by Jason

Hailing from Buffalo, New York, this group of shoegazers brings new-gaze to new heights. Their soaring guitars and wistful vocals combine to bring freshness to the scene. A trio of musicians, The Daysleepers blast on the scene with their Hide Your Eyes E.P. with profound maturity. Their sound will enchant you while their walls of sound will assault your senses. That said, lets look at the tracks on this fantastic disc.

Daysleepers’ debut EP begins with “Threnody.” Layered guitars and ghost-like vocals mesmerize the listener with shoegaze bliss. Although I appreciate bands that are innovative in their use of shoegaze elements with other genres, I appreciate those bands that take the genre and really do it well. Daysleepers have done just that. “Threnody” is just one of those tunes that immediately capture the listener. As the song progresses, it peters out and then explodes into walls of sound that evokes shoegaze of times past. Jeff Kandefer’s vocals are hypnotic and perfect and the mix on this disc is amazing. This leads into “Mesmerize,” which should become another classic. Driving high hat and glimmering guitars accompany Kandefer’s brilliant vocals. I wish I had heard this E.P in ‘05. Everything on this disc is executed perfectly, with patience and poise.

“Stars on Fire” begins with spacey keyboards and moves into meandering layers of guitars on a bed of droned out keys. This is the longest track on the disc, clocking in at 9:32. The drum work punctuates the voids as the bass glues the walls of sound and percussion together perfectly. It sounds like this band is seasoned, perfected, and altogether comfortable with their sound. Dreamy vocals move among the swirls of sounds and encompass the listener. This song must be epic live, blistering the senses and captivating the listeners like the Sirens of old. “Loved By the Sun” begins with echoing shimmers of guitar that becomes shot through with driving bass and drums. The melody is a masterpiece and the layers of guitars breathtaking. Elizabeth Gimbrone adds backing vocals that bring a depth and great counterpart to Kandefer’s vox. Scott Beckstein and Mario Gimbrone bring a tight rhythm section to the dreaminess of the band. “Big Sleep” begins with floating keys and bright guitars and fall to silence and then a guitar strums inviting the drums and bass to join. This song really showcases Kandefer’s vocals because his vox are more upfront in the beginning of the song. As the walls build and the song becomes more and more layered, his vocals shrink into the mix.

Ok, how does one express joy and excitement in words? I don’t think I can in regards to this disc. It’s amazing, beautiful, breathtaking, perfect, and mature in every way. It is an amazing piece of art that will be in my cd player for years. I can’t wait till they make a full-length, or, perhaps, I can pray for a double cd.