-=- SHGZ -=- * Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal * ARTIST..: Grivo ALBUM...: Omit GENRE...: Indie STYLE...: Shoegaze, Gloomgaze, Stoner Rock YEAR....: 2022 LABEL...: Church Road COUNTRY.: USA PLACE...: Austin, Texas ENCODER.: LAME 3.100 -V0 BITRATE.: 272 kbps avg QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo SOURCE..: CD TRACKS..: 7 SIZE....: 85.04 MB URL..: http://www.facebook.com/grivoband - TRACKLIST 1 Trammel 6:21 2 Omit 5:53 3 Fatigue 7:22 4 Fatal Blue 5:34 5 Attuned 5:48 6 Languor 7:10 7 There 5:25 Total Playtime: 43:33 Church Road Records has this to say about the record: "Omit is the band's tight angular approach to granite-textured doom and art rock on full display; a statement in pure gloom, Omit never reins in its immersive swathes of atmosphere from the word go. Opener "Trammel" is an unlikely hit considering its precise concoction of grit and melody, with Timothy Heck's vocals gliding over the churning trudge of guitar, bass and drums that make up Grivo's weighty foundations. Astonishingly melodic, their sharp focus to smother the listener is never lost from tracks like "Fatigue" to the title track, with meat-on-the-bone density that simultaneously crushes and makes way for Heck's stunning guitar leads. The kaleidoscopic depths of "Fatal Blue" and stunning majesty of 'Attuned' weave together the truly multifaceted musicianship this band yields. Exploring emotion in its rawest and bare form, Omit is a testament to a band committed to perfecting the world they've created themselves - across 7 tracks they fill a space so ominous that you have to embrace the warmth. Grivo will be debuting the tracks from this masterful second album on a European tour with label-mates and long-time peers Slow Crush." * The Shoegaze played by Grivo is different to most Shoegaze as it incorporates more Doom elements. By some, this fusion of genres is called Doomgaze for that reason. Although I do love the fusion of Shoegaze with Black Metal, I've never been quite convinced by the fusion of the genre with Doom. This is probably due to the fact that the same elements that turn me away from Doom Metal also affect my enjoyment of this fusion. The issue, for me, lies in the guitar tone that feels like a solid brick of cement that might be heavy, but also smothers out the possibilities of dynamicism within the music. While this might be used to convey the feeling of numbness succesfully (for some), it does not result in anything interesting for me. Whereas the combination with Black Metal seems to elevate the intensity and dynamics of Shoegaze, the combination with Doom Metal seems to smother and dull it from anything interesting. Grivo managed to succesfully blend these two genres in a way that is interesting and I think they have done it in such an interesting way that I'd like to discuss it in this review. The way they did it can be best explained by the album cover. To me, this seems like a large empty warehouse of sorts. It gives me the impression of an oppressive and claustrophobic space. The music on Omit sounds like it is played within this space. The music sounds huge and loud as it echoes and bounces of these cold walls repeatedly. This creates this feeling of d00m, while also allowing the music to breathe. But only slightly as it is still confined. The echoes return and overlap to create an even bigger sound. In this way the guitars are not just the boring cement brick that is often seen in the genre, but they allow for some kind of melancholic and cold atmosphere. * GRIVO combine slow hooks and warm amplifiers in their unique shoegazin' blend of heavy guitars and downtempo pop Returning with their sophomore record through the label and first outing since 2018's debut full-length Elude, Austin's tenacious and dynamic Grivo are establishing themselves in the landscape of modern downtempo pop and shoegaze. Omit is the band's tight angular approach to granite-textured doom and art rock on full display; a statement in pure gloom, Omit never reins in it's immersive swathes of atmosphere from the word go. * Emerging like and ornate relic, Austin-based power trio Grivo combine slow, methodical hooks and warm tube amplifiers to artfully re-establish the line between heavy guitars and downtempo pop. Grivo's tones and effects are utilised as active compositional elements, crafting and pacing their infectious riffs to allow the saturated guitars and bruising low-end to fully bloom. Within the tidal sound waves and bleak timbre, Grivo forges a distinctive personal connection that challenges the modern definitions of doom metal and shoegaze. * Unless you're native to the Texan shoegaze scene there's a good chance Grivo are a new proposition. Coming into being in the mid-tens, the Austin based trio are cementing their place in the scene with a form of methodological shoegaze that borrows heavily from granite doom and fatally despondent downtempo pop. Admittedly, this process has been one as gradual as their low and oh-so slow take on the genre, yet it's one that's sure to quicken with their second LP, Omit. Across the seven tracks that form it, the trio channel these disparate elements through their two-toned filter in a manner that's unhurried, but by no means easygoing. Opening track 'Trammel' immediately establishes the overall sound and aesthetic of both the record and Grivo as a collective. Following on from an initial crush of doom that serves as a foundation, the band conjure a monochromatic, borderline miasmic haze. The airy, almost lethargic vocals of Timothy Heck only adds to the sonic gloom, and while the track does ebb and flow between concrete density and lulling minimalism, the haze never fully diffuses. It's terminally despondent and sombre, and as the record slips into its second and third acts in the form of the title track and the aptly titled 'Fatigue', the atmosphere only thickens. These tracks do see variation, and though subtle, it's wholly welcomed. Here, Grivo cautiously change lanes into roads bound for more art-rock and dream-pop destinations, with the monolithic slabs of glittering obsidian of 'Fatigue' heavily reminiscent of the work of acts such as Nothing and Hum. Despite the band moving into more varied genres, Omit is a record bound with a singular texture; ashen granite. 'Fatal Blue' reigns in the despondency in a way akin to contemporaries and labelmates Slow Crush for a more alluring and aquatic affair, but for the most part Omit a record of one speed and moroseness. This is far from a grievance; within the soundscapes of suffocating guitars and apathetic drums, the band wallow in grief and melancholy in their own steadfast way. It's utterly engulfing and suffocating in it's dispirited nature. The atmosphere the band cast is the crux of the record and not once is it mismanaged or neglected. Granted, such a focus on highly pressurised atmosphere does mean there are times where the sounds become clouded and indistinct, but as proven with the likes of the nocturnal 'Langour', the dedication to immersion is full bodied and impressive. Omit is entirely unbothered by the concept of amalgamating shoegaze and forlorn dream-pop stylings with other far flung genres in some madcap dash for variety. Instead, Grivo use both human emotion and knowledge of the hypnotic power of ironclad shoegaze to slowly unfurl an ambience so dense it's overwhelming. While this does result in an experience that's slow, gradual and passive - meaning those wanting something instantaneous and urgent should look elsewhere - listeners seeking a suffocating experience in despondency should have plenty to cherish here. This is far from a buoyant record, but with Omit Grivo show what can be manifested with an expert knowledge of the shoegaze artform. -=- 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. ---==--==---