51:21 Review on Raised by Gypsies

51:21 Review by Joshua Macala

One of the secrets of music is that a lot of bands within the same genres end up having similar sounds but they have to do things slightly different than other bands to establish themselves as individuals. To go completely in the other direction here, let’s look at punk rock bands for example. Punk bands are all the same at their roots- they play fast, simple music with lyrics that are typically rebellious. So how has punk rock managed to stay around so long and how have bands from Ramones and Sex Pistols to NOFX and Pennywise managed to stay relevant?

Shoegaze is no different and to some Screen Vinyl Image could be lost in the shuffle with a number of other bands. To the trained ear though, you have to listen for the little things that can come out in the music to make you realize you are indeed listening to SVI and not another shoegaze band.

While a song like “Stay Asleep” has a very Breakfast Club feel to it, “The Midnight Sun” takes us to that certain era of U2. Prior to “Roaming Spirit Freedom” we feel as if we are about enter some great western. It’s just these little intricacies that can really make any band familiar enough to welcome them into your musical fold almost immediately, yet not so similar that they are just taking up space reserved for a band already in your playlist.

And if that isn’t enough to make you listen to this album through your earbuds, the last song is also just over a half hour long and, well, that’s pretty damn trippy.

On a side note: “51:21” was released as a cassette and it is forever sold out. If anyone has a copy of this cassette they are willing to give it a better home to (i.e. us here at Raised by Gypsies) shoot us an email. No foolin’.

Record Store Day Deal

Record Store Day Deal

April 20 through 26, get records for $5 and under at our Bandcamp page.

Strange Behavior $5
Interceptors $5
Rude 66 $3.50
Remixes $4

More 51:21 Reviews

Two excellent reviews came in for 51:21. The cassette is now out of print, but you can still download it from Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, or stream it on Spotify

From The Faust Skeptical Blog (Original in French)

This is not new, Screen Vinyl Image, or one of my favorite pairs is not the type to meet smoke curtains when it comes to delivering the dope. Instead, why not stamp armored van with nitroglycerin and all the paraphernalia that goes with war: to what kraut psyche Crackwhore panic, which pulverizes Soft Moon 2 drum machines very heavy (they always I know, it's funny in force), the villain of shoegaze raven-blo cated between post-punk and coldwave, as in Place To Bury Strangers, inevitably, except that the overdose of LSD is very close and a bit more epileptic. Screen Vinyl Image, as I've said often enough, it is the seizure, then the crisis of paranoia, then the crisis of dementia that ends in a shootout in the mall, there's imagine that instead of ads wholesale "kill'em all" and that makes subliminal immediately; it stress, urge it, it chokes, it transpires, and then there's this extraordinary effect GTA: it flees NON-STOP, a little as if you had 5 stars and the whole army was in your ass, you know? And I'm not talking about raids acid good hardcore mouth inserted into the toilet bowl when not embedded in the wall, with the sole companion of his fortune this bastard bounce and accompanies each of your contractions.

Finally almost the same orgy that Interceptors in just more "coherent" . A treat, yes. And I confess I do not dare list of groups that will dress forthwith. Allow at least Black Marble, The VLA, and APTBS Violens, and plenty of others, which is already quite heavy, I think.

From Alget Eaters

Deceptive.

Something about Screen Vinyl Image is unambiguously vintage.

It could be the name – its resemblance to the authentically ancient Ultra Vivid Scene.

But more likely its the sound. Born out of the far ‘nu’-er Alcian Blue, SVI are unashamedly not so. Ignore any/all reviews/bios calling SVI ‘futuristic’ or ‘contemporary’ or any synonym thereof. Look – they’ve got Bernard Sumner to do vox on ‘Stay Asleep’ – the second track of their latest release*, 51:21, presumably named for the duration of the album (which, fyi, is 51:59)

51:21 opens with the immensely likeable ‘Too Much Speed’ – released as a single a couple of years ago if you were paying attention. A pleasantly noisy pop-tart with a tambourine and a hook, dancing with each other against a backdrop of fuzzy-coarse guitar noise that remains politely out of the way.

Not quite so approachable is the aforementioned ‘Stay Asleep’ which features Gary Chadwick**. There is not a shred of doubt that this track was recorded around the time I was born (probably earlier).

BUT WAIT WHAT’S THIS.

Cross the four minute mark and it’s the scene from Alien – an entirely new creature bursting out of a familiar character. Relentless (analogue) synths push their way out of the placid electropop and drill their way mercilessly into your subconscious. You’ll hear the echoes in your dreams, your veins will throb to the percussion and your ears will tingle with what may be white noise or may be tinnitus.

Barring the closer, we’ve met the rest of these songs before, on The Midnight Sun EP, but they’re worth revisiting. These are the tracks you can see played live while you listen – lights swaying and melting into each other, voices soaked up by carpet and bouncing off concrete, heads bobbing or swaying, eyelids closing, bodies staying rigid.

I’m especially fond of ‘Passing Through Mirrors’ – atypical, no doubt, it lacks the blackness of its comrades, its guitar is very nearly acoustic, it’s got ‘shimmer’ and ‘sparkle’ (are those chimes?), it whistles and it coos, and before it can hypnotise us completely, it curls up into itself and slinks away, leaving us with the unforgiving intro of ’16mm Shrine’ to jolt us back into the dark.

Thinkpiece? Jam session? Composition? Who knows what ’51:21′ was meant to be but its 32 minutes are what take up the 51:21 (51:59?) it’s named after. Live and unedited, it’s whirlpool synths, marching beats, metallic echos, a racing pulse, and even some 8 bit ideas. Our alien friend from ‘Stay Asleep’ also makes an appearance around the 25 minute mark, this time with a classic reverby ‘gaze guitar serving as its foil.

If I had been more timely, I’d have been able to lead you to their bandcamp page so you could pick up 51:21 in Ye Olde Cassette Formatte. Now, however, you’re left with no choice but to direct venomous curses at me as you grudgingly download the digital album.

Review of 51:21

We got a review in for our cassette 51:21. It's available on our Bandcamp page, but quantity is very low, these are going super fast! You can, however, order it digitally from Bandcamp or iTunes, Amazon, etc.

51:21 Reviewed on The Real Music

Let’s get right to it, in order to satisfy me with your guitars (i.e. make me stare like a moron), the best thing is to basically do the most wrong and extreme things with them, as loud as possible. This is what I enjoy doing and what I enjoy listening to. My father would be so proud. 51:21  is a compilation put together by Screen Vinyl Image, a group of people from Washington, DC who seem to take pride in this strange practice for strange people. “Another bunch of dropouts with too many fuzz pedals”, you might say, but SVI seem to be part of that group who give that scene a good name.

From the get-go, 51:21 intoxicates me. “Too Much Speed” is a manic blend of steady, smooth vocals, sampled beats, keyboard harmonies and noise guitars working as an undercurrent. It’s almost like a hazy explosion, but firmly held together. “Stay Asleep” is a mellower, New Order-ish take on the same formula, but turns into a pulsating, organic wall of noise and samples that lasts longer than the actual song, very meditative. 

The remainder of the album is the inclusion of their debut EP, The Midnight Sun, which is a fresh blend of Manchester scene-influenced electronica and shoegaze. Overall it’s a throbbing, noisy package of programming and screaming instruments, with space for more mellow numbers like “Roaming Spirit Freedom”. However, “The Midnight Sun” would have to be the highlight here. It's a sexy, druggy blend of sampling, a strange bass line, and guitars that actually seem to only feedback. Two minutes into the track I kind of forgot what I was doing in the first place, and started playing visions of streetlights and open fires in my head. Take that completely as you will. The EP ends with a short punk length number called “Black Leather Jacket”, in which the guitars have completely resorted to sounding more like a machine than an instrument, leaving a taste of blood in my mouth and ears. 

The title track that ends the album is a live recording in which the band resort into full-blown jam mode. It sounds a lot more like Throbbing Gristle than Grateful Dead, however. It starts out nice enough with a bit of industrial sounding percussion loops and organs, but then the first attack of feedback erupts. From that moment forward, we are in deep, murky territory. Sometimes there’s an actual song being played, and it’s always beautiful and on par with the rest of the album, but in between them there’s a lot of blissful noise; see Skullflower or Birchville Cat Motel. There’s obviously no way that I wouldn’t like that.

Look, I already stated that there’s nothing new whatsoever with the whole “pop music through massive noise” thing that’s been going on for over 20 years now, but it works, dammit. At its best, it completely numbs all of my senses, and 51:21 did a pretty good job of this.

Pre-Order 51:21

We're now taking pre-orders for 51:21 which will be shipping out on Feb 5. Orders can be made at Bandcamp and upon ordering you'll get a full download of the album. Pre-Order Here

The cassette is yellow tinted, comes shrink-wrapped, and we only pressed 100 so once they're gone, they're gone!

And here's a recent review for 51:21 from Little Lost Classics

'If New Order and Jesus and Mary Chain were genetically crossed, it would result in something close to what is the double of Screen Vinyl Image from Virginia... Close, but not exactly. '

Thus begins the text on Strange behavior, the latest release of the duo Jake and Kim, dated December 2011. And these words, and other gifts for the rest of that post, could repeat itself here and now, in the beginning of 2013 to talk about 51:21, the SVI new album.. I mean, not so new.

The album of 08 tracks coming out officially - in cassette format - in early February bears the reissue of the first EP and the band's sensational, The midnight sun, a single recorded in 2010 but never released (Too much speed / Stay asleep - in the original version, not the one that appears in Strange behavior) and the title track, an instrumental jam session of 32 minutes made ​​by the duo - with all the paraphernalia that had the right - during a presentation on Halloween 2012.

So for those who are accustomed to Screen Vinyl Image Music, 51:21 - except the song of the same name, experimental from beginning to end, with one or two breaks to 'breathe' - is not exactly a novelty. It's psychedelic, dark, full of loud guitars and danceable electronic beats, somewhere between New Order and the Jesus and Mary Chain and has ... "The midnight sun", a track from 2007 that 'blind' would quietly as an unheard of My Bloody valentine.

We pick our fave tracks from 2012

We Love DC asked us to pick our top tracks of 2012. In no particular order we chose songs by:

Dead Leaf Echo
Bloody Knives
Lorelei
Legowelt
Neil Halstead
Pony Trash
Svengalisghost
The Raveonettes
Silent Servant
Nightmare Air

Oh, we also made a handy Spotify playlist so you can check the songs out all at once.

http://open.spotify.com/user/safranindesign/playlist/4HxEa3CkH5c4RUOd7s6nph 

Black Cat Dec 12 / Norfolk Dec 15

We have two shows this week, last shows of 2012 and probably the last shows for a few months. All show details can be found on the show pages located on the left side of this site. 

2012 Fall Mix on Bynar's Indie Disco

DJ Bynar asked us to do a mix for his Indie Disco site and while we had an insane time narrowing down tracks (this mix easily could have been 4 hours), we picked favorites of ours. Maybe we'll do a winter Vol 2!

Listen, download, etc, this mix is esp crafted for traveling.

http://www.djbynar.com/music/guest-mix/guest-mix-2-screen-vinyl-image/ 

1. Bloody Knives - Disappear
2. The History of Colour TV - 1-800-BADNITE
3. Pony Trash - Down to the River
4. Lorelei - Three Interlocking Screens
5. The Sky Drops - Cut That Corner
6. The Lost Rivers - All Dead (SVI Remix)
7. The White Cascade - Again and Again
8. Avoxblue - The Confession
9. New Canyons - Everyone is Dark
10. Andre Obin - Soft Rain
11. Rude 66 - No Cure
12. Xeno & Oaklander - Open Walls 

Strange Behavior reviewed on Shoegaze.pl Poland

Screen Vinyl Image - Strange Behavior 
Matthew Cudo

Already the good friends of A Place To Bury Strangers, but still haven't received enough respect they truly deserve..

They are a team that can serve as a model to be independent. After two highly-excellent albums, they were able to entirely define their value and contribution to independent music. SVI already experimented with sound on the previous one - Interceptors, creating next to Ñdancefulî psychodelia also rich in instrumentation and doze of experiments compositions. Since then, being fully aware, they follow their own chosen trail, creating a wellbalanced mixture full of electronics, new wave/shoegaze feelings. All in the psychedelic sauce, with a touch of extravagance and nostalgia after 80s.

Creative independence, releasing records in small independent labels, caused they werenít widely promoted. As truly deserve. This, however, did not stopped them from achieving the status of a very important group for fans of ambitious music. Even though their Interceptors from 2009 seemed to be the peakís endeavour of their career, being from the beginning to the end addictive journey for the listener, the new one is not less attractive. On the previous, each track was in the harmonized measure of the experiments, at the same time being able to gain average radio listenerís attention.. That could only mean they converted demanding art with pleasure for ears.. Exploding on&on with coulours of music, from ethereal subtlety to the poetic trance of art.. Tracks such as Fever, Asteroid Exile and Until The End Of Time could be the canons of contemporary non-commercial music. At the same time they do have the potential to become pretty massive hits. But bear in mind it was difficult to distinguish from Interceptors individual tracks, as they are arranged in a coherent, logical whole. And after a few listens, even the easiest sounds, turned out to have a lot to offer.

The effect is very similar on the follow-up, currently released album - Strange Behavior. The duo Kim & Jake did not get rid of the soundstyle achieved of their previous outstanding album. There is no innovation or not-needed bravado. Weíve got an album of truly mature musicians. Compositionally thoughtful and creative. Again there are some of the potential alternative hits such as opening track We Donít Belong, Station 4 or New Visions. They are definitely outstanding songs from a borderline of territories like electronic, shoegaze and even krautrockís vibe. There's also a bit of Joy Divisionís climates that increases in an inconspicuous song My Confession that burst of 80ís feeling beyond its texture. These tracks are followed by another experimental works, which are based on the wall of guitars and often taking the form of more or less controlled noise. This is the case of the brillliant Revival, Rx and Stay Asleep. Where on the last mentioned anostalgic ballad alters into the wall of sound, from which it is uneasy to escape..

The noticeable difference between the sound of Strange Behavior and Interceptors is a slight change of ambiance. Cold and postpunk wave is more replaced here by the ethereality and shoegazeíing conventions. That live will provide a large dose of noisy experience. Guitar and samples at times of their intensity can resemble epic noise from the gigs of Telescopes or new-born shoegaze sensation - The Lost Rivers.

RATE: 10/10

Remix for The Lost Rivers

Exclusive Premiere of the video Night Trip on Magnet Magazine

Magnet Magazine premieres the official video for Night Trip:

Screen Vinyl Image, a quirky husband-and-wife duo with an affinity for synthesizers, is no stranger to the weird and wonderful side of music. It’s no surprise then that the twosome’s video for “Night Trip,” off Strange Behavior (Custom Made Music), is a colorful, grainy look at city nightlife. Somewhere between a raver’s disco dream and a psychedelic nightmare, “Night Trip” illustrates Screen Vinyl Image’s unique horror-tinged style. We are proud to premiere the video today on magnetmagazine.com.

The video was shot and edited by Kim's brother, Justin Dodd, using a Flip and a Fisher Price PXL2000.

Stream 2 tracks from Strange Behavior / Pre-Order CD

Pre-Order the new album Strange Behavior! (Pre-Order for CD, vinyl orders will be in january 2012)
Ships week of December 13.

USA $10.00 USD Rest Of World $15.00 USD

Press / Radio: If you are interested in covering this album, contact CMM or SVI directly: custommademusic (at) gmail.com | screenvinyl (at) yahoo.com

Fri Dec 2 Velvet Lounge DC

This Friday Love Culture comes into DC from Columbus OH with us and Pilesar (amazing experimental group from Takoma Park)
It's all going down at Velvet Lounge in DC. Doors at 9, show 9:30, $8.

This Wed - Strange Behavior Exclusive Debut on When The Sun Hits

Join Amber Crain this Wednesday night for When The Sun Hits on Strangeways Radio. This week When The Sun Hits will feature a Screen Vinyl Image Exclusive that you would be a fool to miss! Not only will the entire set be dedicated to all things SVI, but we'll also be previewing tracks from their upcoming LP, Strange Behavior!

Strange Behavior is set to be released on December 13, 2011 on the Custom Made Music label, but Screen Vinyl Image are awesome and exclusively gave Strange Behavior to When The Sun Hits - to preview just for Strangeways listeners! Rad. Expect to hear several tracks from Strange Behavior, classic cuts from the pre-SVI days of Alcian Blue, as well as tracks from a handful of their label mates on Custom Made Music. This show is going to be astronomical levels of awesome.

TUNE IN! Stream it live this Wednesday, November 23rd, from 10pm-11pm EST (that's 9pm-10pm CST local folks) on Strangeways Radio.

Monday November 21 at the Galaxy Hut

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor just released a seriously wicked new album called Spectra Spirit and is currently touring the new album. We've shared the stage a bunch of times with these guys and we're super stoked to have them back in the DC area at the very rad Galaxy Hut. 

Galaxy Hut
Arlington, VA
Monday Nov 21
8:30pm | $5

WARL Benefit Show & Remixes!

We have an exciting benefit show coming up on Feb 11 at the mansion at Strathmore in MD. Details below!

Friday Feb 11
Strathmore Mansion Presents: Screen Vinyl Image, Bellflur, Daddy Lion
8pm-11pm | $10 Advance, $12 at Door

Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD
(Metro: Grosvenor-Red Line)

Purchase Advanced Tickets:
http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar/view.asp?id=6671

A Bit About WARL:
The Washington Animal Rescue League is known not only for its long history of compassionate care for animals, but for its innovative shelter, which is designed to promote the physical, emotional, and social healing of animals recovering from past traumas, and for the progressive programs that benefit animals and the community.

Also, we did some remixes in 2010 for Teenage SinTaste (who you might know from doing a remix of What You Need for us) and another remix for our friends The Hope Slide:

Vibrato Compilation

Our good friend Robert runs a cool blog (NWShoegazing) where he keeps his finger on the pulse of a lot of things gazey and psychedelic. He was kind enough to include us on his latest comp along with Stellarium, Dead Sea Colour, and Lux. You can also search around for his other comps which are quite good to download and discover new stuff.

Link to the Compilation page

The contributors are a mix of friends old and (I hope) new. I’ve known Jake (J. Sequential of Screen Vinyl Image) and Az (Stellarium) for years, but have only recently become acquainted with Dead Sea Colour and Lux. Cous, my unofficial (as in unpaid) talent-spotter, brought Dead Sea Colour to my attention several weeks ago, and Lux is one of those nuggets that turn up just often enough to keep me sifting through the mislabeled silt found in such abundance on the Bandcamp Shoegaze page.

Ice Station Reviewed on Oransje Blog

What's cooler than picking up the new 7-inch or 12-inch and pulling out some deliciously colored vinyl? Well, if the current trend among indie bands is one to covet - then it's a deliciously colored cassette. Numerous bands on a variety of labels; Sub Pop is no exception - have chosen to offer limited releases on cassette. So far, to the best of my knowledge, these releases have consisted of live material, demo material, b-sides, or remixes - this is no exception. Ice Station inludes 2 new tracks, 4 live tracks, a demo, and 4 songs recorded during studio sessions. What I wasn't prepared for was how incredible this cassette was going to be. Every song is masterfully executed, and this release outshines anything the band has done previously. It leaves me coveting a new full length.

Screen Vinyl Image, for those unfamiliar with them are among the crop of new shoegaze bands to emerge - carrying with them the best of elements of the early-nineties darlings MBV, Lush, Slowdive, etc. and integrating the soundscape with electronics, and JAMC Psychocandy-esque noise. It's an exquisite visit - and though few can come close to the perfection that A Place To Bury Strangers has mastered, there is enough deviation and experimentation by their peers to provide fodder for those seeking more. "All Places", the final track on this release is so gentle in it's approach, you're barely coherant for the abrupt end. Sort of like having the adrenaline syringe stabbed into your heart to bring you back from places unknown and all too comfortable. "Siberian Eclipse (Demo)" would serve well as the soundtrack to "2001: A Space Odyssey", or any Kubrick film for that matter. As a whole - this release is amazing. It is still available through their site, and you will get a download code so you don't have to tear into your cellophane if you don't want to. I haven't (yet). I hope to see them live this year. I don't think they've been through my neck of the woods, but hopefully that will change.

Read Blog Here

Ice Station Makes When The Sun Hits 2010 List!

Ice Station made WTSH's Top 25 Ep's/7 Inches of 2010:

This list could be as long as the LP list (or possibly even longer), but we'll reign it in and limit it to 25 (updated from the previous 20). Once again, in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

1. Wild Nothing. Evertide.
2. SPC ECO. Silver Clouds.
3. Robin Guthrie. Sunflower Stories.
4. Whirl. Distressor.
5. Velochrome. Velochrome.
6. Screen Vinyl Image. The Ice Station.
7. The Mary Onettes. The Night Before The Funeral 7 inch.
8. Spotlight Kid. Crystal Dreams.
9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Say No To Love.
10. Between The Cities Are Stars. Between The Cities Are Stars.
11. Bliss City East/Vidulgi Ooyoo. Split.
12. Panda Riot. Far And Near.
13. The Depreciation Guild. Blue Lily 7 inch.
14. Seefeel. Faults.
15. Deerhunter. Revival 7 inch.
16. Love Culture. Aquamarine.
17. Autolux. Bouncing Wall/Census.
18. Glowfriends. Eyelash.
19. The Lost Rivers. My Beatific Vision.
20. Spell 336. Reverse.
21. The Radio Dept. Heaven's On Fire (single).
22. Pinkshinyultrablast. Happy Songs for Happy Zombies. (2009, it seems, but it deserves inclusion).
23. 800beloved. Tidal (single).
24. The Cult of Dom Keller. EP1.
25. SPC ECO. Out Of The Sky. 

A Few End of Year Things

Washington City Paper put New Visions on a best local songs of 2010 list:

"Hopeful-sounding noise, harsh-light ambience in a goth-pop cast. The duo seems to be smoothing out its sound these days, but it's still the loudest band in the city."

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Also Mr Jack Rabid did a review of our Remixes record for the current issue of Big Takeover:

Reviews of SVI regularly mention Depeche Mode, and it’s true that Remixes, like Interceptors before it, reminds me of early ‘80s days hearing “People Are People” and “Everything Counts” coming out of my roommate’s room while I fled. But this D.C. duo of Jake and Kim Reid on guitars, bass, synths, samples, etc. are nowhere near that facile. If Dave Gahan and Martin Gore had joined Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst in The Cure back then, letting Smith’s treated guitars take as precedence over the electronic beats, than I would have liked it. And that’s what you get here, as dreampop guitars, shards of background feedback (“Cathode Ray”), and massively moody synths add layers of artistic reverberation to a post-New Order dance party and electroclash wave in the way that Curve used to. Listen while you shake.

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2011 Releases:
The Too Much Speed single is at the presses. The Ltd Edition 12" will be white vinyl with the songs Too Much Speed, Stay Asleep, and The Midnight Sun on the A side and a glossy black silkscreen on the B-side in a clear sleeve w/ download code. 

The Screen Vinyl Image / Rude 66 split 7 inch will be next up featuring a song we have been playing live most of 2009 "Tomorrow Is Too Far" and Rude 66's "I Am God." More details will be soon following on this.

There's been a delay in the Siberian Eclipse 7 inch being released, but you can always grab a copy of Ice Station on cassette, don't worry it comes with a download code if your deck is busted. Release info will come soon.

And finally, we'll have some new t-shirts for sale in the new year, here's what it looks like:

Happy New Year!