“We welcome Blackout Transmission onto our radar. . . one of the finest bands to come out of Los Angeles, California recently; a quartet that rocks between alternative rock and shoegaze.
One of the most spectacular debut albums of this year and other recent years. They sound like a light in the dark; a hope in the face of adversity. They sound like so many things that stir the fibers and take sighs. And we rub our hands over what may be the beginning of a promising career.”
Last month, New Noise Magazine premiered Sparse Illumination, the debut LP from L.A.-based post-punk outfit Blackout Transmission. Collectively, the eight tracks on the album, out now through Etxe Records, combine for a tight 34-minute dose of post-punk, shoegaze, and neo-psychedelia that evokes low-shutter-speed nocturnal journeys through desert canyons and winding coastal highways
Read MoreQuite a bit of UK shoegaze influence comes through only a few minutes into Sparse Illumination, recalling different periods of classic bands like Ride, Swervedriver, and Catherine Wheel. But where some of the well-known albums from those artists still had more of a driving tempo, Blackout Transmission chooses to instead embrace a more laid-back and hypnotic approach to their songwriting which brings in just as much inspiration from psychedelic rock. But where this band starts to deviate is in the darker textures they bring to the table, as rather than maintaining the consistently brighter tonality songs like “Heavy Circles” and “Pacifica” head in darker and noisier directions by the end, bringing some of the grittiness of their home city into the music. It’s the type of album that you can put on, close your eyes, and totally lose yourself in as the textures wash over you and, in that regard, Sparse Illumination remains consistent from beginning to end.
Read More“Bright and gleaming at times, warm and meditative at others, Sparse Illumination effectively creates a seamless, lysergic journey filled [that] . . . nails the shimmering, chiming guitar sounds of the 80s Liverpool and Manchester scenes .. with irresistible grooves soothing, ethereal vocals recalling Ian McCulloch at his finest.”
As a full body of work, Echoes & Dust states that “this is above all an album dripping in psych; and while it never reaches the heights of space rock, it delivers an abundance of mesmeric moments that touch the stratosphere. Sparse Illumination it may be, but this soundscape has more than enough candlepower to light up our permanent pandemic twilight.”
Read MoreOn January 20, 2021, Blackout Transmission released their second single Heavy Circles from their forthcoming debut long-player Sparse Illumination out in February 19, 2021.
Read MoreHighlands, a brand new Etxe Records artist from Long Beach, CA - are sharing a snippet of a video (Dir: Chad Huff) supporting their forthcoming single "Dr. Ron". Etxe Records will be releasing the band's full-length LP "wish you were" on November 1st, 2019
Read MoreEtxe Records is proud to release Los Angeles based dream-pop duo Magic Wands’ third album Abrakadabra this Friday July 13th, 2018 on classic black vinyl with digital download.
Abrakadabra is a new and exciting body of work that captures dream wave duo Magic Wands signature expertise at infusing sweet, catchy pop tracks with intricate and sophisticated layers of powerful, transcendental and mystical moods and textures.
Recorded at Voltiv Studios in LA and produced by Phil Galloni and the band themselves and mastered by Tim Young (The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine), new album Abrakadabra features 10 tracks with an extra track "Puzzle Of Love" for vinyl orders.
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