NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Catchup #3

'Sir Walter Raleigh' is the next number in my massive catchup session of Rebecca Peake and her track-a-day journey. A post-Britpop label is done proud as the guitars strum and the drums soak into your ears. Whispering vocals lend a very eerie, unsettling tone to the music, and as one comment rightly observes, Peake seems to have created the new Wall of Sound. Piano melodies and tinkling chimes are layered over each other, forming a 'wall' of reverb, fascinating in its depth and filling the space around you. As the track progresses, things get more and more crazed, before a slower, but perhaps even scarier finish closes the four minutes. As per usual, 'Sir Walter Raleigh' is just a must-hear track!

Like being underwater, everything is so quiet. Surrounding you is nothing but the cold blue of the water, detailed by flecks of dust and algae and the occasional small fish. As you watch this creature swim past, you notice, out of the corner of your eye, something take shape. From the murky darkness, a colossal structure emerges. Towering high above, you recognise the bow. You shiver through the wetsuit as the many windows stare out at you, lifeless and riddled with nightmares. Suitcases lie deathly still, unmoved from where they were left. Pristine beds glimmer under your torch, eternal in their slumber. You notice a doll, her smiling porcelain face cracked and broken. Time stands still for a moment. Looking down into the belly of the beast, you slowly unclasp your air tank. Your tears float away into the distance as you start to lose consciousness. The world above is tainted, while down here, innocence prevails. Silence brings comfort, and you realise, like a burden lifted from your heavy heart, that you want to 'Be Devoured'. You finally breath...

'Last Vertiges' is the next track, and runs for an amazing six minutes. A psychedelic ballad of epic proportions, the sound here builds and builds, rumbling and thundering under the reverberating vocals. It grows with quiet, tangible disquiet, throbbing and sincere and beautiful. The backing track is harmonised to a wonderful level. Like a hundred people wailing and lamenting the loss of a leader, the scope Peake has squeezed out of this is inspirational. Three-quarters of the way through, a pulse-quickening build leads into an anti-climactic, but somewhat ethereal piano break. As you breath a sigh of content, something changes. Hope appears from the darkness, and all seems right with the world. A key change at the very end hints so subtly at future fears, but for now, nothing is wrong.

'Honeybee' follows as a space-rock number, and feels very much like a toned down musical track (think 'Love Never Dies'). As we progress past the one and a half minute mark however, the guitars come in and the song really comes into its own. The lyricism drowns ever so gracefully in the unstoppable ocean of sound, before jerking your wandering mind back to reality with a sudden finish. As you sit, recuperating with heavy breaths for company, you turn to the next song, 'Muscovite Trail', hoping for more of the same. Instead, you're dealt something completely different, in true Peake fashion. Captivating vocals bounce off the studio walls as classic folk guitars strum along. Warm strings play along as you watch, face to the glass, as raindrops slide purposefully down your window. Strong and delicate simultaneously, you can listen to both the songs below!

'I Failed Atlantis' sounds decidedly church-like. The sad, harmonised vocals send you forth on a quest almost certain to fail. Their voices reverberate off the stone, ascend the breath-taking space above your head, and fill your imagination with thoughts of heaven. You don't need to be religious to understand the message of this track. Life is never certain, but death is. It eventually wraps its warm, soft, confident arms around our crippled bodies. The touch will heal. Wounds will seal up and our minds will unfurl. This is thought-provoking music if ever I heard it, but as before, the next track, 'Broken Mirror' jerks you from your musings. One comment nods its head towards a Battles influence, and if they were hyper and depressed, I'm pretty sure they would sound like this. Powerful, repeated beats are met with vocals to die for and synths to match. Strong and roaring, everything feels immense, and I absolutely love it! Stream below, but I think that's the catchup done!

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Catchup #2

When you leave Rebecca Peake for even a few days, there comes this insatiable itch to share every single one of your new found discoveries. The first song on this soon-to-be massive post is 'Plax', and electronic giant of a track. A low, buzzing hum leads into fantastic electro-bagpipe sounds, which force a smile from even the most tightly pursed lips. Space anomalies litter the landscape and spectacular synths wash over the golden sonic shore. Slowly but surely however, you realise that this magnificent creation is long gone. Your memory deceived you, and as you try to fight reality, the world splits under your feet. Returning back to the present, things sound so much more peaceful. A voice sings, and you decide, after the five minutes, that this was something truly, truly beautiful.

'Falling Apart' follows as something completely different. From the electronic epiphany of 'Plax', we're dealt a new hand of heavy riffs and doom-laden harmonies. A traditional crushing, throbbing start is met surprisingly by higher, somewhat soothing vocals. More energetic guitar work carries the singing to an epic, blockbuster like transcendence, and after being suitably pumped and shouting 'awesome' multiple times, you're hit by the abrupt, sudden ending. As the final cymbal fades into silence, you sit back in sheer... awe.

Some dark river weaves its quiet, lifeless path through the darkness of your dream. As it runs past your feet, a ripple appears. It grows. Wet hair emerges, covering a shivering, pale face. A subtle, demonic grin snarls as the nightmare of growing old envelopes your senses. The fear of all people. The fear of dependence. The fear of losing all hope, and the fear of being "all wrung out". 'Dead to Me' lures you someplace you never want to go. It takes the breath from your lungs and the warmth from your skin, and I think I love it.

'I'm a Shooting Star' is the next song on my list, and it comes as a welcome break from the intensity of the past three tracks. A simple rock number, it's lathered in space echo and old-time reverb, and the lyricism is carried by the vulnerable, yearning vocals. When the guitars kick in at two minutes especially, the whole thing just clicks. Despite the dark underlying tension, these three minutes are wonderfully uplifting. I've nothing else to say!

I've still got eight tracks that I missed, but 'Composure' will have to be the last for tonight. 'Dreampop' is the label the song's been given, but I fear it is so, so much more than that. Something about it is vast. Like all the stars, exploding at once and filling the sky with unadulterated beauty. The glistening, effortless panning fills the room as you listen. The waves flow around, and the beats carry them like a boundless cosmic breeze. I am, to this day, after all the different styles and sounds I've come across from Rebecca Peake, in awe of her imagination. She manages the pull it out of the hat every time, and I respect her immensely for it. I just hope that for as long as possible, she keeps recording music!

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Catchup

'Duchess of Sinew' begins. An ominous organ groans, and then builds. It leads, entices, coaxes you towards a space-rock climax. Female vocals ache with the pain of the universe, and the great understanding paired with it suddenly dawns. A drama is amplified by the vast, never-ending nature of deep space. The space. A space that grows a conscious as it floats around in the nothingness. A space that listens and silently cries as each of its children die a glorious death. Epic doesn't do this justice. It's just... magnificent. I'm not surprised at all to say that Rebecca Peake has done it once again, but that's not the end! I've been a bit busy this week. I've missed another two tracks, so here they are:

This is one of the creepiest vocal tracks I think I've ever heard. From the possessed wailing, which are unnerving enough, a strange voice emerges. It crackles with a subtle old-time fuzz, relaying the lyricism in a manner most psychotic. This woman is sitting in the corner of her room. Outside is dusted in snow, and as the lamps flicker into life, everything is silent. In the room however, she's tortured by the laments of people past. They aren't upset, but more, annoyed at their dismissal. The woman rocks back and forth. A sly smile finds itself amongst the wrinkles of her weary face and slowly, she begins to sing. At only two minutes long, the amount of story and feeling Peake can put into it is quite incredible.

Ever just needed something quiet? Well, have a look through Rebecca Peake's stuff and you're sure to find one. Here, I'll save you the trouble, with 'Still My Heart'. Something about this number oozes an old church feel, with its harmonised vocals and the epic, echoing reverb layered over them. It's not the longest thing ever, but like I've said before, what Peake does so well is work with what little time she has, and create something endearing and more often than not, beautiful. Stream all three songs above, and visit Rebecca over here. Oh, and every track is available over there to download for free!

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Frightmare / Excessive Skin MP3

Synthpop has never been so dark as it is in Rebecca Peake's new number, 'Frightmare', as the title might suggest. Haunting vocals flit over a marsh of throbbing beats and creepy synths. A subtle build leads into a nightmarish chase, but however fast you run, nothing gets any further away. A fluctuating radio signal is scrambled half way through, confirming your complete loneliness. The vocals are layered on even subtler than before, and somehow, the sound is turned around into one of realisation and repentance, creating this vast spectrum of sound that I've come to love from Miss Peake. Keep up the great work!

Noise-pop isn't my favourite genre of all time, but when people do it well, I can't help but want to hear more. Another track from this wonderful woman does just that. Reverb and beeps and crackles detail the steady, unwavering beat.  After a while these simply amazing affected vocals come in. They've lost all hope, and are relaying their message with the very last of their breath. The noise and loudness and aggression of the backing track contrasts ever so well with the vocals on 'Excessive Skin'. A male voice does comes in, but I think I prefer those of the women. All I can say is that I'm looking forward to more!

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Skies Change I Remain MP3

If you just sit back and think, 'not another one of these Rebecca Peake tracks', I urge you to have a listen to every one, because you will be rewarded. Peake manages to record one a day, and while that may infer a lack of quality, I assure you the opposite is true. This latest treat to drop from the bliss of her SoundCloud, 'Skies Change I Remain', is an ethereal masterpiece, climaxing in a rock apocalypse that  tears her world apart. The earth rips itself in two while people sing, and there is something spine-chilling and emotional and beautiful about the acceptance of their fate. This is truly, truly outstanding.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Pennsylvania MP3

A ballad here from Rebecca Peake, under the name, 'Pennsylvania'. From the soft vocals than shiver with underlying worry, gritty, harsh guitars erupt, contrasting amazingly well. Harmonised singing then comes in over the dirt and the noise, creating something all too beautiful. What Peake has done is record a track that explores two different sounds, but more importantly, makes that division melt away. This is an example of the true exploration of sound, and I admire Rebecca Peake all the more for it. Stream 'Pennsylvania' above.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Silence MP3

What is silence? Is it the absence of sound, or the essence of it? Is silence nothing, or is it just too vast to comprehend? To the quiet we reveal everything. Our darkest fears and most wondrous dreams form in its grasp. Our bodies are born in a shell, protected by silence, and in the end, it takes us back into its arms. This silence is within you all the time. Some call it subconsciousness, others the soul. Silence is universal, yet stays forever close by. For one who listens to music, silence must be the greatest sound. Music will be lost with time, yet silence is timeless. An eternal refuge from which the universe was born, and with which it will die. Unending and undeniable, silence is the voice of the world.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Idiot Street MP3

Here's another one from Rebecca Peake, a woman I admire greatly. 'Idiot Street' is more minimalistic in its production than some of her other tracks, but no less beautiful. A nice little piano-backed ballad takes up half the track before the drums come in and the universe of sound expands. The vocals are yearning, half ethereal, half grounded to reality. From a slow start, this number builds and builds into something bursting at the seams with passion and a synth-rock sensibility that clicks immediately. It's a masterpiece!

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: The Magewind MP3

Rebecca Peake's track for today is simple, epic rock. Gritty electric guitars, humming bass and ferocious drums all lend themselves to 'The Magewind'. The whole thing gains a sense of scope and adventurous scale half way through, looking out across vast plains and mighty oceans. Peake knows how to control what she does to a single note, and that precision makes everything sound finished, even when she's pumping them out every day. No vocals on this one, but the music speaks for itself. With something this fantastic, the singing has been stunned into silence, and I adore it. Stream 'The Magewind' above.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Stawberries & Cream MP3

Some synthpop here from the ever-talented Rebecca Peake. Without saying too much, this is another wonderful tune, filled with catchy verses, fantastic synths and just that right balance between being too sugary and not sweet enough. Something about it sounds almost spacey, be it grounded by a throbbing layer of hidden disquiet. Stream it up above.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Breakfast / Skyline Replacements MP3s

You guys know the drill. Rebecca Peake is a musical genius, or at least very, very close. I believe this is the fifth track of hers that I've posted on the blog, but who can blame me? 'Breakfast' is astounding. Even when I'm expecting the best, somehow Peake throws something in that catches me off guards. The ethereal element here takes you someplace else. A stark melody is detailed by gusts of spirits, snatched by the wind, and the almost silent noises of things far in the distance. It seems to me like a journey. From the world of the living, through the dark lament of passing, and then the bright light at the end of the tunnel. Fruit blossoms out of cold ground, and the sun hits you in the chest as you take a sharp breath. Beauty epitomised. Stream the goodness above. Not maybe. Just listen.

It seems I missed this one from yesterday too, though how exactly I don't know. A man is sitting, looking out of his window, hoping. Yearning to see things no one else has see, and longing for the rain of a distant planet to soak the barren wasteland in which he sits. A tiny Muse influence seems to tint the spectrum of sound this track encapsulates. The lyrics hint at an almost paranormal happening, and the spacey, alien glow that grasps 'Skyline Replacements' certainly emulates that. I think I've fallen in love with Rebecca once again.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Behold a Juggernaut MP3

By now you should probably know about Rebecca Peake! I've posted her tracks a few times, because they're often phenomenal. 'Behold a Juggernaut' is no different, and rocks along with an angry passion. A busy city street requires careful navigation, and when an almighty frustration suddenly overwhelms you, a fiery fury is sparked. You want to bulldoze cars and vans aside and roar with a possessed petulance. The subdued vocals sound almost as though they've given up hope, yet the furious guitars continue, vexed by anything and everything. Stream 'Behold a Juggernaut' above or listen to more over here.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Wheres the Porkestra MP3

'Dirge' is the label with which this latest number from Rebecca Peake has been given. While 'Where's the Porkestra' is most definitely somber, I wouldn't necessarily call it a song of mourning. A layer of grime has been ground into the fabric of this track, carried along the sewers by a dark and whispering beat. Vocals sing in their distress before an almost ethereal wail leads them to their ultimate finish. Old crackles and deep whirring litter the rocky floor upon which this track is built, and I find it somewhat haunting in its execution. Stream 'Wheres the Porkestra' above or visit Rebecca Peakes SoundCloud.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Time Bomb MP3

I think I've recently fallen for Rebecca Peake, and trust me, I'm not complaining. Hailing from the US, Peake has taken it upon herself to record a track every day, for a whole year. I've already posted one of those songs, 'Map of the Diamond', which was fantastic, but waking up to another has been even better. 'Time Bomb' dropped an hour ago over on her SoundCloud retreat, and with tags like organ and vocals, I couldn't resist having a listen. It is, unsurprisingly, a stunningly beautiful number. The vocals are haunting at the start, backed by the throbbing organ and detailed by flickering torchlight. As the song progresses however, they gain an element of quiet sadness, finally accepting their death and loosening their stubborn grasp on reality. Stream 'Time Bomb' above, 'cos I love it.

NEWS// Rebecca Peake: Map of the Diamond MP3

Under the water, a whole different world. Reality is muffled, then disappears completely. Your heartbeat thunders and for just a few seconds you walk a land far stranger than your own. Alien beeps dapple the shifting sonic walls and you catch whispers on the warm, soothing breeze. An unnerving state of calm numbs your senses and your mind is overrun with dark shapes that moan and flit. Doors open and lids lift. Secrets reveal themselves to you, but before you have the chance to listen, the need for air clenches its fist around your lungs. You gasp as a force beyond your control pulls you from the water. Dripping, breathing, you sit up. Your pulse slows, but your imagination is still racing. Listen above.