bombuzaka
una graditissima anticipazione di quello che ci porterà finalmente il 2024, il nuovo e attesissimo disco dei Valerian Swing. non vedo l'ora ragazzi, in alto i cuori!!!
Favorite track: A Sea in Your Divine Fast - Isan Remix.
Since their inception a decade and a half ago, Valerian Swing has blazed a singular path perpendicular to genre tropes, touching on styles and moods long enough for a listener to attain familiarity but in fleeting enough fashion that a graceful avoidance of expectation should be the only assumption one can make about a new release of theirs. Shades of a wide variety of genres and sub-genres color their music - post-hardcore, math rock, post-rock, prog, psychedelia, etc - but do little to capture the vibrant intensity conveyed by their songs.
Less obvious though is the steady beating heart of expansive textural elements incorporated into their work. Melody and counterpoint are present even in the most intense and visceral moments of their music, the impact of which is heightened through subtle shadings of tranquil ambient sound design that briefly emerge then disappear, underscoring the music’s graceful fluidity.
As a sort of Rosetta Stone for decoding these components, the band commissioned electronic remixes of two songs from their 2011 album “A Sailor Lost Around The Earth” that bring these elements to the forefront, both allowing them to develop into their own form and to add dimensions to the band’s established aesthetic. The subdued quasi-ambient downtempo of ISAN might seem like the polar opposite of Valerian Swing’s frantic technicality but such a starkly contrasting aesthetic sets the tone for the remixes while also shining a light into the deepest recesses of the song’s core. Likewise, Simon Scott’s remix of “It Shines” filters the original through both the ethereal grace of his work with Slowdive and an otherworldly, rapturous cacophony the intensity of which defies expectations regarding ambient convention.
Previously available only as bonus tracks on the now out-of-print vinyl pressing of their 2011 album “A Sailor Lost Around The Earth”, Pax Aeternum is proud to present them as a standalone EP available on all streaming services that can help to expand certain details of Valerian Swing’s panoramic approach to songcraft in anticipation of new material from the band to be released in 2024.
credits
released January 9, 2024
All songs originally written, arranged, and performed by Valerian Swing (Stefano Villani, David Ferretti, Alan Ferioli)
Produced, mixed, and engineered by Matt Bayles at Red Room in Seattle, WA
These particular tracks were remixed by Isan and Simon Scott
Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI/CD Mastering in Seattle, WA
Trombone on "It Shines" by Gianluca Petrella
Strings on "A Sea in Your Divine Fast" and "It Shines" by Esther Shin and Seth Warren
A heavy blend of post-rock and shoegaze from Argentina's Ox en Mayo Alto rides big emotional crests and contemplative valleys. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 27, 2021
Three renditions of “Snowflakes in July” explore all aspects of the song’s stunning beauty, including a mind-blowing 17-minute live version. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 15, 2020
The proceeds of this extensive compilation of punk and rock go towards the healthcare costs of beloved musician Dan Wild-Beesley. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 21, 2017