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Ether Feather Premiere “New Abyss” Video; Debut Album out Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 12th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

ether feather new abyss video

Sleeper hit. Ether Feather‘s debut album, Devil – Shadowless – Hand, isn’t the kind of record people hear, but it’s the kind of record they wish they’d heard later, and whatever pomp may or may not surround its arrival, the eight-track/37-minute oh-so-vinyl-ready outing digs into a heavy desert rock weirdness that owes surprisingly little allegiance to that style or any other, instead rolling out with an amorphous, go-where-it-wants sensibility that results in the dream-tone-into-chug of opener and longest track (immediate points) “Falconer,” while ditties like “Interstellar” and the later drift-jam “New Abyss” and the clunk-punk geometry-jazz “Haggard Hawk” do what they wilt to serve the song in question. The tendency throughout seems to be toward experimentalism on the part of drummer/vocalist Dylan Ryan, guitarist Tim Young and bassist Sylvia Black — none of whom arrives without pedigree, as you can read below — but that experimentalism is likewise drawn into the purpose of songwriting, and not simply thrown out to the listener in as-is fashion.

That holds true even on the lead guitar and maybe-synth exploration “Dawn of Orion,” which follows the crunchy post-grunge texture of “Cayenne” with two minutes that would otherwise be an interlude if they didn’t add so much to the proceedings on the whole in terms of vibe ahead of the closing duo “Your Half in the Middle” and “The Ultimate Halcyon,” which both resolve themselves in raucous fashion but aren’t at all limited to rush or pummel in their approach. Particularly in the latter, one is reminded of some of Rob Crow‘s vocal melodicism, but if what that actually means is Ether Feather are bizarre and progressive, then take it as you will. Their first album is less a direct statement of intent than the laying claim to a swath of ground for future expansion — which is to say, I don’t think they’re going to get any less weird over time. But that’s only good news, as what they bring to that in terms of craft is an engaging fleetness of rhythm and a strong presence in terms of tone and personality. Again, sleeper hit. I know there’s a lot of stuff out there, and Devil – Shadowless – Hand might take a couple listens before it sinks in, but meeting it on its own level is worth the effort in the end.

As further persuasion, Ether Feather premiere their cinematic video for “New Abyss” below. I’m pretty sure they’re out there where Kirk fought the Gorn — so yes, Cestus III — and that’s awesome, but beyond that, consider it as evidence of how haphazard Devil – Shadowless – Hand isn’t that they’d put together a clip for a track and use it as the genuine opportunity to tell a story that it is, not simply playing the track in their rehearsal space, but directing a narrative that works to complement the song in mood and style. I’m a firm believer in happy accidents, and I’m sure there are a couple on the Ether Feather record, but there’s no lack of consideration surrounding.

Enjoy the video:

Ether Feather, “New Abyss” official video

What resides in the ether? Floating like a lead balloon in Ether Feather’s inverse universe is the meeting point between Black Sabbath, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kyuss and Captain Beefheart.

The Los Angeles trio’s sound is a weighty, swinging brand of desert rock influenced heft informed by elements of No Wave, free jazz and post-punk. It’s not jammy for jam’s sake, nor is it neo-jazzbo navel gazing – it’s crafty and astute, head-bobbing thud with a flair for tasteful melodic quirks.

Ether Feather is the brainchild of L.A.-by-way-of-Chicago drummer/vocalist Dylan Ryan, who has also played with Man Man, Cursive, Red Krayola and more. The newly minted trio includes guitarist Tim Young (guitarist on the Late Late Show and studio player: Todd Rundgren, Mike Patton, Fiona Apple) and bassist Sylvia Black (Lydia Lunch.) The band arose from a previous incarnation called SAND, featuring Ryan and Young, which had released two albums in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Ether Feather is:
Tim Young, Guitar
Sylvia Black, Bass
Dylan Ryan, Drums & Vocals

Ether Feather, Devil – Shadowless – Hand (2019)

Ether Feather on Thee Facebooks

Ether Feather on Instagram

Ether Feather on Bandcamp

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Ether Feather to Release Devil – Shadowless – Hand Sept. 6; New Song Streaming

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 11th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

ether feather

Sometimes a band takes unexpected turns that require a complete re-think of their central project. That seems to have been the case with Ether Feather, who emerge with their debut long-player, Devil – Shadowless – Hand, after growing out of guitarist Tim Young and drummer/vocalist Dylan Ryan‘s previous outfit, Sand. Whatever other changes may have taken place in the sound, Ether Feather is legitimately a better name, and while they’ve got Sylvia Black on bass now, it seems going by their Bandcamp page for the track “Interstellar” streaming below that it might be Devin Hoff who played on the record or at this one song. Either way, the record is out Sept. 6 and I was digging the melody and the stylistic blend on it, so though I haven’t heard the full record as yet, it seemed worth posting. Plus they pretty much nailed the promo shot above, and you gotta respect that. Nicely done, folks.

Art, info, links and audio follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

ether feather devil shadowless hand

Ether Feather share first track from forthcoming full length debut

L.A. trio plays hooky heavy psych w/ proto-punk & prog flair

L.A. trio Ether Feather share the first track from their forthcoming full length debut today.

What resides in the ether? Floating like a lead balloon in Ether Feather’s inverse universe is the meeting point between Black Sabbath, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kyuss and Captain Beefheart.

The Los Angeles trio’s sound is a weighty, swinging brand of desert rock influenced heft informed by elements of No Wave, free jazz and post-punk. It’s not jammy for jam’s sake, nor is it neo-jazzbo navel gazing – it’s crafty and astute, head-bobbing thud with a flair for tasteful melodic quirks.

Ether Feather is the brainchild of L.A.-by-way-of-Chicago drummer/vocalist Dylan Ryan, who has also played with Man Man, Cursive, Red Krayola and more. The newly minted trio includes guitarist Tim Young (guitarist on the Late Late Show and studio player: Todd Rundgren, Mike Patton, Fiona Apple) and bassist Sylvia Black (Lydia Lunch.) The band arose from a previous incarnation called SAND, featuring Ryan and Young, which had released two albums in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

“By the time I started writing the third Sand record, it became clear the music was shifting from the Mahavishnu-esque mid 70’s-fusion to more part-oriented structures and the songs seemed to want vocals,” Ryan explains. Encouraged by engineer Andrew Murdock (Alice Cooper, Lou Barlow) while tracking new songs, the band embraced stylistic shifts and emerged anew with an EP, Other Memory in 2017. After touring that material a couple of times with bands like Cursive and Minus the Bear, Ether Feather further honed its sound to form the hook laden 8-track debut album, Devil – Shadowless – Hand.

“Ether Feather is definitely a band where we can try weirder stuff and stretch out creatively in ways that may not be appropriate in other musical situations,” Ryan says. “We can mix and blend aesthetics and make hard turns. Tim was in the Pacific Northwest during the first wave of grunge and brings something very different from me to the table, having come up in the late 90’s Chicago No Wave/Free Jazz/Metal scene.”

Album opener “Falconer” pits a chugging Helmet-eque guitar riff against Ghost-like harmonies and indie rock rhythms before busting open with a beautiful stadium rock guitar solo. Elsewhere, “Your Half In the Middle” floats along, led by the Byrds-esque vocal harmonies of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” with similar juxtaposition of melody and ominous tones. “New Abyss” flexes the band’s jazz chops, but moreso in the manner of Richard Hell & The Voidoids or the Minutemen waxing prog-punk. Throughout, every song is full of surprising and enchanting musical twists that keep each song exciting and demanding repeat listens.

Devil – Shadowless – Hand will be available to stream and download on September 6th, 2019.

Artist: Ether Feather
Album: In Devil – Shadowless – Hand
Label: Ether Feather
Release date: September 6th, 2019

01. Falconer
02. Interstellar
03. Haggard Hawk
04. New Abyss
05. Cayenne
06. Dawn of Orion
07. Your Half In The Middle
08. The Ultimate Halcyon

Ether Feather is:
Tim Young, Guitar
Sylvia Black, Bass
Dylan Ryan, Drums & Vocals

facebook.com/etherfeatherband
instagram.com/etherfeatherband
https://etherfeather.bandcamp.com/

Ether Feather, “Interstellar”

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