ARTIST: Del Rey
TITLE: A Pyramid For the Living
LABEL: My Pal God Records
GENRE: Instrumental Rock
BITRATE: 214kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 50m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-09-26
RIP DATE: 2006-09-11
Track List
----------
1. Olympus Mons 10:33
2. A Brief Strangle 8:14
3. Lamplighter 11:50
4. Stemrick 8:55
5. Euphrates 10:46
Release Notes:
http://www.dlry.net/
http://www.myspace.com/delrey
http://www.mypalgodrecords.com/
DEL REY was born in 1997 in the attic of a three-flat in Chicagos Ukrainian
Village. Drawing on diverse backgrounds of Oberlin art-rock, Peoria punk,
Scottish pipe drumming, and backwoods-Maine hallucinogenica (a highly
combustible mixture of narcotics and electronics), musicians Damien Burke, Chris
Cowgill, Eben English, and Michael Johnson forged a swirling din of pounding,
hypnotic rhythms, dusky-yet-heroic harmony, and snaking, angular melodies. That
is, until they were booted from the apartment by ungrateful neighbors.
Fortunately, more friendly confines were soon found, and the rock has since
continued unabated. In '99, the band released a four-song EP, dlry, on their own
Dirigible Recordings imprint, which displayed a newborn taking its first
breaths, determined to create its own distinct identity. A debut LP, Speak It
Not Aloud (My Pal God, 2001), found them molding a vocabulary of sonic lyricism
and rhythmic textuality into concise, coherent compositions. On the subsequent
Darkness & Distance LP (My Pal God, 2003), this lexicon coalesced into densely
plotted tales of dynamic tension & release, where breakbeat armadas battled with
ethereal volume swells, and shimmering keyboards mingled juices with crushing
walls of guitar. In September 2006, Del Rey returns with A Pyramid for the
Living, featuring their most epic and aggressive storytelling to date. The album
is a cosmic opus that reveals a stronger, wiser group maneuvering at will
through its own unique soundscape. Building on the post-rock and electronic
roots from which the bands sound springs, here the sonic palette also contains
hints of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Afro-Cuban textures. Added to their
already impressive arsenal of furious double-drumming, stinging guitar work, and
mesmerizing electronics, these elements are deftly woven into songs that take on
a life of their own. Del Rey continues to perform in Chicago and across the
nation, and will be touring this fall in support of the release. Live, the music
is infused with a feverish urgency, each song played like it could be their
last. The signature of the group's shows is the symbiotic intricacy of their
twin-drumkit attack, which, with its relentless ferocity, never fails to leave
mouths agape.