...the best listening shoegazer of year end. Powerful battery and rhythm eighties, immersed inside atmospheres burnt from the high vapor of temperatures and wrapping. Distortions that come from some nightmare of Wes Craven: here the grandchild of the brothers Reid, more despaired and melancholy of the Pains Of Being Too At Heart and psychedelic in the best manner... - Indie For Bunnies(translated from Italian)
Just listening to their debut EP approximates the act of lifting the side hatch on a working delorean and fizzing back to the summer of 1991. Tracks like ‘Down On You’ boast a mesmerising tumble drier of molten guitars and a balmy sirocco of dreamy vocals. This is music to lose yourself in, close your eyes, here comes Michael J. KD - MP3 HUGGER
Shoegaze is back. And believe me, I've had my misgivings about the recent popularity surge of yet another decades-old rock subgenre, because at this point recycle-bin post-modernism can officially go fuck itself. But the fact is that shoegaze's central conceit—ethereal pop songs played at crushing volume—is so timeless, so rooted in rock tradition, that it's never really gonna go away. But I'm probably overthinking things, which Austin's Ringo Deathstarr didn't bother to do, thank God. Originally from the industrial gulf town of Beaumont, the Deathstarrs have their shit down cold: swooning textures, crushing volume, and above all, casually perfect pop songwriting. While the majority of bandwagoners the past few years have collected reams of press clippings on what pedals they use, without delivering a single standout track, Deathstarr's debut EP is stacked top to bottom with keepers. Opener "Swirly" delivers its titular promise with a maelstrom of piercing keyboard tones and moody chord bends. "Some Kind Of Sad" and "Down On You" inflict punk velocity on ringing guitars and affectless vocals, and the inevitable comparisons to the Jesus and Mary Chain are cheekily disarmed with the line "you taste like honeydew/and just like honey, too." More please. –Matthew deWitt SKYSCRAPER MAGAZINE
Ringo Deathstarr's superb debut EP (SVC Records) is instant gratification for early-Nineties noise pop. Right from the gummy guitar of opener "Swirly" - its gorgeous, looped midsection could be a lost track from MBV's LOVELESS - the local fourpiece wears its influences smartly. Guitarist/singer Elliott Frazier's voice flows low and come-hither, adding to the narcotic fuzz of "Down on You" and "Starrsha," and at five songs, the EP leaves you wanting more. -Audra Schroeder, AUSTIN CHRONICLE
the best shoegaze record of the year - SKATTERBRAIN.ORG
Ringo Deathstarr are exactly the sort of band McGee would have signed back in 1991 and I would have fallen head over heels in love with. Their excellent moniker suggests they’d be happy sharing the bill with Napalm Death, but they are in fact a corking four-piece from Texas who recall the glory years of Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Drop Nineteens. I absolutely love them, and listening to this EP made me feel 17 all over again; the distorted mess of gorgeous, fuzzy guitars and buried vocals replicating the confusion that reigned in my nascent, addled mind at that time. I’m posting ‘Swirly’, with that groaning, ‘warped tape’ guitar sound that Kevin Shields perfected on ‘Loveless’. It clocks in at a measly 2 minutes but should go on forever. I guess the hard of heart could dismiss this out of hand for being rather derivative but seeing as how shoegazing didn’t really get a fair crack of the whip the first time round, it deserves a second coming, and bands like Ringo Deathstarr should be at the forefront of the scene. - THE WHITE NOISE REVISITED
Call me a lazy blogger, but Ringo Deathstarr = Psychocandy + Loveless. And that's a huge compliment. Honestly, name another band that has lived up to either of those, well, genres really. Nobody (yes, I'm an opinionated chap). Ringo Deathstarr pull it off. I've always said "do something familiar amazingly or do something totally new". The Deathstarr pull off the former without even the slightest hesitation. - A CERTAIN ROMANCE
SINGLE OF THE WEEKRingo Deathstarr - 'Ringo Deathstarr EP' Hailing from America's spiritual home of indie rock, Austin in Texas, the fantastically-named Ringo Deathstarr have just released their first ever record and already their as-loud-as-we-possibly-can philosophy has won them comparisons to Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine and, most of all, the Jesus and Mary Chain. It's unsurprising too, 'Some Kind of Sad' sounds like it's leapt straight off of 'Psychocandy', given itself a lick of paint and presented itself bollock-naked to a startled Reid Brothers. Despite sounding like the Millennium never happened, Ringo Deathstarr are one of the most exciting new discoveries in years and, should the nu-gaze scene come to fruition as it keeps on threatening to do, they'll be heading it up. -CULTUREDELUXE.COM
Despite the name I either think is genius or slightly stupid depending entirely on what day of the week it is, the music leaves no such questions. My Bloody Valentine-style shoegaze, with driving guitars a-plenty, this is the kind of music that usually takes ages to grab you. Usually, the brain adjusts to this new brand of racket, and then slowly starts to filter through the noise, and so the core of the melody is slowly and satisfyingly teased out.Not so here, this was candy right from the beginning. It’s music to be played loud - really, really fucking loud, so that it all just shakes its way through your skeleton as you stand there trembling slightly and wondering if music this loud is actually physically safe. Ah, fuck the neighbours.The whole EP can be bought here for an enormously generous £2, and they’ll apparently be touring with the Dandy Warhols shortly, and if they can replicate this kind of wall of sound with any sort of aggression on stage, that should be well worth catching. - SONG BY TOAD
Ringo Deathstarr, like their contemporaries Manhattan Love Suicides take their cue from bands like Jesus and Mary Chain, early My Bloody Valentine and Meat Whiplash to produce indie pop of the highest order. Their feedback inspired chainsaw like guitars produce a tonic for ones ears. The EP's best track Some Kind Of Sad is pure JAMC circa 1984 whilst tracks like Sweet Girl is reminiscent of the fuzzy tunes the Primitives produced whilst on Lazy Records and no they haven't got a female singer! Others have compared the band to the likes of The Telescopes and other shoegazing bands but believe me when I say this EP is more "Upside Down" or "Don't Slip Up" then "Perfect Needle" or "You Made Me Realise". Essential stuff. Buy! - INDIE MP3 UK
if you have been watching closely in recent times you may have noticed that the ireallylovemusic playlist has been one of a machine based dance music type. guitars and songs are, on the whole, a rare occurance. well for an hour today this mood was obliterated. and the reason ? ringo deathstarr. this austin based setup have had a quick mention here before, but now that i’ve had the chance to listen to 5 new, fully realised tracks i am glad to report that the party trick was not a one off. the band, as i’m sure they have been told many times before, make a noise that recalls the early days material of jesus and marychain. the use of feedback, fuzzed up layers, and lazy stoned vocals all combine in a harmony filled rush of a few minutes to provide the best pop high imaginable. so how do you hear these gloriously messy and addictive tracks? well, head on over to the rather wonderful spoilt victorian child record label website, drop a couple of quid in the collection tin, and 5 tracks along with the various pdfs for those with fancy printers will soon be coming down the wire to your loudspeakers, and when i saw loudspeakers, i mean loudspeakers. volume is essential. loudness is a force. if on the other hand, and you want proper product, then for the first time, the svc label are in the process of getting cds pressed up, so keep an eye on the site as all the relevant detail will be provided in the fullness of time. basically, you need to hear this stuff if you have any love for the marychain/warhols/brmc style of effect pedal rock-n-roll. of course, i don’t deny that its all been done before, but in an age when bands are known more for the colour of their glow sticks or home made chemistry sets, then to have this much maligned genre revived in such a spine tingling fashion (seriously - go get sweet girl as a free download and you’ll see what i mean !) is essential, and damn, in the year 2007, ringo deathstarr do it so well. - I REALLY LOVE MUSIC UK
This EP can only be described as a critical buy - some tracks sound like a genetically enhanced version of the Reid Brothers (sullen and surly as ever, to be sure) whilst other tracks have the focus, drive and power of a band like Ride and one track, in particular, easily has the breadth of vision and sheer beauty that Shields et al possessed at their once dizzy heights (once you buy the EP you can get in touch and tell me which one you think it is!). It is five stars all the way, and then some. Essential, in fact. I want more. So, get it in or I'll revert to huff-merchant type. I mean it, man. -AND BEFORE THE FIRST KISS
Austin, Texas' Ringo Deathstarr have a few things working against them. First, there's that almost too kitschy name. Then there's the fact that they meant to start a Jesus and Mary Chain fanclub, but started a band instead. But the winking self-awareness and punk throttle showcased on "Some Kind of Sad" bring toughness to their geeked-out moniker and put their Reid brothers fandom to good use. Their pulsing layers of feedback and those droll, deadpan vocals are ripped straight from Psychocandy, but the galloping, amphetamine rhythms are harder charging than even the most amped up track on that album. After all, "Some Kind of Sad" flies by in barely two minutes, and the only reason the song is that long is because it features a 20-second outro of humming reverb. Other bands that drink from the same inspirational well mimic the guitar squall or the Ronettes worship, often forgetting just how dangerous or aggressive those early Jesus and Mary Chain songs were. But Ringo Deathstarr builds "Some Kind Of Sad" on a snarling foundation that recalls their influences in attitude as well as execution. This band isn't just the sum of their pedal effects and their record collection, though. With a name like theirs, they were bound to also have a wry sense of humor. So, as if to blunt the criticism that they are too imitative of their heroes, there is actually a moment where they quote them directly, singing, "You taste like honeydew/ Just like honey, too." At least I think that's what they are saying; with vocals buried under a wall of echo, it's hard to know for sure. -PITCHFORKMEDIA.COM
