If It's Too Loud...

Citrus Clouds have long been our favorite shoegaze/dream pop artists coming out of Phoenix, AZ, and their latest single helps solidify that. Maybe it's just that I'm writing this in the middle of a streak of drearily rainy New England late October days, but "Whoa" is hitting my mood perfectly. It has the kind of dark vibe that gives you hope it will one day be over. Plus, as with any truly great shoegaze song, droning guitars are front and center, slowly and slowly building into one of the most gloriously lovely noise crescendos I've heard in a long, long time. You can listen to "Whoa" below. The song is available as a single on Citrus Clouds's Bandcamp . For more on Citrus Clouds, check them out on Facebook . Whoa by Citrus Clouds

We're a little late bringing you this one... actually, a lot late, but I think you'll agree this is worth it. Less than a year after the release of Imagination , Arizona's finest shoegaze band, Citrus Clouds, are back with Ultra Sound. They have described their sound as "desertgaze," but on Ultra Sound  it feels more like beachgaze. Maybe it's just the two weeks of subfreezing temperatures we've had in the Northeast, but a song like "Ocean Eyes" takes the dark and dreariness out of your typical British shoegaze and injects it with some southern California chill. "You Loved Me First" goes even further into the laid back vibe in the most reverb friendly way possible. "Life Happens" picks up the tempo just a bit without being overly energetic. If My Bloody Valentine's Loveless  is widely considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time to nurse a handover, Ultra Sound  might be the best album to nurse a hangover to a...

One thing I love about doing this blog is getting sent music from bands in areas I would probably never find otherwise. We naturally cover the Boston scene pretty well, and cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Nashville, Athens, etc. are always going to be pretty well represented. But West Phoenix, Arizona? I honestly can't think of any Arizona bands. Plus, Arizona shoegaze? Citrus Clouds are that band. On their new album, Imagination,  the band introduce us to this ultra-chill version of shoegaze dubbed "desertgaze." It's pure droned out, melodic pop bliss. It comes across as more of a poppy version of Galaxie 500. A song like "It's You That I Find" borders on repetitive and almost lasts too long, but considering the dreamlike state it brings you to, you won't be complaining. "Shapes and Things" might be the most bouncy song, with a swirling guitar riff and one of my favorite shoegaze guitar solos ever. The title track, "Im...