Deathstarr would be inappropriate and unneeded. Think of it a little like an audio equivalent of collage art- with pieces of magazine photos ripped, not cut, and glued into an arrangement on a canvas. The music doesn't feel overwrought or overthought- part of the beauty of a garage-y lo-fi approach. At the same time I wouldn't call it overly raw either- there's a nice balance in all of Ringo Deathstarr's music.
The album imparts a mostly cheerful vibe - no depression-causing tunes in my opinion, but still there are hints of sadness. Mostly there's plenty of dreamy expanses here like the dream pop term implies. Cotton Candy Clouds is a great example. Gehring's vocals remind me a little of Emily Haines from Metric.
The bass lines are often innovative or kinky in cool ways. Stare at the Sun is a great track that demonstrates this- and a fine sample of their work.
I hope guitarist Elliot Frazier is on YouTube demonstrating how he gets some of the great tones he has such an finely tuned ear for. His riffs drench the album with a wide spectrum of shades and washes that I find are consistently palatable and creative.
Pure Mood by Ringo Deathstarr is an album well worth owning and comes with my recommendation.
