New Beard released a substantial debut EP ("Moment of Peace") late in 2011, and in June is set to release an album full of the kind of dreamlike touches and dramatic flourishes at home with the Brooklyn-based artist leading this project, Ben Wigler. Not content with repeating itself, the band has stripped bare many of the dense sounds heard on the EP and has gone for a clean and lush atmospheric. The quartet showcases an enormous bag of tricks, and the orchestration has expanded to flutes, strings, tuba and the many manner of ways that express the kind of dreamy sadness Ben Wigler has made his own. To promote the upcoming release, New Beard is premiering this free Mp3 of the song "Doom"(Featuring Gustav Ejstes of Dungen), which you can download below. Don't miss their show at Bowery Electric on May 5.- Mike Levine
Ambient and slightly androgynous, the duo Belle Mare released their dreamy debut EP “The Boat of the Fragile Mind” earlier this spring. The EP resonates with somber tones and almost whale-like howls, unraveling soft acoustic guitar, simple piano melodies, and occasional subtle drones. The title track features the quivering vocals of Amelia Bushell, one half of the Belle Mare duo with guitarist Thomas Servidone, painting a dreamscape portrait of longing. Charade (streaming below) gently develops an unexpected blue melody that can lull you into the deepest of sleeps - I've heard of people dreaming of sleeping, in NYC. The duo met at an open mic night in Brooklyn and recorded the album in Servidone’s apartment, but notwithstanding the DIY approach, the record is full of character and the sound mature. With their mix of rich surrealism and an almost gothic aura, these song sounds as if played through an antique phonograph inside a parlor room... located in the deepest of our subconscious. While “The Boat” could easily draw comparisons to other dream-poppers Beach House, Belle Mare’s subtleties and extreme sparsness create a stronger emotional drive and more nostalgic appeal. - Devon Antonetti
