"Good Things / Bad Timing" EP is now available!
We are very happy to announce that our new EP "Good Things / Bad Timing" is now available. The entire EP, complete with album art, lyrics, and information is available for download on our official website free of charge. We hope that all of you will download it, and maybe even share it with a friend. Keep checking back, more info on the full length as the weeks go by.
Our first album...titled "without windows" is still available as always. You can download it in it's entirety on our website. Click on the album cover below to link directly to the download page.
Amber Dust was formed in April of 2005. For the next several months, the band rehearsed and worked on bits of songs, in hopes of understanding the direction that was to be taken. A few drummers were present occaisionally, but it never really worked out. The same could be said for the few other musicians that were to sit in on rehearsal over the next few months.
In the end, the best fit, and best musical communication was between the three original members.
The recording sessions for what would later become "without windows" began in December of 2005. Due to the fact that there were only 3 memebers of Amber Dust, rehearsing the songs with all possible instruments was completely impossible. Most of the songs only contained a handful of ideas before they were put to tape. It was only through dilligent retracking that most of the tracks began to take shape. Each member would contribute a track on their primary instrument at first, and then 2-4 tracks after that.
Recording was put on hold in April of 2005, when Amber Dust played their first and only show. A benefit show, where the songs were played in their basic format with 3 members.
Recording continued until late October of 2006, followed by a few weeks worth of re-mixing, compiling of artwork, and website updates. In all, about 18 tracks were recorded.
"without windows" was mastered by Jim Bob Aiken, who also mastered the Will Oldham tribute album "I am a cold rock, I am dull grass", and Travel By Sea's "shadows rise".
The album was released on November 30th, 2006. Since the release, the album was voted 33 in the Altcountrytab.ca Gambler Awards.Amber Dust took December and most of January to relax and regroup. During this time, due to a change in location almost 2 hours away, Mike Harvey felt it was best to leave the band. There were no hard feelings, and the rest of Amber Dust decided to stick to 2 members and leave the primary piano spot open, should Mike ever decide to return at a later date.Work on the follow up to "without windows" began in late January, and the band hopes to have results by the end of the year.
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We now have merchandise available to purchase!
Pick something up and help support the band and spread the word. All of the apparel was designed by Shayne and Jesse. Cafe Press can be a bit expensive....so we kept the profits very low in order to make things more affordable to everyone. Click the picture below to go to our store.
AMBER DUST SHOP
reviews for "without windows"
"Sandown has something to be proud of in this bedroom Americana trio of early-20somethings. Influenced by Ryan Adams (a little) and a clutch of easygoing folk-alt records you’ve never heard of, such as the Sun Kil Moon family of products (a lot), the songwriting is mature and serious enough to compete with — blow away, actually – many of the bands trying to mine gold out of the British folk-pop space. Chris Isaak would admire their use of spaghetti-western guitars and booze-time tempos, though those only surface when they’re of a feisty mood; mostly it’s an exercise in strumming and pining along to the drum machine, country figuring into the equation in small doses. “Timepiece†is one of the more agreeable tunes, floating a supremely unhurried vibe reminiscent of EastMountainSouth. The barter-economy-savvy band has made the entire 13-song LP (voted 33 in the Altcountrytab.ca Gambler Awards) available on their Web site "(www.amberdustmusic.com). A- — Eric W. Saeger - The Hippo Press
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Amber Dust’s ‘Without Windows’
"Like the spreading warmth of an intensifying sunset, so too comes the glow of mandolins that introduce this astonishing album. But like that cold sinking feeling one gets after the sun has gone, quickly too do you realize this opening track is a story of love that’s been lost. That journey towards a new sunrise is what Amber Dust provides in their debut release Without Windows.
Much the way a single particle of dust is much lesser noticed than a colorful collection en mass being sparked by the sun; Amber Dust is Jesse Nickerson, Shayne Greene, and Mike Harvey. Though only three, the band has a fullness of layered guitars, keys, drums, and occasional smatterings of banjo and mandolin. The instrumentation throughout is always in its right place, never venturing out of bounds—adventuresome, yet restrained. In a similar way a band like the Court and Spark provide a dance of sound, always remaining warm and polished, so too do Amber Dust’s melodic lines intertwine. However, without the Court and Spark’s signature pedal steel, Amber Dust’s sound places them closer to a contemporary folk-pop sound, with only flavorings of alt-country. The music, all in great support of Nickerson’s soothing, yet commanding vocals. Don’t be fooled by the calming vocals, however; these songs and stories are not without struggles of emotion.
The 3rd track off the album, ‘From the Balcony,’ describes of something gone terribly, terribly wrong. Songs that follow present glimpses of hope in small town settings, but often reveal themselves to be wrought with tempestuous situations of love found, love lost, and a search for understanding. Such a tale is told in track 10, ‘Unspoken.’ The narrator describes crossing paths with a girl he had previously admired from afar. Spending the day with each other, he has big dreams of her possibly being the one, but always wondering whether they have something that’s lasting. However, in a short time, in that “unspoken†way, that dream melts away, “Our eyes beginning to disguise… that this will never last, that it’s only for a day.†This dream-like story is brought to life by beautiful instrumentation. Piano and electric guitar riffs prelude strong melodic verses of wonderfully doubled vocals. In fact, the entire album is packed with catchy melodies. Not the kind of overbearing hook which pulls you in too fast, quickly leaving you high and dry, having already used everything offered up after only a few listens. Instead, what’s offered is just enough that you want to come back to it again and again; sinking yourself in deeper and deeper.
To accompany the vivid images of song is a wonderful collection of impressively artistic liner notes-- the photography and artwork done by Amber Dust’s own Greene. Also providing an artistic touch to the final package is the impressive mixing of the album, done by Amber Dust’s Nickerson—every instrument so well placed on the sonic canvas of this album. And amazingly, this album is all offered up by the band for free by download with the web-help of their very own Harvey at www.amberdustmusic.com"
- Brian Kraft, Travel By Sea (www.travelbyseamusic.com)
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