Over the holidays I got to work with a group out of Philadelphia called The Morelings whose style of music pretty much aligns well with my entire music background. I immediately heard a lot of Cocteau Twins-esq melodies, Cure-like guitar lines, but those would be easy RIYL comparisons.
The Morelings really conjured up a lot of memories of my old Alcian Blue / Skywave days when there was a great underground goth / dream pop label called Projekt around. (Bands like Autumn’s Grey Solace, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Low Sunday, and more.) It was nice to hear this sound again not because it was a throw back, but because it sounded fresh and exciting while obviously reminiscing on the early dream pop days.
One of the key elements I locked in on with this band was their dynamics and more importantly their attention to them. I love a band that isn’t afraid to be quiet for a bit before the song takes off. It’s too easy these days for everyone to want everything loud all the time to match whatever track comes up after them in iTunes, but this band enjoys lurking a bit in a soft haze before building the layers which makes the loud parts feel that much more great when they hit.