One album in particular that I've been meaning to "shed some light on" is Lovesliescrushing newest-ish offering Girl. Echo. Suns. Veils, which is a collection of unused/rare/lost b-sides from LLC's "never ceases to amaze me" collection of terrific aqueous sound waves.

Girl. Echo. Suns. Veils. was one of those "projects" that kept getting pushed back year after year, a lot of work, time & probably stress went into the making of the album. Lucky for us fans, the wait is FINALLY over and we all have another chance to soak in some more ear bliss. With Lovesliescrushing you tend to always know what you're about to get into, but you never know how hard it's going to hit you when it does. Scott Cortez has a way with making the most unimaginable sounds come out of a guitar while Melissa Arpin's voice is more angelic than the word "angelic" itself. On Girl. Echo. Suns. Veils the duo have once again stunned my ears with palpitating sounds that leave a calming sensation in my ears during the days that follow. The songs are "b-sides" so there is somewhat of a different sound/feel here. To explain; when I listen to LLC I get the sense of being overwhelmed by an underwater current filled with fantastical unseen lifeforms, with Girl. Echo. I get the sense of floating just above said current. The liquidized environments engulf my every sense as usual. However, this time the sounds coming out have a "dryer/less surreal" sense to them. I get the feeling, even though it's apparently there, there are fewer distortion pedals used on some of these tracks. Basically, on Girl. Echo. Scott Cortez has a way of making his signature distortions sound slightly more natural and loose. Maybe you will experience something entirely different when you listen to this, but that's whats special about Lovesliescrushing. Your emotions determine the music. LLC can be just as soul crushing as they are therapeutic. Every sound, every texture, every note, everything that you hear on a Lovesliescrushing album is important. You cannot absorb them all at once, you can take them as a whole, and you will forever experience a new sonic adventure with every listen.

The only thing disappointing about this band is the fact that they aren't immortal. I don't ever want this music to stop. Girl. Echo. Suns. Veils. is no exception to that rule either. Fans of pastoral guitar sounds with dreamy female vocals and/or LLC will love this. The album feels a little more "raw" and, if possible, more "droney", but on par with the rest of their catalogue. Recommended (most definitely). Oh, also LLC just re-released 2007's (EIC's #6 album of that year) "Chorus", make sure to get that too!

Standout Tracks: Better to take in as a whole, but if you like to skip around; Wallflower (Original Version), Seahorse (this song has the mistake of ending too soon), Blurskin (yummm), Sugarglow, Aviatrix (more please?), Kittenmother

A couple of years ago when I was searching for the next My Bloody Valentine, as if it existed, I stumbled across many different offshoots of that particular sound. No other band challenged my perspective of music, like MBV did before, as much as Lovesliescrushing (LLC). That’s right, all one word. Like MBV, one of the main focuses is the electric guitar and the distortion of it. Unlike MBV, LLC takes that main focus and obsessively creates a revolutionary sound with guitars alone, no drums, bass, or other instruments, just guitar and female vocals, which meld into the reverberating sounds of the guitar, becoming apart of the combined force of the music.

Now, my first association with this band was through their second album titled, Xuvetyn. Possibly my favorite album from them, although I might be a little biased considering it was my introductory album. Then I immediately went to the beginning and picked up their first album, Bloweyelashwish, both first and second albums were recorded between 1992 and 1995. These first two albums are similar in their raw and unpolished approach to guitar oriented ambient music. Before I had heard this band I wasn’t a big fan of ambient music, but after, I became obsessed. The intricate way the guitars are layered is one of the most incredible achievements in recording, ever. The third and fourth albums, Voirshn and Glissceule, were recorded through 2000 to 2004, with certain tracks on the latter having been finished around the time of the first two albums. These two albums were more polished than the first two, although the unique sound remains, there is a crispness and smoothness that accompanies the production technique. I love every album equally. I can listen to any of them quietly or extremely loud and I will always interpret it differently each time. I always hear nuances that I haven’t heard before. I hear completely different songs, full songs, going on underneath of the layers of guitars that are bombarding my senses. It’s the most rewarding music I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. The leader of the band, Scott Cortez, only furthers the heralding of his music by recording on a Tascam 4-track! Perfect.

There is too much depth to the music and personal experience for me to continue on about their previous albums. So, that being said, their new release, Girl Echo Suns Veils, is horrible. Just kidding. The same features are back, and I can’t explain in words my elation upon receiving the music. The music did not let me down. Lovesliescrushing has always created foreboding feelings of danger, desperation, indefatigable nostalgia, and a forlorn sense of desolation. With almost twenty years to decide how to record and arrange the music, the final product is a marvel of patient engineering.All of this material was perfected by Scott until he decided the finished product was ready. Believe me, it is.

G.E.S.V. is more akin to the harsher and unforgiving side. It would be useless for me to describe the music. You must listen for yourself. But, if I could describe some of it, the names of the songs seem to resemble what I’m hearing, that is if the names are actually words, or just jumbled letters, as you can tell from some of their album titles. I lose track of time, especially the time it takes for a song to end. A track may be only three or four minutes in length but I perceive it to last infinitely longer. You may be asking yourself, how could there be a downside to a band that sounds so awesome? Well, there isn’t one. Listen to it and then you tell me I’m crazy.