â€A far cry from the electronic or folk-based indie prevalent in the genre today, Loveallover may alienate audiences who embrace current indie darlings and less “in your face†acts.â€.
-Spill Magazine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
View Heat Ray's EPK
.......... heat-ray on Facebook
Calgary super group, heat-ray is about to release their debut record, and since the band is comprised of members of Hot Little Rocket (Aaron Smelski), Lotus Galaxy (Sheila Mann), Shiver (Jon Pynn, Joel Tobman) and The Floor (Matt Pahl), it’s not surprising that the debut album – Loveallover - is a powerhouse. You can't have that much experience in one band and not write a few quality tunes, but right out of the starting blocks the band turned heads. Even before releasing an LP, they stole some of the shine from the '08 Sled Island fest and have warmed stages for some of the biggest bands touring through western Canada. I've only heard a handful of tracks, but they all lead me to believe this record is going to be one that I play to death. Beautiful melodies, some urban grime that keep your head nodding but still craft a state of melancholic bliss. Bottom line, do yourself a favor and cop Loveallover on August 4th and support another great band on a great INDIE label.
- Hero Hill - Halifax, Nova Scotia
myspace monday 4: Heat-Ray
Last week I discovered a possible new favorite band…
Heat-Ray.
And they’re Canadian!
Now, I know there’s a lot of great Canadian bands, but it seems to be a rare thing for some Canadian Content to get across the border, and when it does, rarely does it sound as good to me as this does.
Not only are they from Canada, but from Alberta. Now that surprised me.
The first song hits with some kind of crazy Dinosaur Jr. Swervedriving against a little Bloody Valentine. The main vocals have that kind of J. Mascis drawl, but the harmonies hit nice and MBV.
Second song moves a little more sexy Sonic Youthy, with some nice Kim Gordon poeticals creeping through the blur and distortion of the guitars.
While there is a newness to the sound, the thing that keeps getting me is the way the songs definitely know their history. It’s not just some new shoegaze buzz band hitting the sounds that they are hearing right now, there’s an old school noise crawling through the chords, making me think of bands like Live Skull and some of the New York No Wave crowd. I don’t know if it’s done on purpose or just a nice sonic accident, but either way – I like it. The song “Take It Down†is so amazingly Dinosaur Valentine, it makes me shiver.
My Life As A Mixtape, Los Angeles, California
Here's another in a long line of Cannibal Cheerleader shoegazey favorites - introducing heat-ray from Alberta, Canada, a five-piece pop group that combines a two-fold male and female vocal assult with the punishing power of 'Creep-era' Radiohead's three-guitar punchout to create an overall aura of bombastic, glowing guitar-rock that billows and flares like a four-alarm fire. With the recent release of their debut LP LoveAllOver the group has managed to capture a stormy but sophisticated sound that garners instant comparisons to the likes of Catherine Wheel or Ride without sounding like petulant knock-offs or boring retreaders - instead the group sounds equal parts fresh and exciting while still retaining a level of pop pride that echos through ever pedal and amplifier on stage. Check out the group below and prepare to be amazed (also, yes, we're aware the name's not capitalized, that's how it's supposed to be geez).
-Cannibal Cheerleader- Austin, Texas
Like Swervedriver (sometimes with female vocals). Lovely!
-Shoegazer Alive-Sao Paolo, Brazil
A syrupy mix of guitar goop goodness.
-Jesse Locke, FFWD Weekly-Calgary, Alberta
Heat Ray made a huge splash at last year’s Sled Island Music Festival, charming audiences with their onstage version of a controlled nuclear reaction.
-Christine Leonard, FFWD Weekly-Calgary, Alberta
..
