Space Daze Delivers Remote View EP

As long time Seapony supporters, we’ve also always been into Danny Rowland’s solo effort, Space Daze. Today we bring you great news that the project has a brand new Remote View EP for you this morning. Listening through to the opening track, it’s clear that Rowland is building layers of guitar atop one another, building texture into the tune to add this moving depth. Still, the guitar work has the focus throughout, which is sort of the personality of the work here, tied to a less dreamy brand than what we might previously have found in his work. Step into Danny’s world and enjoy some fresh Space Daze tracks!

Space Daze Release Visible Spectrum

Before Space Daze, Danny Rowland played in Seapony; I was fortunate to book them for this great show at SXSW where they played with Twerps and Suckers next to a chicken coop. But, the last few years Danny’s really been focusing on his solo stuff, and while there are some sonic similarities to the work, he’s clearly making things his own on the new Visible Spectrum EP. I think you just need to listen to “Don’t Mind” to hear him breaking free of dreamier tendencies and going straight for the bouncing pop jugular! Honestly, I love the contrast of the guitar sound against the steady thump of the beat on this tune, all the while Danny sings just in the distance. But, to be honest, you’d be remiss if you skipped past any of these songs, so just be good to yourself and enjoy the EP below!

New Music from Space Daze

Danny Rowland has a handful of releases with his band Seapony, but he also has just as many under his solo project, Space Daze. The latter utilizes a similarly dreamy aspect, though there’s this clarity that makes the pop sensibility a little more sharp in the speakers. On this tune, you can see where Real Estate comparisons slide in, though I’m feeling as if this tune has this element of thoughtfulness that really rewards a listener. Sitting back, this song just washes over you, carrying away needless worries and replacing them with a bounding melody; you don’t get that with your every day guitar ditty. Look for Too Mystical via Lost Sound Tapes (whoa, twice in one day) on February 8th.

The Return of Seapony

Like many fans of dreamy indiepop, there are few things better than seeing one of the bands you adored spring back to life after announcing the end. Thanks to IPSML I was pointed to the fact that Seapony have quietly returned, with promise of the brand new Be Here Again EP to come in late August; it’s their first release since 2015 when they said they were calling it a day after releasing the vastly overlooked A Vision. I love this band so much I once booked them for one of our favorite SXSW gigs in a backyard on blacktop next to a chicken coop with a table full of Deep Eddy vodka…and to this day don’t ever think I’ll top that show. You enjoy the song. I’m just going to sit here grinning at my desk.

Dreamy Pop from Superstar

superstarJust the other day I was lamenting the fact that Seapony wasn’t around anymore; I’ll always love the way they blended dream pop with elements of jangle and surf influences. Still, I needed a replacement, and while Superstar has pulled back on the jangling side, they definitely emit the same emotional pull that I found in the aforementioned band. Aside from the emotional appeal, I really enjoy the fact that the songs on their new album, Table for Two, are long, so you have plenty to digest. The record is being handled by Bedroom Suck Records, an always reliable source of good tunes.

Another Friday Fun Jam from Seapony

poniesI swear just a few weeks ago I had a Friday tune from Seapony to share with you, and now the band are right back at it again. In listening to the band’s first few singles off their new album, it seems like they’ve upped the production, or the recording itself; the wall of gaze that lurked in earlier efforts has been pulled back for a more direct pop sensibility.  Still, that doesn’t mean the band’s wistful style is gone, just turned a little left is all.  Look for their new record, A Vision, which the band will be releasing themselves, on July 31st.

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Summer Song from Space Daze

spaceThis track was tossed out a few weeks back, and I completely let it slip my mind how incredible it was, until now.  Space Daze is the side-proejct of singer/guitarist Danny Rowland of Seapony, and as he readies a record, he’s offered up this delightful tune.  It’s similar to the work of his main act, holding onto the sincerity of great pop songs, featuring gentle guitar and a really light vocal touch.  His album is titled Follow My Light Back Home, and it this song is any indicator, we’re going to have a great summer album to enjoy when it’s released next week.

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Seapony – Falling

Rating: ★★★½☆

These days there seems to be a real abundance in lo-fi, dream and twee pop. In recent years, the indie world has witnessed and transitioned into a world filled with that of these genres, but with the overwhelming growth of the shoe-gaze movement, how does a fan sift through the vast amount of music and find the bands that do it right? What makes a lo-fi band stand out against the masses?

Seapony stands out in the overwhelmingly bright and sunny nature of their pop tunes as well as the ever-apparent guitar hooks that are featured throughout the music. A little over a year ago, they introduced you to their take on dream pop with Go With Me, which seemed to fit perfectly into the summery bedroom listening category. On this sophomore release, lead vocalist Jen Weidl and company are back with more cheery guitar riffs and jangly percussion to dance to. Up first is “Outside,” that throws listeners into the swing of things right from the start. Weidl’s sugary vocals are a distorted, making them a bit heavier on this song than on the majority of the other songs that can be found on this album. The guitars jangle along with these gritty vocals, while the drums punch in the background. It’s not the fastest of songs, but it certainly gives you a taste of what Seapony is all about.

There isn’t much to complain about on Falling. The songs work together well so as to avoid repetition and banality, but there are also standouts to be found in this mix. Such a noticeably grand number is “Follow,” which relies on the dreamy and ever feminine voice of Weidl and the glorious focus on the guitar riff. It’s a song that sounds so blissful that you can practically feel a cool breeze on your face. An equally beautiful song comes on the single for this album, “Prove to Me.” As opposed to “Follow,” the guitar is set further back into the other instrumentation and the vocals so that it blends in, but is also able to float to the surface and become the center of the song in places.

My only qualm with this record is that it is perhaps a little too sunny, if that’s possible. It feels like Falling should maybe have been released a few months ago, when the weather was heating up and not cooling down. But it’s still quite hot here in ATX, so soak up this radiance before the leaves start to change and the wind blows cold.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Seapony_ProveToMe.mp3]

Download:Seapony – Prove To Me [MP3]

Falling is out now via Hardly Art. 

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