Refining their signature power dream pop, Her Vanished Grace is back with their new release SEE THE MOON (2011).
These mosaics of surging atmospheres and ringing melody take you out to stargaze and inward to witness subatomic mysteries. HVG is a vivid, shape-throwing bliss machine.
The beautifully wounded song craft is dressed with luscious bass lines, hazardous drums and sweeping guitars that shine like beacons. Sound hangs like breath in the frosty air. Nance and Charlie's voices trace out luminous octaves and harmonize over big beats and swirling colors that polish these pulsing anthems like waves on the beach.
After the romantic melancholy of their last CD, BLUE, HVG found themselves seeking music with a little more edge but still very atmospheric, with rich chord voicings and the harsh sheen of early 80s production. The lunar imagery stands as a way of interpreting the dissolute yet creative forces that flow around and through all of us.
Taking the glow that simmers beneath the surface of sleep and making real life shine like dreams, on SEE THE MOON, Her Vanished Grace captures the enormous sound of the Earth spinning on its axis.
"Continuing with the recent theme of atmospheric pop music that Washed Out and Neon Indian showed us, Her Vanished Grace deliver a similar sort of layer-based sereneness that differentiates itself through dark and moody Brit-rock instead of chilly electronica or sample-based experimentation."
Obscure Sound
"Their dreamy richly textured pop songs were recorded and produced by guitarist Charles Nieland, a man who knows his job after handling assignments for Deborah Harry and Rufus Wainwright as one half of the Super Buddha production team.
Blue builds upon late eighties UK New Wave, with a more emphaisis on the rhythm section. Nance Nieland vocals are draped like cozy blanket over the music - her husband Charles sounds a bit rough, which makes for a nice change of pace. Think The Breeders meet Gladshot."
Here Comes The Flood
"New York based four-piece Her Vanished Grace have created a sound which is really something special... They describe themselves as dream pop (incidentally one of my favouritely named subgenres ever), and mix sweeping guitar-led soundscapes with gorgeous wistful vocals harmonies, inventive textures and a pop-y undercurrent."
Miss Morrison's Mix
"Dark, dreamy, pop....These are three words you could, and I would, use to describe Her Vanished Grace. Swirling/shimmering/sweeping guitars, lush vocals and and sonic textures all add up to create Her Vanished Grace's sound, and it is pretty darn cool if I don't say so myself, urgent, epic and crushingly beautiful at times. The melancholy of The Cure but with more of a pop sensibility..."
Even in the Future Nothing Works
"What (they) achieve melodically is on a level akin to pouring honey in your ear. It’s sweet, addicting and substantially nourishing, especially if you get some in your mouth."
"They have taken the pop formulas and the sonic solutions of the 80’s and the 90’s and delved them open into their own furs. Aesthetically, they have always projected something simple, truthful and with a beautiful power all their own. Sonically, they have exposed themselves to a question of radiance."
Gordon Sharp
Jezebel Music.com
"I probably use the word “shoegazer” too much when describing Her Vanished Grace’s approach to songwriting. In truth the tag tells only half the story, Her Vanished Grace play much tighter than most acts in this genre. Not for them the willowy attempts at otherworldliness (and other “ness”es) but instead alternative rock songs with hooks aplenty."
Jonathan Leonard, Leonard’s Lair
"The band have ingested a significant amount of the bands that compose my DNA (specifically My Bloody Valentine) and seep a delightful blend of dreamy pop from their pores."
"Their art doesn’t require multiple listens to realize that their left and right aorta are included in the mix and what you’re being served is the real deal."
"Blue completely lives up to what I’ve grown to expect from the band. If you’re a fan of bands like Curve, Slowdive, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc. this is definitely worth your while."
Kip, RockSellout
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