Oregon Daily Emerald's Ott Tammik reviews TBWCAN

Levator's 'The Biggest Waves Come At Night' redefines indie

Album's melodic tones and relaxed cadence scintillate

By: Ott Tammik

Posted: 1/29/09

Indie wasn't always the mainstream. Before Issaquah, Wash.'s Modest Mouse went international and began playing good but FM radio-friendly songs, most people wanted nothing to do with the atonal noise that was the broad genre's most ear-catching element. After this latest series of bands, many are sick of a fad that has gone on for way too long, but bear with us - here is one more truly indie band that you must add to your iPod.

Levator is drowsy drowned in distortion. From the historically promising musical breeding grounds of Seattle, the three-piece group has been dubbed as "dream core." Its meditative sound is led by a youthful, high-pitched and pleasant female voice, backed by a drone of synth effects and unhurried rock beats. Without exaggeration, the effect is numbing. The entrancing rhythm and ambient sound instills thoughts of reflection in the listener.

"The Biggest Waves Come at Night," which debuted on Tuesday, is a great CD to blast through speakers when you are in a creative mood. Levator is anything but harsh. The album is one rock lullaby after another; it is mellow to the max. In the slightly depressing "Dark Hair," one can hear not just the Sonic Youth-like tones of vocalist Sky Lynn, but even the breath blowing from her lungs, cutting through the buzz of distortion. Entering and exiting layers eventually fade out, leaving a very indie, grungy feedback.

"Mocking Bird" is a poppy number that brightens up the end of the album and "Bruises" depicts Levator's ability for subtle catchiness. The motive of the song is the distinguishing factor separating dance music from art music. The melodies are simple, wavering and sometimes uncertain. Other times they are not melodies at all, just extended measure-long notes that guide the surge of sound. One of the album's most promising features is its use of deep saxophone tones reminiscent of experimental jazz rock band, Morphine.

The independently produced album, its packaging created from vegetable ink and printed on recycled cardboard, is decorated by a collage of photos.

"When I think about the songs on 'The Biggest Waves Come At Night,'" said Lynn, "I imagine sitting in my Grandma's old library flipping through a scrapbook. Every song seems to be represented by a series of aging photographs. Some are sad in the way that you miss people that aren't in this place anymore. Some make you giggle behind the tear that's caused by how beautiful your Grandma is holding up your father as a baby. But some are faded or double exposed and then I realize it's a dream. A dream caused by a detailed and mischievous subconscious. They are half fictional and half autobiographical; and sometimes I can't tell where one stops and the other begins."

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Keys & Chords (Belgium) review TBWCAN

Lavator is an independent producing tie that originating is from Seatlle and has neat its third release on the market brought according to Sky Lynn (jet ear, vocalize, synthesiser, impact, bass) this new album is a deposition where the link for state lives, viz. in a city and tries keep it in the middle of between the daily events and simultaneously create joy in their personal live. Rando Skrasek (drums) and nasty Henry (saxophone) complete the link. Itself gladly makes them the comparison with P.J. Harvey, Mazzy Starr or Sonic Youth. After their recent tour this sound was defined as `dream core. Such as you in the musical bezetting already could read, work them rather much with synthesizers and impact, and late `this now net my thing is not. `Is a song saves Room concerning supernatural and haunts, soundvervorming and up-beat a vocal tone on `Morking Bird speaks volumes. This indie-pop with a bouncing step are, trance induction jet ears and luxuriant votes.

The original text....

Lavator is een onafhankelijk producerende band die afkomstig is uit Seatlle en heeft net zijn derde release op de markt gebracht
Volgens Sky Lynn (gitaar, vocalise, synthesiser, effects, bas) is dit nieuwe album een getuigenis waar de band voor staat, nl. leven in een grootstad en trachten het midden te houden tussen de dagelijkse gebeurtenissen en gelijktijdig vrolijkheid scheppen in hun persoonlijk leven. Rando Skrasek (drums) en Nate Henry (sax) vervolledigen de band. Zelf maken ze graag de vergelijking met P.J. Harvey, Mazzy Starr of Sonic Youth. Na hun recente tour werd deze sound omschreven als ‘dream core’. Zoals je in de muzikale bezetting al kon lezen, werken ze nogal veel met synthesizers en effecten, en laat ‘dit’ nu net mijn ding niet zijn. ‘Red Room’ is een song over het bovennatuurlijke en spoken, soundvervorming en een up-beat vocale toon op ‘Morking Bird’ spreken boekdelen. Dit is indie-pop met een verende tred, trance-inducerende gitaren en welige stemmen.

Click here to go to the review on Keys & Chords site.

[sic] Magazine publishes review of TBWCAN

Click Here to read the review.

Thank you Tim Clarke and [sic] Magazine!

Milk Milk Lemonade's Casey reviews TBWCAN

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2009

Levator

Give us a dozy Sunday afternoon to lounge about, licking all sorts of wounds, and we will find a way to conjure up some amazingly listenable music... this time from the Pacific Northwest. Sound like a deal?

Levator is primarily the indie rock music project of Seattle, Washington based multi-instrumentalist Sky Lynn (vocals, guitar, effects, synth) who originally began making music under this particular moniker in 2003. After enlisting the assistance of local musicians Nate Henry (tenor saxophone, effects, keyboards) and Rando Skrasek (drums, effects, synth) along the way, this now trio has a third full length album, titled The Biggest Waves Come At Night, completed and set for self-release on January 27.

As if Sky's commanding and remarkably beautiful vocals were not enough to convince even the most brutal critic in the house, healthy portions of saxophone accompaniment provide a welcome journey back into the crackle and hiss of most any listener's distant memory of The Psychedelic Furs earliest catalogue. Have a first listen...

MP3: Mocking Bird (Streaming on Milk Milk Lemonade's Site)

The Biggest Waves Come At Night is an outstanding new collection of songs we can easily recommend; for Seattle locals, we'd also suggest a trip to the Sunset Tavern for the CD release party on January 30.

For more of this music as well as a few videos, a visit to the Levator MySpace page should be your first stop. There is also an official Levator website for additional information on purchasing the music and a Ministry Of Truth blog for all the latest news and some insight. Another new track for you... sooo good.

MP3: Bruises (Streaming on Milk Milk Lemonade's Site)

Click here to go to review on Milk Milk Lemonade's site

Church of Girl Radio - Radio Star

Levator's music has the ability to alter the passage of time and penetrate all your dimly lit spaces.

We are very excited about their new release, The Biggest Waves Come at Night. The Seattle area trio are hitting the road on a west-coast tour at the end of the month and will be on the road for most of February.

Church of Girl Radio

Click here to view it on their site.

Luna Kafe's Tim Clarke reviews The Biggest Waves Come at Night

Levator
The Biggest Waves Come At Night
Levator Music

It shouldn't be a surprise when I'm blown away by a record sent by someone who contacts me personally to review their album. After all, amazing music can be found in all corners of the world, in all genres. But sometimes an album comes along that is exactly what my ears need at a given time. Seattle trio Levator's The Biggest Waves Come At Night is exactly what I need right now. I'm broke, the start of the Australian summer has turned into a washout, and all of these 'best of 2008' lists have started to make my head spin with all the great music I need to catch up with.

A couple of months ago I downloaded Beach House's Devotion. Although there are some good songs on there, I now realise that this Levator album is actually what I wanted to hear! It's a similar breed of dream-pop, fronted by the heavenly voice of Sky Lynn, calling from under a warm duvet of reverbed guitars, woolly beats, world-weary saxophone, and loads of droney bass and synth, all played by Lynn and her equally talented bandmates Rando Skrasek and Nate Henry. It's a gorgeous-sounding record.

There's just enough greasy strut - opener "12:34" and the rousing "Mocking Bird" - to balance the more woozy numbers, which is where this record's real beauty lies. The first time I heard "Dark Hair", its eerie guitar strum and tom-tom thud instantly made my chest ache. I felt like I was back in my teenage bedroom listening to early '90s indie band Belly's magical Star album. Every time I play this song I'm mesmerised by the way it manages to float like a ghost in the night sky, yet feel so emotionally weighty. The cry of "Angel!" is accompanied by a lovely saxophone line and backing vocals, and you realise that it sounds like some ancient African waltz, the tribe dosed on barbiturates. "Everything!" the voices cry as the lumbering beat kicks in. The song ebbs and flows, reaching its climax with a distorted loop, hissing and spitting, to fade. Fuck, what a great song.

Followed by "Intro to" and the lovely, lilting "Eyes", the middle of the record signals its high point to my ears. Closer "Trampoline" is great too, the guitar strum slowly succumbing to the undertow at the song's finale. But ultimately, at eight tracks and a succinct 44 minutes, this is an album with no excess fat, worth absorbing as a whole in order to luxuriate in its complete brilliance.

This is Levator's third album, and if their first two are anywhere near as good as this, I know where my Christmas money is going. Strongly recommended.

Copyright © 2009 Tim Clarke
Luna Kafe
Click here to go to review on Luna Kafe's site