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Soma certainly new what they were doing with the Rob da Bank compilation Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi Vol. 3 (Shoegazing 1985 - 2007) (see review HERE) as it’s caught the ‘summer of shoegazing’ revival. And as Sonic Cathedral has arguably been its leading light, running both irregular club night and label showcasing the new generation of acts, who better to release this new compilation?

As a label, they’ve only been going since 2006 but Cathedral Classics has many of Rob da Banks’ favouritis of late with a CD of 17 tracks that shows the nu-shoegaze has as much variety as the old-gazers.

The CD kicks of with the very first release the label put out, the 7” ‘Sally O’Gannon’/’Be Around’ by The Tamborines. And what a debut it is as its garage band West Coast pyschedelic pop for the kids of today. Anyone who’s been following Carlos Niño ‘pyschedelic cosmic love from California’ will get this straight away (like Yppah) as ‘Be Around’ is so dreamy Byrds-esque.

The CD is worth getting for just these two tracks in itself, but it just gets better with Mark Gardener (a former member of Ride, they of ‘Nowhere’), Sarabeth Tucek’s dreamy folk-pop and a Robin Guthrie (ex-Cocteau Twins) mixing up School Of Seven Bells (they of Prefuse 73’s ‘The Class Of 73 Bells’).

Picking up da Bank’s “nu-gazers”, such as remixers Ulrich Schnauss, Maps, M83 (Maps and M83 doing each other so to speak), they are all here as label founder (and NME subeditor) Nathaniel Cramp clearly knows his stuff; not so sure about Kyte myself as ‘Planet’ sounds like a laid back Panic At The Disco but after Dean & Britta’s cover of the TV Theme ‘White Horses’, (that’s on the da Bank comp), the Sonic Boom mix on here is anything but Sonic Boom and is rapidly becoming the most played track on the album; dreamy vibes and much more!

And there’s much more, like Miranda Lee Richards whose music has been variously called “Pixie Fairy Dust Chick Music” and “Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock” and as she lives in LA, one for Carlos Niño to keep an eye on.

Not heard of the Japancakes (apparently they’re from Athens, GA like Madeleine Peyroux) but their two tracks get two different types of remixes, leftfield gothic on ‘Soon’ and a synthed-out techno version of ‘Touched’; and just when I was going to say it’s another shoegazing compilation album without any Kevin Shields/My Bloody Valentine!

And if you’re wondering where the guitar feedback/drone/distortion/wah al a Empire is, the appropriately named band The Early Years provide that but the album finishes with a couple of tracks from Daniel Land & The Modern Painters that are well laid back by comparison.

Sonic Cathedral’s vision when the club night started in 2004 is more than rewarded by this CD as all the artists share his love of this music (in all its variations); so if you’ve not got the various limited edition 7” releases, this is a great opportunity to the CD and enjoy.

Reviewed: Various Artists - Cathedral Classics Volume One (Sonic Cathedral) Cat. No: SCRO12 Release date: 20th April 2009
Tracklisting:
1 The Tamborines - Sally O’Gannon (3:42)
2 The Tamborines - Be Around (2:51)
3 Mark Gardener - The Story Of The Eye (Ulrich Schnauss Mix) (4:06)
4 Sarabeth Tucek - Something For You (Contino Mix) (3:17)
5 School Of Seven Bells - My Cabal (Robin Guthrie Mix) (4:41)
6 Kyte - Planet (4:15)
7 Kyte - Secular Ventures (Maps Mix) (6:47)
8 Dean & Britta - White Horses (Sonic Boom Mix) (5:30)
9 Dean & Britta - Life Boat (Neil Halstead Mix) (5:35)
10 Miranda Lee Richards - To The Sky (M83 Mix) (4:18)
11 Maps - We Own The Sky (Maps Mix) (5:08)
12 Japancakes - Soon (James Rutledge Mix) (4:45)
13 Japancakes - Touched (Ricardo Tobar Mix) (5:59)
14 The Early Years - Like A Suicide (5:35)
15 The Early Years - The Computer Voice (3:21)
16 Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - Within The Boundaries (4:46)
17 Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - Benjamin’s Room (4:03)

Links:
www.soniccathedral.co.uk
www.myspace.com/soniccathedral
www.myspace.com/thetamborines
www.markgardener.com
www.myspace.com/markgardener
www.myspace.com/sarabethtucek
www.myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells
www.robinguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/robinguthrie
www.myspace.com/kyteband
www.myspace.com/m83
www.mapsmusic.com
www.myspace.com/mapsmusic
www.deanandbritta.com
www.myspace.com/deanandbritta
www.mirandaleerichards.com
www.myspace.com/mirandaleerichards
www.myspace.com/neilhalsteadofficial
www.ulrich-schnauss.net
www.japancakesmusic.com
www.myspace.com/japancakesmusic
www.jamesrutledge.com
www.theearlyyears.org.uk
www.myspace.com/thesoundoftheearlyyears
www.myspace.com/danielland