-=- SHGZ -=- * Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal * ARTIST..: Atomic Blossom ALBUM...: Atomic Blossom GENRE...: Rock STYLE...: Shoegaze, Grunge, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk YEAR....: 2005 LABEL...: Failsafe COUNTRY.: New Zealand PLACE...: Christchurch ENCODER.: LAME 3.100 -V0 BITRATE.: 289 kbps avg QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo SOURCE..: CDR TRACKS..: 16 SIZE....: 142.24 MB URL..: http://www.failsaferecords.com/artists/current/blossom.htm - TRACKLIST 1 Flustered 3:47 2 I Tried 3:52 3 Space 4:01 4 Liquid Fury 4:55 5 Fall 5:14 6 Outfit Of Shine 4:17 7 No Star 5:01 8 Still Waiting 2:14 9 Whatever 4:06 10 Put It There 3:30 11 Screw 3:25 12 Bewildered 4:06 13 So Long 5:58 14 Seemingless 3:58 15 Don't Go Out That Way (Bonus Track) 6:05 16 Space (Demo) (Bonus Track) 4:07 Total Playtime: 68:36 The bands 1995 album remastered and re-released with bonus material in April, 2005. * Atomic Blossom were a sonic ShoeGazer band from Christchurch centered around the core of duel Guitarist Vocalists Dean Karena and Pruedence Stone, both writing songs and singing. This much loved Christchurch outfit were on the road to international success when they recorded and released this great little album. The band self-released this then went to New York to follow up on interest the band had gained from supporting Smashing Pumpkins on their NZ tour. On arriving in New York the band attracted the attention of Madonna's Maverick label and were all but set to make it when they imploded with co singer/guitarist Prudence Stone deciding she didn't want to be in a rock band after all. You get that sometimes, with musicians. Consequently it was almost impossible to get a copy of the original album and so we've decided to re-release it in a remastered form to share the music. * ATOMIC BLOSSOM The brainchild of Christchurch musician Dean Karena. Karena first came to local prominence with his previous band Naked Lunch in 1990. Naked Lunch were a three piece outfit which featured Dean Karena on Vocals / Guitar, Randolf (Tuck) Tucker - Drums, Peter Blackman - Bass. Karena formed Atomic Blossom in late 1993. The original line up included: Dean Karena - Guitar / Vocals Prudence Stone - Guitar / Vocals Greg Hirtzel - Bass (Debris) Trevor Hall - Drums The band did their first performance at an outdoor concert at the Dux de Lux in Christchurch, first up on a rainy outdoor show featuring Cinematic, The Headless Chickens and Dave Dobbyn. Trevor Hall had previously worked as an Orientation and Activities co-ordinator for University events, but he was a relative newcomer to drumming, and the band felt they had to replace him almost immediately, shifting Hirtzel from bass to drums and bringing in Layton Pace (Trawler, Swirl). This line-up quickly cemented itself and recorded 5 songs almost immediately, one track appearing on the Good Things compilation, the other 4 eventually being re-recorded toward the band's album. Pace left the band after 6 months choosing to commit himself to Trawler, where he got to sing and write his own music. Pace was replaced by Matt Monopoli and this line-up stayed solid till the band eventually disbanded in disastrous circumstances in New York in 1995. The story goes that the band continued to grow in popularity, working toward their self-released album, and building a strong following for their heavily British sonic guitar sound. The band secured support slots for Smashing Pumpkins on the 1995 New Zealand tour, impressing the Pumpkins and management. Meanwhile Atomic Blossom's manager was in the US working at securing the band industry support and arranging concert dates for them stateside. AB put the finishing touches on the CD and pressed 500 copies. This was used as a demo of the bands material and hardly any of them saw public release. The album remained pretty much impossible to obtain for ten years, until Failsafe Records remastered and rereleased it in 2005. At the end of 1995 Stone left for the US, the rest of the band were to follow early in 1996. Unknown to the rest of the band Stone had tired of playing in the band and felt her leaving for the US was indication enough to the others that she wanted to leave. The other members followed in 1996 and the band united to play American concerts which secured them heavy interest from US labels, notably Maverick Records. A record deal was as good as signed apparently before Stone chose this opportune moment to abandon the band, effectively scuttling the project. Stone stayed in New York, and Karena, Hirtzel, and Monopoli returned to NZ and disbanded. Karena left NZ for Australia, probably disheartened by the turn of events. Hirtzel concentrated his efforts on his other band Debris. Monopoli moved to the UK. -=- SHGZ -=- -=-=-==-=-=- Shoegaze is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the late 80s. The genre is very difficult to define, and it is even more difficult to evaluate music within it. Generally, the genre is characterized by its shimmering vocals, reverberating guitars, and textural distortion that create a tranquil, opaque feeling. ---==--==---