http://www.killerrockandroll.com/
http://www.myspace.com/skywavetheband
Video by Takako
http://www.troublemakervideos.com

Even though they are no longer a band their music must be remembered. Each member moved on to form other great bands. Paul and John have made the intoxicating sounds of Ceremony, and Oliver moved to NYC to build effects pedals (death by audio) and form A Place to Bury Strangers.

Oliver Ackermann - bass, guitars
Paul Baker - guitars, vocals, bass
John Fedowitz - drums, vocals

This Fredericksburg, Virginia band markets themselves as Americanshoegazer music. Comparing themselves to the likes of Slowdive and Spiritualized, but the categorization kind of misses the boat. What Skywave come across as is a distortion band. Vocals tucked under a fuzz of guitar distortion. You know... the bands that were so heralded back in the mid 80's like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Galaxy 500, The Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine generally for their master of guitar distortion combined with a pop sensibility. I was impressed with Skywaves studio techniques that didn't use a glossy production to hide their own art of distortion. Some songs recall Psychocandy era JMC. When the band works with atmospherics it does somewhat echo an influence of the shoegazers but the raw sound brings it back to roots rock and roll , which was at the heart of the 80's distortion bands. The songs are somewhat bittersweet lost love songs and other songs bring in a mysterious violence in it's subject matter. The vocals are tight and melodic when so many bands today depend on rage driven male vocals that couldn't hold a melody to save there lives. Skywave are moving in a more atmospheric direction in their new material which has not been released yet. So all and all this is not a bad release from a rookie band trying to break out of it's cocoon. I look forward to the new material and you should too
-I Drank What Magazine