Club AC30 #4 (Club AC30, 2005)

by Jason

AC 30 4If anything, the Club AC30 series is consistent. On their fourth single, they have collected songs from Sennen, Sleepless, and The Morning Paper. This singles drips with shimmering shoegaze pop and is definitely a sure thing if you are looking for a cd to buy. Sennen’s track has huge guitar walls, incredibly intricate layering with keys, fantastic vox and perfect percussion. Sleepless brings equally big guitars with more spacey keys and some piano in the mix. The Morning Paper is fuzzed out and more intense then the others.

Sennen hails from the UK. “40 Years” is a stand out single that begins by fading in whirling keys that get covered in piano and electric guitar. Strong bass and live drums accompany this. The guitars then begin to build and the breathy, floating vocals kick in to fill out the sound. The bridge is catchy and is filled with layers of keys, guitars and strong percussion. This fades to bass, warbling keys and high-hat. This minimal moment really gives texture to the song and leads to the moment of guitar upheaval. The walls of sound get huge and loom, enveloping the listener. Frankly, this is shoegaze at its best. New generation shoegaze fans ought to revel in this track.

Sleepless contribute “Waves.” Sleepless is comprised of Mike Hayes, Rob Sykes, Davide, and John Thompson who mostly reside in London. This is a song laced with piano, open high-hat, layered guitars and another strong vocalist. What really stands out to me on this track is the bass work. It’s subtle, but practical and really helps to drive the song, holding the ethereal walls of sound together with the drums. The drums mix up the beat with backbeats and straightforward, driving rhythms. Also, it seems that bands these days are throwing in piano and then calling themselves “indie” or part of that “new rock” that is storming the airwaves. Well, Sleepless uses keys, but they do it so, so right. This track should also make the shoegaze fan croon for more.

Lastly, The Morning Paper contributes “Charades.” This is a fuzzed out song that sounds a lot like the Brit-wave bands of the 80’s, and I mean that in a good way. The drums are driving from the start and the guitars create layers of fuzz for the vocal melody to lie in. The keys really add another piece of depth to this track and the bass work is also solid. The music is loud and in your face, but the vocals are more yearning and indie-pop-like in their melody.

Again, this series follows through with a stellar single. For all you shoegaze fans out there, go get a copy as soon as you can before they sell out. For those of you not familiar with the genre, any of these Club AC30 discs are a great and inexpensive introduction. Pick one up and bliss out!

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