Lovesliescrushing
Encyclopedia
Lovesliescrushing is a dream pop
, lo-fi
, ambient
, noise
band, that formed in the fall of 1991 in East Lansing, Michigan
and later moved to Tucson, Arizona
. The two primary members of the band are Scott Cortez (guitars, loops, treatments) and Melissa Arpin-Duimstra (vocals). Other musicians join the group for live performances. Auxiliary members have included Andrew Prinz, Alyssa Browne of Mahogany, and Michael Anderson Drekka.
, Sonic Youth
and Einstürzende Neubauten
did in the '80s, but to a different end. They are often accused of using keyboards on their albums, an honest mistake due to the otherworldly sound that they achieve. Cortez was proud of the fact that guitar and voice were the only sound sources and that all of their music was done on a 4 track. This is an important and oft-forgotten note, hence the lo-fi tag. They eschew keyboards and the studio due to aesthetic and economic reasons. The Lovesliescrushing sound is typefied by loops and has always been identified by its lack of drums and its reliance on Scott Cortez' skill at "wreaking all manner of beautiful sonic mayhem from his guitar."
Between 1996 and 2002, Scott Cortez left Projekt Records to front Astrobrite
on the Sonic Syrup label.
In 1997, Cortez and Michael Anderson (of Drekka) formed two short lived projects, entitled Transient Stellar and Vir
. Transient Stellar performed as lovesliescrushing at Projektfest 1997, utilizing an early melding of jungle and shoegaze. The decidedly more experimental Vir
released a 7" on Drone Records, a lovesliescrushing remix on Bluesanct, a compilation tracks for the magazine 'Losing Yesterday' and an interpretation of a work by Japanese sound artist Aube
for the 'Rewriting the Book' compilation on Elsie & Jack Recordings. Many unreleased recordings by both groups exist and may come out at some point.
In 2000 Cortez began experimenting with the digital realm by dumping his 4 track recordings into a computer to expand production. The process resulted in two sister albums released as glissceule and voirshn. Cortez dubbed the new sound "glitch bliss," due to the digital manipulations of signature voice and guitar wash layers. Bands that covered similar terrain were Seefeel
, Zoviet France
, Windy & Carl
, Main (band)
, Flying Saucer Attack
, and Cocteau Twins
; new progenitors are artists like Fennesz and Belong.
In 2005 lovesliescrushing eshewed guitar altogether to release an a cappella
album. His latest project STAR can be seen and heard on their website.
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
, lo-fi
Lo-fi music
Lo-fi is lower quality of sound recordings than the usual standard for music. The qualities of lo-fi are usually achieved by either degrading the quality of the recorded audio, or using certain equipment. Recent uses of the phrase have led to it becoming a genre, although it still remains as an...
, ambient
Ambient 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 :...
, noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
band, that formed in the fall of 1991 in East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
and later moved to Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. The two primary members of the band are Scott Cortez (guitars, loops, treatments) and Melissa Arpin-Duimstra (vocals). Other musicians join the group for live performances. Auxiliary members have included Andrew Prinz, Alyssa Browne of Mahogany, and Michael Anderson Drekka.
Sound
Their sound has been compared mainly to that of My Bloody Valentine. Unlike MBV, however, Lovesliescrushing has a sound less dependent on traditional song structures and vocals. With a penchant for guitar tonality and soft vocals, while burying the result under layers of effects, they combine noise and melody in unique ways. The emphasis has always been on texture, hence the unorthodox manner of playing strings with metal, nails, chopsticks, screwdrivers, vibrators and violin bows, to create new tones, much like Glenn BrancaGlenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
did in the '80s, but to a different end. They are often accused of using keyboards on their albums, an honest mistake due to the otherworldly sound that they achieve. Cortez was proud of the fact that guitar and voice were the only sound sources and that all of their music was done on a 4 track. This is an important and oft-forgotten note, hence the lo-fi tag. They eschew keyboards and the studio due to aesthetic and economic reasons. The Lovesliescrushing sound is typefied by loops and has always been identified by its lack of drums and its reliance on Scott Cortez' skill at "wreaking all manner of beautiful sonic mayhem from his guitar."
Between 1996 and 2002, Scott Cortez left Projekt Records to front Astrobrite
Astrobrite
- Overview :Astrobrite is shoegazing/noise-pop supergroup project from the musician Scott Cortez . Astrobrite began in 1994 as a solo project and in 1995 the band expanded in order to tour. Astrobrite played their last show in 1997 and went on hiatus. In 2001, Astrobrite's first album 'Crush' was...
on the Sonic Syrup label.
In 1997, Cortez and Michael Anderson (of Drekka) formed two short lived projects, entitled Transient Stellar and Vir
Vir
Vir is an island on the Croatian coast of Adriatic sea located north of the city of Zadar. It is connected to the mainland via a road bridge. The only village on the island is the eponymous village of Vir, with a population of 1,608 .-Overpopulation:...
. Transient Stellar performed as lovesliescrushing at Projektfest 1997, utilizing an early melding of jungle and shoegaze. The decidedly more experimental Vir
Vir
Vir is an island on the Croatian coast of Adriatic sea located north of the city of Zadar. It is connected to the mainland via a road bridge. The only village on the island is the eponymous village of Vir, with a population of 1,608 .-Overpopulation:...
released a 7" on Drone Records, a lovesliescrushing remix on Bluesanct, a compilation tracks for the magazine 'Losing Yesterday' and an interpretation of a work by Japanese sound artist Aube
Aube
Aube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
for the 'Rewriting the Book' compilation on Elsie & Jack Recordings. Many unreleased recordings by both groups exist and may come out at some point.
In 2000 Cortez began experimenting with the digital realm by dumping his 4 track recordings into a computer to expand production. The process resulted in two sister albums released as glissceule and voirshn. Cortez dubbed the new sound "glitch bliss," due to the digital manipulations of signature voice and guitar wash layers. Bands that covered similar terrain were Seefeel
Seefeel
Seefeel are a British electronic/post-rock band formed in the early 1990s. They are currently signed to Warp Records.-Biography:Seefeel formed during 1992 in London, England; with Mark Clifford on guitar, Mark Van Hoen on bass, Justin Fletcher on drums and Sarah Peacock on vocals and guitar. During...
, Zoviet France
Zoviet France
Zoviet France is a prolific music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category...
, Windy & Carl
Windy & Carl
-Overview:Cited as "A leading light of the Michigan space-rock scene" by Allmusic, the minimalist group formed in 1993 around the core husband-and-wife duo of guitarist Carl Hultgren and bassist/singer Windy Weber...
, Main (band)
Main (band)
Main were a British ambient band formed in 1991 by guitarists Robert Hampson and Scott Dowson, the former members of Loop. They combined ambient sound with layers of electric guitars and dark, foreboding emotional overtones. In 2006 Hampson announced that Main had been effectively disbanded in...
, Flying Saucer Attack
Flying Saucer Attack
Flying Saucer Attack was an experimental space rock band that formed in Bristol, England in 1992. David Pearce was the core member of the group, and Rachel Brook was a member for most of the band's lifetime....
, and Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
; new progenitors are artists like Fennesz and Belong.
In 2005 lovesliescrushing eshewed guitar altogether to release an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
album. His latest project STAR can be seen and heard on their website.
Discography
- Bloweyelashwish - (self-released cassette) lullaby (1992)
- Bloweyelashwish (CD, Album) Projekt (1994)
- Bloweyelashwish (Cass, Album) Projekt (1994)
- Youreyesimmaculate (7", Ltd, Pur) Projekt (1994)
- Xuvetyn (CD) Projekt (1996)
- Glissceule (CD) Sonic Syrup (2002)
- Voirshn (CD, Album) Projekt (2002)
- Global And Available (CD, Album) Type Records (2) (2003)
- Chorus (CD, Album, Ltd) Automatic Entertainment (2007)
- GIRL.ECHO.SUNS.VEILS.(CD) deluxe edition of 300, w/ bonus disc (1990-06), Projekt (2010)
- AVIANIUM (microphona magnetica).(CD) bonus disc, edition of 300, Projekt (2010)
- GIRL.ECHO.SUNS.VEILS.(CD) Projekt (2010)
- CRWTH, Chorus Redux (CD) LINE (2010)
- Chorus (Digital download) LINE (2010)
- AVIATRIX (2011)
Tracks Appear On
- Terra X - Vol. 1 Love And Hate (CD) Babysbreath (Mycomion) Terra X Records (1993)
- Beneath The Icy Floe. V.1 (CD,Smplr) Babysbreath Projekt (1994)
- Beneath The Icy Floe. V. 2 (CD, Smplr, Dig) Teardrop/Dizzy Projekt (1994)
- Of These Reminders (2xCD, Album + Box) These Fleeting Moments Projekt (1994)
- Beneath The Icy Floe. V. 3 (CD, Smplr) Babysbreath Projekt (1995)
- Excelsis - A Dark Noel (CD, Album) Jingle Bells (Snowblower) Projekt (1995)
- Beneath The Icy Floe. V. 4 (CD, Smplr, Dig) Bones Of Angels Projekt (1996)
- Beneath The Icy Floe. V. 5 (CD, Smplr) Blooded & Blossom-Blown Projekt (1997)
- Splashed With Many A Speck (2xCD) Lips To Kiss Dewdrops Records (1997)
- Projekt100: The Early Years 1985-1995 (CD) Valerian (Mix 1) Projekt (2000)
- Excelsis (Box + 3xCD) Jingle Bells (Snowblower) Projekt (2001)
- Projekt 2003.1(CD) Sovfx Projekt (2003)
- Projekt200 (3xCD) Your Eyes Immaculate Projekt (2007)