aether’s built a reputation far and wide for their atmospheric instrumental rock and the sound they’ve created over the course of 3 EPs has led to comparisons to Sigur Ros, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure. So it came as a great surprise to learn, in 2005, that the band had added a full-time vocalist, Aaron Pickering (who, for the record, happens to be one of my favorite singers in Columbus). How would vocals affect the band’s sound? We’re about to find out as aether will be holding a party tonight at Little Brothers to celebrate the release of their new CD, aethersound.
Fortunately, an advance copy of the CD found its way into my mailbox last week and I’ve been listening to it pretty regularly. Pickering’s vocals add an entirely new dimension to the lush instrumentation laid down by founding members Paul Carney (guitars, synths/samples) and Christian Volpe (drums) and relative newcomer Miquel Stubbs (bass). While there is no denying that British-instrumental rock influence, the band now reminds me of the late, great The Sheila Divine, who themselves were influenced by the likes of The Smiths.
Check out a few tracks from the band’s new CD:
MP3: Milk
MP3:As We Leave the City
MP3:Alabaster
Aether will perform tonight at Little Brothers in Columbus Ohio with guests Jon Chinn, Electric Dots, Mors Ontologica, and DJ Spidey X.
Wow. This is very nice music. I was particularly interested in the vocals in “Milk”…very rich and real.
The Alabaster mp3 is actually “as we leave the city”.
I would like to hear Alabaster!