Destroyalldreamers
Encyclopedia
Destroyalldreamers was a four-piece instrumental shoegaze band based in Montreal
, Canada
consisting of guitarists Eric Quach and Mathieu Grisé, drummer
Shaun Doré and former bassist
Michèle Martin. Their sound has often been described as a mix of classic '90's shoegazing with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
-like aesthetics. They have released two full-length studio albums, both of them on Montreal's Where Are My independent record label
. The quartet is known for their extensive use of effects pedals and for mixing elements of shoegaze, wall of sound and post-rock
, which has had many fans categorize them as post-shoegaze. Although the group has shown interest in recording new material, it has been inactive since 2007, its members pursuing other projects.
". The whole inscription reads "destroy all dreamers w/debt+depression...".
The line-up was soon completed with the addition of guitarist Mathieu Grisé and bassist Michèle Martin, who contributed to Quach's and Doré's early compositions. Within a year, the band's self-titled debut EP "Destroyalldreamers" was released.
The four-piece went on to record their debut full-length album, the critically acclaimed À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant
[sic] in 2004, which gained the band recognition on the shoegazing scene and allowed them to contribute to various compilations in 2006, among such artists as Hammock
and Eluvium, to name a few. The year of 2006 also saw the band record the EP Glare/Halo
, released on Claire's Echo record label, a subsidiary of Clairecord. The EP consists of material that would later be presented on their second album, along with two exclusive compositions.
The recording of their second full-length album, entitled Wish I Was All Flames
, was completed in the fall of 2006, but its release was put on hold until the fall of 2007 due to bassist Michèle Martin's departure from the group. Maxime Racicot, a close friend of the remaining members, replaced Martin for live performances which supported the release of the sophomore full-length. On October 21, 2007 a live show, which served as the album launch, was recorded at Divan Orange, a popular independent Montreal music venue. A blog entry on the band's myspace page on December 16, 2009 stated that this recording had been made available as a free download.
/drone
project started circa 2005 under the name thisquietarmy, which is also the name of Quach's own independent record label. He has already released several recordings, including EPs, LPs and collaborations with such artists as Aidan Baker
, notably from Toronto
's drone metal
band Nadja
, with whom Quach has participated in a European Tour in 2009.
Since her departure from the band in late 2006, Michèle Martin has been working on her own self-proclaimed "classical romantic electronica
" project Dianes in Danger, in which she plays most instruments, with the help of programmer
/sound manipulator
Erroir. She has also had guests of the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal perform on some of her recordings.
Mathieu Grisé has released a few albums under his moniker Ixe-13, named after the Jacques Godbout 1972 film, and is also part of the collaborative effort Le Chat Blanc Orchestra with Pascal Asselin from Millimetrik.
Professional Reviews:
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
consisting of guitarists Eric Quach and Mathieu Grisé, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Shaun Doré and former bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Michèle Martin. Their sound has often been described as a mix of classic '90's shoegazing with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
-like aesthetics. They have released two full-length studio albums, both of them on Montreal's Where Are My independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
. The quartet is known for their extensive use of effects pedals and for mixing elements of shoegaze, wall of sound and post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, which has had many fans categorize them as post-shoegaze. Although the group has shown interest in recording new material, it has been inactive since 2007, its members pursuing other projects.
History
Destroyalldreamers was formed in 2002 by guitarist Eric Quach and drummer Shaun Doré. The name Destroyalldreamers was taken from a phrase written on the disc of Montreal's influential experimental rock ensemble Thee Silver Mt. Zion's first release "He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms...He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms...
-CD edition:-Personnel:A Silver Mt. Zion*Thierry Amar – double bass, bass guitar, production*Efrim Menuck – piano, guitar, organ, vocals, radio, production*Sophie Trudeau – violin, vocalsOther musicians...
". The whole inscription reads "destroy all dreamers w/debt+depression...".
The line-up was soon completed with the addition of guitarist Mathieu Grisé and bassist Michèle Martin, who contributed to Quach's and Doré's early compositions. Within a year, the band's self-titled debut EP "Destroyalldreamers" was released.
The four-piece went on to record their debut full-length album, the critically acclaimed À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant
À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant
-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach – guitar, cover art* Mathieu Grisé – guitar* Michèle Martin – bass* Shaun Doré – drumsProduction* Patrick Lacharité – recording, mixing, artwork design* Mike Baker – mastering...
[sic] in 2004, which gained the band recognition on the shoegazing scene and allowed them to contribute to various compilations in 2006, among such artists as Hammock
Hammock (band)
Hammock is an American two-member post-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. With music created in between production and songwriting projects over the course of two years, Hammock combines live instrumentation, electronic beats, and droning guitar into atmospheric music similar in style to the work...
and Eluvium, to name a few. The year of 2006 also saw the band record the EP Glare/Halo
Glare/Halo
-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach - guitar, mixing, artwork, photography* Mathieu Grisé - guitar* Michèle Martin - bass guitar* Shaun Doré - drums, mixing assistantProduction* Shane Whitbread - recording* Martin Valence - recording...
, released on Claire's Echo record label, a subsidiary of Clairecord. The EP consists of material that would later be presented on their second album, along with two exclusive compositions.
The recording of their second full-length album, entitled Wish I Was All Flames
Wish I Was All Flames
-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach - guitar, mixing, artwork design* Mathieu Grisé - guitar* Michèle Martin - bass guitar* Shaun Doré - drums, mixingProduction* Shane Whitbread - recording for drums on tracks 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10...
, was completed in the fall of 2006, but its release was put on hold until the fall of 2007 due to bassist Michèle Martin's departure from the group. Maxime Racicot, a close friend of the remaining members, replaced Martin for live performances which supported the release of the sophomore full-length. On October 21, 2007 a live show, which served as the album launch, was recorded at Divan Orange, a popular independent Montreal music venue. A blog entry on the band's myspace page on December 16, 2009 stated that this recording had been made available as a free download.
Studio Albums
- Destroyalldreamers, 2003 EP
- À Coeur Léger Sommeil SanglantÀ Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach – guitar, cover art* Mathieu Grisé – guitar* Michèle Martin – bass* Shaun Doré – drumsProduction* Patrick Lacharité – recording, mixing, artwork design* Mike Baker – mastering...
, 2004 LP - Glare/HaloGlare/Halo-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach - guitar, mixing, artwork, photography* Mathieu Grisé - guitar* Michèle Martin - bass guitar* Shaun Doré - drums, mixing assistantProduction* Shane Whitbread - recording* Martin Valence - recording...
, 2007 EP - Wish I Was All FlamesWish I Was All Flames-Personnel:Destroyalldreamers* Eric Quach - guitar, mixing, artwork design* Mathieu Grisé - guitar* Michèle Martin - bass guitar* Shaun Doré - drums, mixingProduction* Shane Whitbread - recording for drums on tracks 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10...
, 2007 LP
Compilations
- Je l'ai fait pour toi, 2003, released on Where Are My Records - Provided track Victoire sur le Soleil
- Never Lose That Feeling, Volume Two, 2006, released on Club AC30 - Provided cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Souvlaki Space Station by SlowdiveSlowdiveSlowdive were an English shoegaze band that formed in 1989. The band formed in Reading, Berkshire and primarily consisted of Nick Chaplin , Rachel Goswell , Neil Halstead , and Christian Savill...
. - Ode to Roger, 2006, released on Autres Directions in Music and on Diesel Combustible - Provided cover version of a track from Propergol y Colargol's "Charly Roger..."
Original Line-up
The original line-up recorded all studio albums and performed together until the fall of 2006.- Eric Quach - Guitar
- Shaun Doré - Drums
- Mathieu Grisé - Guitar
- Michèle Martin - Bass
Other Musicians
Following Michèle Martin's departure in the fall of 2006, the group "got back together as an official three-piece" in 2007, with other musicians filling up on bass.- Maxime Racicot - Bass on Live @ Divan Orange 2007-10-21Live @ Divan Orange 2007-10-21Live @ Divan Orange 2007-10-21 is a live album by the Montreal-based instrumental shoegaze band Destroyalldreamers which was released as a free internet download in 2009. It was recorded on October 21, 2007, at Divan Orange, a popular Montreal independent music venue...
Other Musical Projects
Guitarist Eric Quach is currently working on a solo ambientAmbient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
/drone
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
project started circa 2005 under the name thisquietarmy, which is also the name of Quach's own independent record label. He has already released several recordings, including EPs, LPs and collaborations with such artists as Aidan Baker
Aidan Baker
Aidan Baker is a musician from Toronto, Canada who has released numerous records both as a solo artist and with his groups Nadja, ARC, and Mnemosyne. He has also written several books of poetry....
, notably from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's drone metal
Drone metal
Drone metal is a style of heavy metal that melds the slow tempos and heaviness of doom metal with the long-duration tones of drone music...
band Nadja
Nadja (band)
Nadja is a duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff . Nadja began in 2003 as a solo project for Baker to explore the heavier/noisier side of his experimental/ambient music performed mainly on the electric guitar...
, with whom Quach has participated in a European Tour in 2009.
Since her departure from the band in late 2006, Michèle Martin has been working on her own self-proclaimed "classical romantic electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
" project Dianes in Danger, in which she plays most instruments, with the help of programmer
Programming (music)
Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
/sound manipulator
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Erroir. She has also had guests of the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal perform on some of her recordings.
Mathieu Grisé has released a few albums under his moniker Ixe-13, named after the Jacques Godbout 1972 film, and is also part of the collaborative effort Le Chat Blanc Orchestra with Pascal Asselin from Millimetrik.
See also
- List of Shoegazing Musicians
- List of Post-Rock Bands
- List of Montreal Music Groups
External links
Resources:- Official website
- Destroyalldreamers' Myspace - Official MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page - Destroyalldreamers on last.fm - last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
profile
Professional Reviews:
- Destroyalldreamers - Almost Cool
- [ À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant] - Allmusic
- À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant - Somewhere Cold Webzine
- À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant - Montreal MirrorMontreal MirrorMontreal Mirror is a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a circulation of 70,000, and reaches a quarter of a million readers per week. It is published by Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée....
- Wish I Was All Flames - Losing Today