dream pop

Louisiana-bred, Brooklyn-based recording artist Julianna Barwick crafts ethereal, largely wordless soundscapes, all of which are built around multiple loops and layers of her angelic voice. Barwick, who credits a rural, church choir upbringing for her unique sound, begins most tracks with a single phrase or refrain, then uses a loop station and the occasional piano or percussive instrument to build the song into a swirling mass of lush, ambient folk.

Fifty Six is Joel Chapen, a solo artist from Los Angeles. His music is nostalgic shoegaze with folk roots, a lush atmospheric pop music with breathy ethereal vocals over down tempo electronic music. Joel’s haunting vocal sound carries the listener into the somber mood of Fifty Six with a dreamy sadness. The songs arrangements carry a feeling of plaintive harmony on the back of his classical acoustic guitars’ muted warmth. There is a profound sense of nostalgia that permeates all of the music of Fifty Six.

There are at least 4 bands known as Bears: 1. An indie pop band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band consists of Craig Ramsey (drums, vocals, keys, bells, tambourine, guitar, bass) and Charlie McArthur (guitar, vocals, bass, bells). Bears released a self-titled CD/LP in 2006, an EP called Shortest Day of the Year in 2007, a 7" single called Who Knows in 2008, a second album, Simple Machinery, in 2008, a 7" called Snowman in 2009. A third album is set to be released in 2010. More info at: www.myspace.com/bearspop and www.bearspop.com

Founding Puro Instinct (formerly Pearl Harbor) members Piper and Skylar Kaplan began playing together in the summer of '08 with no experience and no idea what they were getting themselves into. After a year or so, they put together a proper band (Dodi Porter, Jessie Clavin, Mike Baum, and Crazy Murray) to begin crafting their ethereal pop confections. Armed with a barrage of gorgeously intertwining guitar lines, vocals drenched in swooning reverb, and a subtle tsunami of dark synth melodies.