RECORD REVIEW: PS I LOVE YOU

RECORD REVIEW: PS I LOVE YOU - DEATH DREAMS

Reviews

Wednesday, 04 July 2012 00:00

jpg

If you head out of Toronto towards Montreal on the 401, around the 240 km mark on the banks of Lake Ontario, you'll hit Kingston, a smallish city that in a rock sense, punches above its weight and is home to the indie rock duo, PS I Love You. Formed by guitarist/bassist Paul Saunier and drummer Benjamin Nelson back in 2006, the aptly named Death Dreams is their second album and impressive follow up to their 2010 debut Meet Me At The Muster Station. Listening to PS I Love You is instantly confounding if you know beforehand that they number just two people and even more so if you consider one of them is the drummer. Where then, does that cacophony of powerful sound stem from. The answer is at Saulnier's feet, the end product of a mesmerising array of effect pedals that give the impression that you are listening to a fully fledged band.

2012 is already shaping up as a year that has seen the return of hard arsed guitar music. In terms of skirting the boundaries of vitality, last year was largely dominated by electronic genres of different persuasions so its refreshing to see guitars back and contributing appropriately. Death Dreams is an album chock full of nods to the past and the present; hooks, licks, solos and razor like melodies coalesce around Saulnier's indecipherable yelp that yield up his melancholic, introspective and at times anxious lyrics. It's a step forward from their debut with longer, more fully formed tracks and a discernable thematic approach - dark anguish.

The title track introduces proceedings taking you on a trip into that darkness before 'Sentimental Dishes' makes an all too abrupt entrance, with its squalling guitar ripping the place to shreds. A better segue would have been appropriate. 'Don't Go' sports a melodic disposition and two excellent riffs, one full of space and delay, that make the track an infectious listen. It turns on a cacophonous deafening roar half way through and ends with the aforementioned riff, swirling delay, busy percussion and space to burn. The powerful rock and roll stomper 'Toronto' is dominated by a massive beat while 'Future Dontcare' rests on its consistent bass line which provides the platform for the sheen emanating from the multiple guitar tracks.

After the immediacy of its opening, there's definitely a touch of Sonic Youth about the two more circumspect sections of 'How Do You' as Saulnier loops the riff and applies off kilter licks over the top in the first and strips it back about as bare as PS I Love You get. 'Princess Towers' is an almost exhausting ride while 'Red Quarter', with its familiar riff takes things down a notch and holds the second stanza together. There's an almost Velvet Underground nod in its elongated bridge section before Saulnier finishes with a multitude of squalls and a big melody that sounds like Big Star on steroids. As with 'Toronto, the wistful 'Saskatoon' again geographically represents their country of origin and reflects their travails on the road touring their last record. Closing track 'First Contact' begins with contemplative acoustic guitar before a defiant driving rock disposition appears. The massive guitar riff that takes the track beyond its rock stomping verse is one of the best I've heard for a while, oscillating as it does back and forth for around 15 seconds.

If there has to be a Canadian indie rock battle between PS I Love You and Vancouver's Japandroids, the former for this reviewer wins hands down and a mythical win over such a formidable 'competitor' is high praise indeed. Death Dreams is a record full of nuance and cleverly constructed counterpoints that unbelievably all stem from Saulnier's virtuosity. The inventive nature of PS I love You shines through, rendering indie rock still as vital as it ever was.

James Stocker - July 2, 2012.

Princess Towers

PS I Love You (CAN)

From the album, 'Death Dreams', Paper Bag.

Download here

Official Video

alt mce_tsrc=images/stories/000%20footer%20divider%201.jpg

< Prev		Next >

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

May 21, 2013

THE FLAMING LIPS

The Terror

Warner

The Flaming Lips Official Site

Buy here

1. Look, The Sun Is Always Rising

2. Be Free, A Way

3. Try To Explain

4. You Lust

5. The Terror

6. You Are Alone

7. Butterfly, How Long Does It Take To Die

8. Turning Violent

9. Always There... In Our Hearts

---------------------------------------

May 14, 2013

JAMES BLAKE (ENG)

Overgrown

Polydor/Universal Republic

James Blake Official Site

Buy here

1. Overgrown

2. I Am Sold

3. Life Around Here

4. Take A Fall For Me

5. Retrograde

6. DLM

7. Digital Lion

8. Voyeur

9. To The Last

10. Our Love Comes Back

---------------------------------------

May 7, 2013

THE KNIFE (SWE)

Shaking The Habitual

Rabid Records

The Knife Official Site

Buy here

1. A Tooth For An Eye

2. Full Of Fire

3. A Cherry On Top

4. Without You My Life Would Be Boring

5. Wrap Your Arms Around Me

6. Crake

7. Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realised

8. Raging Lung

9. Networking

10. Oryx

11. Stay Out Here

12. Fracking Fluid Injection

13. Ready To Lose

---------------------------------------

April 30, 2013

KURT VILE (USA)

Wakin' On A Pretty Daze

Matador

Kurt Vile Official Site

Buy here

1. Wakin' On A Pretty Day (mp3)

2. KV Crimes

3. Was All Talk

4. Girl Called Alex

5. Never Run Away (mp3)

6. Pure Pain

7. Too Hard

8. Shame Chamber

9. Snowflakes Are Dancing

10. Air Bud

11. Goldtone

---------------------------------------

April 23, 2013

SALLY SHAPIRO (SWE)

Somewhere Else

Paper Bag

Sally Shapiro Official Site

Buy here

1. Prescript

2. I Dream With An Angel Tonight

3. All My Life

4. This City's Local Italo Disco DJ Has A Crush On Me

5. What Can I Do

6. If It Doesn't Rain

7. Starman (feat. Electric Youth)

8. Lives Together

9. Sundown

10. Don't Be Afraid (feat. Anoraak)

11. Architectured Love (feat. Le Prix)

12. Postscript

*NOTE: Vinyl tracklisting

---------------------------------------

April 16, 2013

PHOSPHORESCENT (USA)

Muchacho

Dead Oceans

Phosphorescent Official Site

Buy here

1. Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)

2. Song For Zula

3. Ride On/Right On

4. Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master)

5. A Charm/A Blade

6. Muchacho's Tune

7. A New Anhedonia

8. The Quotidian Beasts

9. Down To Go

10. Sun's Arising (A Koan, An Exit)

---------------------------------------

April 9, 2013

YOUTH LAGOON (USA)

Wondrous Bughouse

Fat Possum

Youth Lagoon Facebook

Buy here

1. Through Mind And Back

2. Mute

3. Attic Doctor

4. The Bath

5. Pelican Man

6. Dropla

7. Sleep Paralysis

8. Third Dystopia

9. Raspberry Cane

10. Daisyphobia

---------------------------------------

April 2, 2013

AUTRE NE VEUT (USA)

Anxiety

Mexican Summer / Software

Autre Ne Veut Facebook

Buy here

1. Play By Play

2. Counting

3. Promises

4. Ego Free Sex Free

5. A Lie

6. Warning

7. Gonna Die

8. Don't Ever Look Back

9. I Wann Dance With Somebody

10. World War

---------------------------------------

March 26, 2013

DOLDRUMS (CAN)

Lesser Evil

Arbutus

Doldrums Official Site

Buy here

1. Intro

2. Anomaly

3. She Is The Wave (feat. Guy Dallas)

4. Sunrise

5. Egypt

6. Holographic Sandcastles

7. Singularity Acid Face

8. Live Forever

9. Golden Calf

10. Lost In Everyone

11. Painted Black

---------------------------------------

March 19, 2013

BEACH FOSSILS (USA)

Clash The Truth

Captured Tracks

Beach Fossils Facebook

Buy here

1. Clash The Truth

2. Generational Synthetic

3. Sleep Apnea

4. Careless

5. Modern Holiday

6. Taking Off

7. Shallow

8. Burn You Down

9. Birthday

10. In Vertigo (feat. Kazu Makino)

11. Brighter

12. Caustic Cross

13. Ascension

14. Crashed Out

------------------------------

March 12, 2013

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (IRE)

mbv

Self Released

My Bloody Valentine Official Site

Buy here

1. She Found Now

2. Only Tomorrow

3. Who Sees You

4. Is This And Yes

5. If I Am

6. New You

7. In Another Way

8. Nothing Is

9. Wonder 2

------------------------------

March 5, 2013

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (AUS)

Push The Sky Away

Self Released

Nick Cave Official Site

Buy here

1. We No Who U Are

2. Wide Lovely Eyes

3. Water's Edge

4. Jubilee Street

5. Mermaids

6. We Real Cool

7. Finishing Jubilee Street

8. Higgs Boson Blues

9. Push The Sky Away

------------------------------

February 26, 2013

DUCKTAILS (USA)

The Flower Lane

Domino

Ducktails Facebook

Buy here

1. Ivy Covered House

2. The Flower Lane

3. Under Cover

4. Timothy Shy

5. Planet Phrom

6. Assistant Director

7. Sedan Magic

8. International Date Line

9. Letter Of Intent

10. Academy Avenue

------------------------------

February 19, 2013

INDIANS (DEN)

Somewhere Else

4AD

Indians Facebook

Buy here

1. New

2. Bird

3. I Am Haunted

4. Magic Kids

5. Lips Lips Lips

6. Reality, Sublime

7. Cakelakers

8. La Femme

9. Melt

10. Somewhere Else

------------------------------

February 12, 2013

SUPERSTAR (AUS)

A Toast To...

Bedroom Suck

Superstar Official Site

Buy here

1. Fine Wine

2. Pastoral Urge

3. Deep Heat

4. Low Glow

5. Soft Urge

-------------------------------------

February 5, 2013

OLOF ARNALDS (ICE)

Sudden Elevation

One Little Indian

Ólöf Arnalds Facebook

Buy here

1. German Fields

2. Bright And Still

3. Return Again

4. Treat Her Kindly

5. Call It What You Want

6. A Little Grim

7. Fear Less

8. Numbers And Names

9. Sudden Elevation

10. The Joke

11. Onwards And Upwards

12. Perfect

------------------------------

TOP 30 PLAYER

Please update your Flash Player to view content.

THE TOP TEN

1. Overgrown
James Blake (ENG)

2. Heartbreaks + Setbacks
Thundercat (USA)

3. Mute
Youth Lagoon (USA)

4. Shut Up
Savages (USA)

5. Never Run Away
Kurt Vile (USA)

6. The Painter
Brittsommar (USA/SWE)

7. If It Doesn't Rain
Sally Shapiro (SWE)

8. Pathos Y Lagrimas
Mood Rings (USA)

9. Echeance
Police Des Moeurs (CAN)

10. Tonight We Fall
ADULT. (USA)

---------------------------------

ON THE TURNTABLE

James Blake (ENG) - Overgrown (Polydor/Universal Republic)

The Knife (SWE) - Shaking The Habitual (Rabid)

Kurt Vile (USA) - Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador)

Deerhunter (USA) - Monomania (4AD)

The Flaming Lips (USA) - The Terror (Warner)

Savages (ENG) - Silence Yourself (Matador)

Vampire Weekend (USA) - Modern Vampires Of The City

ADULT. (USA) - The Way Things Fall (Ghostly International)

Kisses (USA) - Kids In LA (Cascine)

Small Black (USA) - Limits Of Desire (Jagjaguwar)

Dirty Beaches (USA) - Drifters/Love Is The Devil - Zoo Music

Saturday Looks Good To Me (USA) - One Kiss Ends It All (Polyvinyl)

--------------------------------------

CONTACT US

ARTIST OR LABEL?

If you are an independent artist or record label or a promotional or management company that represents an independent artist please feel free to send us updates about forthcoming news, releases, events. Digital audio samples of single tracks or albums are welcome and there is no need to fear any negative press about what you send. Quite simply, if we like what we hear we will feature it, if we don't we won't.

DISCLAIMER

All media on Indie30 is for sampling purposes only. If you like what you hear we implore you to purchase the said album and support the artist concerned. If you are an artist or label who wants something removed please contact us asap and we will remove it.

--------------------------------