A couple of years ago when I was searching for the next My Bloody Valentine, as if it existed, I stumbled across many different offshoots of that particular sound. No other band challenged my perspective of music, like MBV did before, as much as Lovesliescrushing (LLC). That’s right, all one word. Like MBV, one of the main focuses is the electric guitar and the distortion of it. Unlike MBV, LLC takes that main focus and obsessively creates a revolutionary sound with guitars alone, no drums, bass, or other instruments, just guitar and female vocals, which meld into the reverberating sounds of the guitar, becoming apart of the combined force of the music.

Now, my first association with this band was through their second album titled, Xuvetyn. Possibly my favorite album from them, although I might be a little biased considering it was my introductory album. Then I immediately went to the beginning and picked up their first album, Bloweyelashwish, both first and second albums were recorded between 1992 and 1995. These first two albums are similar in their raw and unpolished approach to guitar oriented ambient music. Before I had heard this band I wasn’t a big fan of ambient music, but after, I became obsessed. The intricate way the guitars are layered is one of the most incredible achievements in recording, ever. The third and fourth albums, Voirshn and Glissceule, were recorded through 2000 to 2004, with certain tracks on the latter having been finished around the time of the first two albums. These two albums were more polished than the first two, although the unique sound remains, there is a crispness and smoothness that accompanies the production technique. I love every album equally. I can listen to any of them quietly or extremely loud and I will always interpret it differently each time. I always hear nuances that I haven’t heard before. I hear completely different songs, full songs, going on underneath of the layers of guitars that are bombarding my senses. It’s the most rewarding music I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. The leader of the band, Scott Cortez, only furthers the heralding of his music by recording on a Tascam 4-track! Perfect.

There is too much depth to the music and personal experience for me to continue on about their previous albums. So, that being said, their new release, a double disc set, Avianium and Girl Echo Suns Veils, is horrible. Just kidding. The same features are back for the double disc and I can’t explain in words my elation upon receiving the music. Ordered off of their labels website, www.projekt.com, I received a hand made wooden box with a slip door opening. Inside contained the two discs with corresponding pamphlets explaining the musical content, all of this along with different colored bird feathers. I was in heaven. Leaving the exceptional packaging behind, the music did not let me down. Lovesliescrushing has always created foreboding feelings of danger, desperation, indefatigable nostalgia, and a forlorn sense of desolation. These two discs continue that feeling. With almost twenty years to decide how to record and arrange the music, the final product is a marvel of patient engineering. Avianium was recorded between 1990 to 1995, while G.E.S.V. was recorded, for the most part, during ‘91 and ‘92, and a few choice tracks recorded in 2000. All of this material was perfected by Scott until he decided the finished product was ready. Believe me, it is.

Avianium resembles the more polished and smooth side of LLC, and G.E.S.V. is more akin to the harsher and unforgiving side. Both albums are ambient gold. It would be useless for me to describe the music. You must listen for yourself. But, if I could describe some of it, the names of the songs seem to resemble what I’m hearing, that is if the names are actually words, or just jumbled letters, as you can tell from some of their album titles. Songs like, Slow Ship Giant Vessel, could eventually paint the picture of a gigantic, slow-moving, ship. The enormous nature of the music, and the ethereal, almost divine like sound that emanates, transports my mind into a comfortable state of sublime paralysis. I lose track of time, especially the time it takes for a song to end. A track may be only three or four minutes in length but I perceive it to last infinitely longer. You may be asking yourself, how could there be a downside to a band that sounds so awesome? Well, there isn’t one. Listen to it and then you tell me I’m crazy.