I haven’t seen anything “new” by Sweden’s shoegaze-popsters South Ambulance since… well, since Labrador dished out that lovely comp featuring one song off every album they’ve released since inception. And that wasn’t necessarily new. But the band is band and they have a new face backing them — the face of Indiecater Records, who already has an impressive catalog of artists. “Simple Obligation of a Man” follows the band’s signature shoegaze meets Swedish indie-pop sound, full on with droning guitars, a consistent pop strum, and lovely vocals masked by that light Swedish accent. In a way, it’s a slightly different direction than their previous work, which I believe (going off distant memory here) was heavier on the shoegaze and lighter on the pop.

Download: “Simple Obligation Of A Man” by South Ambulance

An online tour: what a great concept. It allows a band with no means of world exploration (i.e. minimal cash, unacceptable transport, no Samsonite baggage, etc.) to tour the world through the eyes of blogs. FensePost is excited to premiere (for Bellingham and the rest of the world) the Candy Claws video for “Island Grows”. So come one, come all; see the wondrous Candy Claws, one of 2009′s hottest new acts, perform their songs acoustically in videos premiered on sites that span the world.

Candy Claws’ style of experimental electronic folk is, as I noted in my review of their excellent 2009 LP In The Dream Of The Sea Life, somewhere around the likes of Panda Bear. But as the videos in their Online World Tour demonstrate, they don’t have the constraints of expectation which allows them to be truly unique. “Island Grows” is just that; the band, clad in masked attire, gives us a dizzying acoustic performance of the song.

As ‘live’ performances go, they’ve got some pre-show banter they’d like to share…

Hi Bellingham and the surrounding area! We loved Washington so much when we came through last week, now we’re here again. This is Day 7 of our Online World Tour for In the Dream of the Sea Life. We’re doing acoustic versions of each track off the album, for you to hear the Songs Beneath the Sparkle. Today we walked on a cold mountainside to play a warm island song for you. It’s called “Island Grows”, a name forever. This is also the day that our Band of Eight Band Members is complete, with Riley joining on Marty’s Plastic Tambourine, and Marty switching to Tiny Hand Drums. Tori came all the way from New York to operate a camera, and Loren came all the way from the Deep Future-Past Higgs Field Loop to operate the other camera. Good thing this song is easy to play on guitar because our hands were the hands of frozen ice people. Let’s go back inside after this one!

We just came from Sea Star Nest in Fort Collins. Tomorrow we’re taking a day off to rest. Visit our blog for a full list of tour dates, with links.

You can stream the entire album, read reviews, and pick up a copy (digital or physical) at Indiecater.

Thanks for watching! See you so soon.

The band has been generous enough to allow us to post “Island Grows” from In The Dream Of The Sea Life so you can hear the song in its original state, as well as the live acoustic version. Enjoy!

Candy Claws: Island Grows [mp3]

Island Grows (acoustic) – Candy Claws Online World Tour – Day 7 from Candy Claws on Vimeo.

Sunbear‘s shoegaze-ridden pop hints at a late 90s, DC-based influence. Listening to “Leadbelt” one could imagine the band fitting perfectly in that scene, but Sunbear is from Dublin and the song is off their upcoming release Bits on Indiecater Records. Realization sets in with research: Bits is a reissue, and all of these songs were written and recorded in the 90s. The timing couldn’t be better, as “Leadbelt” is an excellent accompaniment to, say, “Seven” off that recent re-release of Sunny Day Real Estate. If you fancy that era, you’ll definitely dig this artist.

Sunbear: Leadbelt [mp3]

I would categorize Candy Claws and their single “Catamaran” as experimental pop in the vein of Panda Bear. “Catamaran” and the album from whence it came, Candy Claws’ debut LP In The Dream Of The Sea Life, has similar experimental characteristics, from the varied and incandescent instrumentation to hushed, melodic and oft indecipherable vocals. The theme is consistency and flow; each song transitions flawlessly into the next.

“Diving Knife” features hushed, whispery vocals, acting as an introduction to Candy Claws’ unique sound. Here, the band divides its loyalties between the quiet sounds of bedroom pop and the eccentricities of experimental pop, fluttering between the two before launching into the highly melodic, beautiful noise of “Lantern Fish”. This harmonic consistency drives forward into “Starry Fighter Kite”.

Again sans any sort of break between songs, In The Dream Of The Sea Life becomes somewhat of a concept album, entirely cohesive. The transitions follow the album name; the themes are, obviously, dreaminess and the ocean. One can truly view this as a whole, and it would likely be better taken in via such a manner. Yet each song does maintain enough presence to stand on its own.

As a whole or alone, the experimental pop Candy Claws creates fits the aforementioned themes perfectly — you can hear the waves and the avant-garde sounds fit the nature of sleep. Songs like “Island Grows” and “Snowflake Eel Wish” are the audible realization of the atmospheric dream life. “Snowy Shores” concludes In The Dream Of The Sea Life, proving its place as an album with immense depth, obscured by walls built with experimental looped instrumentation, and calming through melodic consistency and beautifully gentle and subdued vocals. It all leads to Candy Claws being one of the most exceptional new bands to hit the scene this year.

Candy Claws: Catamaran [mp3]

Indiecater Records [CD, 2009]

1. Diving Knife
2. Lantern Fish
3. Starry Fighter Kite
4. Catamaran
5. The Sun Is My Girl
6. Flashy Storm
7. Island Grows
8. Snowflake Eel Wish
9. Not Strange Winged Snail
10. Snowy Shores