Passing Shade

Sunshine-streaked, jangly guitar rock with surf and garage influence. Songs range from more blues to shoegaze to Mazzy Star (that’s a genre) but always place the focus on the guitar. Really powerful female vocals that sound like a bluesier Bethany of Best Coast. A life-affirming blend of the War on Drugs' grand sky rock and the ragged, warm intimacy of Twin Peaks. Favorites: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8. No FCCs.

1. (4:08) Hesperus—Jangly, soulful guitar rock with some crunchy garage moments. Quite Sub Pop.
2. (4:31) *** Antony—Soaring, skyward, open-road rock in the vein of The War on Drugs. One of the greatest songs of 2016.
3. (3:47) ** Knife—Anthemic guitar rock fueled by pent-up nervous energy. Totally blown-out blues jam from 2:20 until the end that recalls a more hard-hitting Rose Windows. I could listen to this forever. “Yeah there’s a shadow on my face in the shape of the light / You got me talking to myself in my sleep at night.”
4. (3:15) Baby—Fuzzed-out, muddy, indistinctive garage rock.
5. (3:56) * Known to Run—Slower, acoustic, vocal-driven. Very Mazzy Star. Nice slide guitar in last minute.
6. (3:57) ** Settle Down—Fast-paced and never loses momentum. Acoustic guitar and gorgeous chiming electric guitars. Loads on the reverb in the last 1.5 minutes. Oh, how I adore this.
7. (2:52) Natural State—Clean, bright guitar tone and bored vocals. Mostly just messing around with the guitars. Feels like a less lo-fi early Best Coast—that same kind of endearing simplicity.
8. (2:59) * I Don’t Want to Be Alone—Slow, enveloping shoegaze. Dead ringer for Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey”.
9. (4:02) Brooklyn Bowl—Glowing and youthful at start. Goes nowhere...
10. (4:05) North—Acoustic with some electric fills at times and prominent vocals. All guitar, drums, and minimal bass in last two minutes. Birds field recording in last minute.