WALDO AND MARSHA – Zoo
01. Wide Awake, Wide Asleep
02. Canals (with Vinnie Who)
03. Leave Me Here
04. Am I Wasting Tears
05. Savannah
06. Lemon Drops
07. Crystalline
08. Circular Surprise
09. All I Ever Knew
The day is here fans, the day when the promising young band you have been keeping your eye on has moved from a few track EP to grace the world with a full-length album, titled Zoo. WALDO AND MARSHA is an eight-member dreampop-with-elements-of-shoegaze band from Denmark. Distinguished by a large line-up that includes four guitarists, this band captivated us with the nostalgic and wistful EP Smiling and the Ground. They told us in an interview last December that they aspire to create “the best dreampop album ever.” These are some big ambitions matched only by WALDO AND MARSHA’s sweeping and eerie sound. Lyrics are obtuse and barely heard over effect-laden guitar and dreamy keyboards. Named for the lovelorn couple featured in THE VELVET UNDERGROUND classic track, The Gift (narrated by JOHN CALE) WALDO AND MARSHA have elements of the autumnal and melancholy, the soundtrack of something you can feel slipping away. This is post-BEACH BOYS with elements of MY BLOODY VALENTINE and THE COCTEAU TWINS, play this album for the morning after all those sweet and carefree days of your youth.
The album is full of gems, one in particular, Crystalline, which opens with keyboards and a held-back drum sound augmented by noisy, swirling guitars. Circular Surprise was released as a teaser single back in April, this song is the most upbeat of the album. Canals is a collaboration with disco-pop genius VINNIE WHO. The five minute long mini-epic Savannah is ephemeral and shapeless, preceded by Am I Wasting Tears, which is a statement not a question. All I Ever Knew brings the record to a close. This song meanders to a finish, soothing you into a memory of a sunny, warm summer day, when you look out the window and all you see is falling snow. Available May 21, 2013 via A:larm Music. Stream the entire album right now on the band’s Soundcloud right here.
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