______ ________
______ \ / ' \ /
\ / \ / : \ /
\ / \/ . . ... .. ...:... . . \ /
_\/___________ _ ___________ _ __________ : \/ ______
____ / / /_____/_/ \_______/ / \ ' \ /
\ / / / / / \ \/ /____ : _ ______ \ /
\/ / / / / \ / / \ _________/ / \ \/
/ / / X / / \/ / \/ \ ____
/ / / / / / / / \/ / \ \ /
\_\_____/ / / / / / / / \ \/
sH!/ / / / / / / / / \
'17/ / / / / / / / / \
___ \_\_______\ /_____ _\______/ / / X
________ \ \ /_ __\_\_____/ / / / / /
\ / _ __ \_\________/ \ \ / /
\ / _ __\_\_______/ /
\ /__________ / / /____
\/ \ / _ ____\_\_____________/ \ /
\ / H O U N D \/
\ / : ________
\ / p r e s e n t s .. .:. ... \ /
\/ : \ /
, \ /
\/
Artist......: GIFT
Album.......: Illuminator
Label.......: Captured Tracks
Genre.......: Indie
Catnr.......: CT-376
Source......: CD
Rip.date....: 2024-11-04
Str.date....: 2024-08-23
Quality.....: 964 kbps avg / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Url.........: http://giftbandnyc.bandcamp.com
________ ________
\ / \ /
\ / \ /
\ / # title time \ /
\/ \/
1. Wish Me Away 3:58
2. Light Runner 3:35
3. To The Stars And Back 4:10
4. Going In Circles 3:35
5. It's All Too Fast 4:16
6. Falling Down 3:29
7. Destination Illumination 3:32
8. Later 4:27
9. Glow 4:08
10. Water In My Lungs 3:40
11. Milestones 4:28
______
\ / ________ Runtime 43:18
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 314.87______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /.
: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: The year 2020 sure wasnÆt the most ideal time to form a band, :,
: especially for a group of musicians who never played together :
:' before. Indeed, frontman TJ Freda assembled New York rock ':
,: quintet GIFT by cherry-picking members of some of his favorite :,
: other bands, crossing his fingers and hoping for the best. :
:' ':
,: Having assembled on a lark in the Big Apple from roots as :,
: diverse as Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Brazil and Boston, the :
:' musicians leaned on their collective deep experiences in ':
,: numerous non-performing aspects of the biz as part of settling :,
: on a bold new sound û a dizzying blend of early shoegaze, :
:' classic æ90s alternative rock and even modern pop. ':
,: :,
: Indeed, that GIFT emerged somewhat fully formed on their 2022 :
:' debut album Momentary Presence was a testament to the untapped ':
,: creative potential laying deep within, and it wasnÆt long before :,
: the band was pricking up the ears of adventurous listeners both :
:' at home and across the Atlantic Ocean. ':
,: :,
: Now, Illuminator, their Aug. 23 debut album for revered New York :
:' independent label Captured Tracks, is the long-awaited payoff ':
,: of GIFTÆs ever-growing musical and human chemistry. And while :,
: nods are apparent to label forerunners such as Beach Fossils, :
:' DIIV and Wild Nothing, GIFT are shepherding those elements into ':
,: wondrous new vessels for the present moment û sleek, often :,
: danceable and frequently mesmerizing. :
:' ':
,: GIFT û vocalist/guitarist Freda, multi-instrumentalists Jessica :,
: Gurewitz and Justin Hrabovsky, drummer Gabe Camarano and bassist :
:' Kallan Campbell û are firmly enmeshed in the New York scene as ':
,: talent buyers, photographers, DJs, audio engineers, art :,
: directors and, in the case of Campbell, an owner of the beloved :
:' Brooklyn DIY venue Alphaville. The melting pot of these varied ':
,: skills helps make Illuminator an even more cohesive listening :,
: experience, with Gurewitz, a relative newcomer to making music :
:' herself, contributing a host of lyrics and vocal melodies and ':
,: CamaranoÆs drumming providing the crucial rhythmic underpinning :,
: to the albumÆs 11 tracks. Hrabovsky, who previously engineered :
:' at Asheville, N.C.Æs beloved studios Drop of Sun and Echo ':
,: Mountain Recording, shared production duties with Freda for the :,
: first time. :
:' ':
,: ôWe had a lot more confidence going in,ö Freda says. ôThe main :,
: goal was to take a big swing, embrace the pop sounds we love and :
:' clear the mist and clouds surrounding the last record to make ':
,: it a lot punchier.ö :,
: :
:' Illuminator is led by ôWish Me Away,ö whose earworm guitar ':
,: lines, propulsive rhythms, riveting vocals and mind-expanding :,
: aural flourishes make it the perfect sonic springboard from :
:' Momentary Presence to where GIFT are going next. ItÆs also a ':
,: potent reminder that you can still preserve that twinkle in your :,
: eye even when you feel like everythingÆs slipping away. :
:' ':
,: With GIFT repping the emerging New York scene for Captured :,
: Tracks, Freda admits he ôfelt a strong responsibility to make :
:' the best record possible. New York has featured a lot of ':
,: post-punk and garage rock over the past decade, and weÆve just :,
: always wanted to do the opposite to what everyone else is doing. :
:' ThereÆs a new wave happening here much like there was in the ':
,: early 2000s and 2010Æs, yet nobody is talking about it. ItÆs :,
: going under peopleÆs radar.ö :
:' ':
,: ThatÆs likely to change once the word is out about Illuminator, :,
: which sounds overjoyed every moment it is shaking up the sonic :
:' status quo. With new and unabashed inspiration from artists as ':
,: wide-ranging as Madonna to MGMT, GIFT generates a dynamic genre :,
: fusion on Illuminator with just the right spritz of electronic :
:' elements and widescreen pop production techniques. ':
,: :,
: On songs such as "Light Runner", "Going In Circles" and :
:' ôDestination Illumination,ö Freda also demonstrates a newfound ':
,: confidence and versatility, embracing pop music as a vehicle. :,
: ôAt our shows from the Momentary Presence tour, people would :
:' stand in the crowd wide-eyed without moving,ö he recalls. ôWe ':
,: wanted to get people moving with the new album, so we were :,
: really inspired by bands like Primal Scream, Oasis and Massive :
:' Attack. ItÆs our psych-rock tribute to U.K. rave culture in the ':
,: æ90s.ö :,
: :
:' The message behind GIFTÆs new creations was just as important, ':
,: with Freda, who has struggled with anxiety, channeling more of :,
: his raw feelings into the lyrics to a much more dramatic degree :
:' than on the debut. ':
,: :,
: ôI don't want to feel sad when I'm listening to music. That's :
:' never been the goal for GIFT,ö he says. ôIt was always meant to ':
,: be this escapist yet freeing euphoria that anyone could go out :,
: and dance to and feel amazing. But I also wanted to talk about :
:' some real feelings. There's this duality between darker lyrics ':
,: underneath a joyous pop structure.ö :,
: :
:' To be sure, the relentless, often painful dance of love has ':
,: never sounded as exhilarating as on ôGoing in Circles,ö while :,
: the strident tone poem ôWater in My Lungsö conjures the unreal :
:' feeling of watching a romantic partner both figuratively and ':
,: literally fade from view. ôThis album has a lot of themes of :,
: going fast, time passing and things changing,ö Freda says. :
:' ôThese moments can change in a split-second and affect the rest ':
,: of your life. For better or worse, itÆs hard to control that. :,
: Instead, sometimes you just let yourself be taken û like youÆre :
:' surrendering.ö ':
,: :,
: GIFTÆs instinct to push forward was further inspired by a :
:' growing friendship with Sonic Boom (Pete Kember), a key member ':
,: of shoegaze/experimental rock legends Spaceman 3 and producer :,
: for bands clearly influenced by his own music, including Beach :
:' House, MGMT and Animal CollectiveÆs Panda Bear. ':
,: :,
: After connecting over a shared contribution to an A Place To :
:' Bury Strangers remix album, the musicians met up at KemberÆs ':
,: home in Portugal û and proceeded to stay up talking until dawn. :,
: ôHe gave us a lot of sage wisdom about always remaining curious :
:' and not overthinking it,ö Freda says. ':
,: :,
: ItÆs no surprise, then, that Illuminator leaves on a sanguine :
:' note with ôMilestones,ö encapsulating the highs and lows ':
,: traversed before. ôFor me, it evokes the sensation of witnessing :,
: your entire life û past, present and future û in a single :
:' moment,ö Freda says. ôItÆs nostalgic, yet filled with hope.ö ':
,: :,
: Throughout, Freda and company thankfully do much of the hard :
:' work for us: falling in love, heartbreak. Watching events and ':
,: moments go by like cars on the highway. People you once knew :,
: coming in and out. Grieving the loss of different phases. :
:' Watching everything happen simultaneously. For these and many ':
,: other reasons, Illuminator, friends, will be the soundtrack to :,
: the throughline of your life. :
:' ':
: '
'.. ..'
.. . :........... . . . . ............: . .
______________ ______________
\ / \ /
\ / GREETS: \ /
\ / \ /
\ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ /
\ / MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ /
\ / \ /
\/ ____ ____ \/
\ / H O U N D \ /
\/ \/