Search - Lilys :: Tone Bender

First chapter of the Lilys Saga

04/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a CD E.P. of the first two Lilys singles, originally released on 7" vinyl. At this time of the Lilys career, the frontman, Kurt Heasley, was very interested in the sonic shoegaze sounds pioneered by bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Boo Radleys, Spacemen 3, and others, the noisier aspect of the dream-pop spectrum. In fact, along with MBV, all of the Lilys songs from this period prove to be the best and most timeless of the shoegaze era. The first single was "February 14" which featured "Threw A Day" as a b-side. These two songs are the sound of the Lilys searching for their style, musically, as they try various sounds. It wasn't until the Tone Bender single that followed that the Lilys really hit their stride. "Tone Bender" may be the most Godly three minutes of feedback and dense distortion ever, and it is all laced with the angelic vocals of Kurt, making this one of the greatest and impressive songs of the 90s.

The b-side, "Eskimo," matches "Tone Bender" in sonic impressiveness, and goes for a more epic length, packed with swooning guitars. After these singles, the Lilys released In The Presence of Nothing which became a landmark of shoegaze music and alternative guitar rock circles the world over. I strongly recommend both these releases in order to discover one of the greatest creative periods of one of America's most overlooked rock bands of the past 20 years."