Heaven Inches Away

 

Soft Blue Shimmer

Heaven Inches Away

(Disposable America) 

For me, there has been a sound of warmth that has always drawn me to a certain kind of music.  It’s one of those elusive and incredibly difficult things to try to explain, but to me it’s very tangible.  As a kid, I remember first hearing tunes by Tubeway Army, OMD, and Depeche Mode that fit this bill.  There’s something about those early electropop bands that were comforting.  Maybe it’s the idea of an electronic instrument emitting actual warmth and light that filled my soul, along with a sound that was new, pure, and exciting.  I have found comfort in the strangest of places while seeking out this elusive feeling.  I remember when I first discovered the atonal chordings and feedback warmth of Sonic Youth in the late 80s, I found a peace inside all of their madness.  There’s something about a wall of buzzing feedback that can fuel me like a campfire.  I’m certain that a huge part of my tastes over the years have been effected greatly by this search, even if it comes in many different forms.

L.A. trio Soft Blue Shimmer are not really anything like any band I’ve mentioned above, yet they have warmth in spades.  They’ve done all the work with their debut full-length: Heaven Inches Away.  The album opens with a brief ambient sound titled “Space Heater,” which they translate as being “an intense emotion or feeling stretched over moments and sustained with lingering intensity.”  Is this what I’ve always been looking for?  There’s also an immaculate song called “Sunpools” and “Hold You in the Warm,” which all evoke this powerful need for a comforting blast or embrace of warmth. 

I immediately fell in love with Soft Blue Shimmer’s debut EP from the summer of 2019 (Nothing Happens Here), and it fast became one of my most listened to collections of the year.  The band’s name represents their sound so perfectly.  There is a softness to the way their instruments sound and meld together.  The guitars fizz and bubble and chime, the bass lines are exploratory and filling, while the drums sound unlike anyone else’s.  The cymbal work really does shimmer.  And then Meredith’s vocals are so understated, hummable, and stunningly beautiful.  She manages to squeeze out unbelievably emotive moments with a deft touch like on the aforementioned “Sunpools,” with the repeated refrain “it doesn’t mean anything” several times over.  It’s cathartic, yet in an understated way.  They are so damn musical!  The first single leaked from the LP, “Cherry Cola Abyss,” is the longest song here, has no real major hook, is a bit meandering, but it sounds like heaven!  It evokes a variety of emotions and continues to build a quiet intensity throughout.  It even comes with instructions during the instrumental peak near the end: “close your eyes & feel intensely the memory of things you felt a long time ago & thought you forgot: those lingering silent sense memories that remain…stay there for a moment.”  This is exactly why I love music so much, because it allows me to do just that with a color and verve that only certain sounds and ideas can provoke. 

They employ a cascading guitar sound on the upbeat and endlessly catchy “Emerald Bells” making for an incredibly sparkling and fiery moment simultaneously.  Even though it comes in at the beginning of the collection, it feels like a great set closer.  I really love the world weary voice of either Kenzo or Charlie here as well.  Really nice touch.  “Chihiro” scratches a similar itch as “Emerald Bells” with some more stunning guitar work and a chorus line of Meredith’s incredible voice.  “Hold You in the Warm,” which opens side two with more of those tasteful cascading guitars that reminds me of one of my all-time favorites Abecedarians, who have also filled my musical warmth needs over the years  Meanwhile, “Musubi” includes an off-kilter tempo change early on in its two minute brevity that somehow feels natural.  “Adore the Distance” closes out this album out in perfect fashion as it comes a realization that we can all move on from whatever things have been keeping us pinned down.  At some point, if we allow it, we can move on from our emotional trappings.  Or at least I hope so!  It’s a fantastic song that has repetitive detailed guitar notes that mildly evoke the glory of The Sundays, along with a memorable chorus.

 At any rate, I don’t feel like I can fully encapsulate how I truly feel about this record – this band’s sound.  It is one that, in essence, I’ve been searching for since before the band members were likely born.  It’s a strange thought, but my ears are drawn to this in such a way that I cannot love what they are doing to this point. 

(https://softblueshimmer.bandcamp.com/)

 

Soft Blue Shimmer "Cherry Cola Abyss"