Blue Haze: Psych-Gaze

            This is a review of the EP Blue Haze (2012) by Wild Eyes, and the seventh review on this blog.

            Instead of talking about how I found yet another amazing band, I'll talk about its sound.  Fans of My Bloody Valentine and psych-rock alike will likely find common ground in enjoying this EP.  It has loads of reverb, but also general alt-rock influences, and melodies to die for.
            This is an inspiring EP, and deserving of mention, despite its barely 14 minute length spread over 4 songs.  Wild Eyes is an LA-based shoegaze band, but their sound doesn’t feel Hollywood-ized (overly pop-ish), with drone vocals and a sound in between a happy kind of more-structured goth-rock, and psychedelic-shoegaze.
            Here’s my TBT:

            “Blue Haze” starts the EP.  The opening is great, and the track carries its shoegaze soul to the max.  I think I hear some resonators in there, though it might just be amazing guitar eq.  Vocals are slightly psych-rock, but they don’t betray the track’s shoegaze roots.  Drums nearly blast the track into a new century, without seeming too fast or high in the mix.  It's probably my favorite track on the EP.

            “Ride” brings together feedback, an energetic (and heavily compressed) drumbeat, soft drone vocals, and great bass and guitar collaboration, and puts them right in the reverb chamber.  It has a certain kind of psychedelia about it, which is a good example of the EP's psychedelic influence or direction.  When feedback is used properly, like in this song, it sounds mind-altering.

            “When It’s Over” is the pop song, if the rest of the album were straight up rock.  MBV-style glide-guitar solos gently raise the chorus’s drone-vox to ecstasy, and the cymbals are just in that perfect frequency (pitch and tempo) zone for addictiveness.  It reminds me of parts of Pink Floyd's Live at Pompeii movie, especially when the lead guitar's single-tone glide-guitar delves into an even deeper atmosphere than the other tracks.

            “Summer” is more indie, and the guitar and vocal eqs shoot down to near-mid-range bandpasses.  Not a lot of high-freq stuff, except the once-again addictive hi-hat.  I wouldn’t have ended on this one, because the other tracks are more complex, both melodically and equalization-wise.  I’m not against indie, but when it comes to shoegaze, it rarely mixes perfectly for my tastes, though it's still worthwhile listening to this song.

            Overall, the EP is a strong psych-shoegaze work, and Wild Eyes is releasing new material later in the month, which, given the consistency of Blue Haze, should be great. You can stream Blue Haze EP for free at http://wildeyestheband.bandcamp.com, and purchase a CD-quality download of it at the same link.