Search - Summer at Shatter Creek :: Summer at Shatter Creek

Gets better every time.

Nick Danger | New York, NY | 05/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't even remember how I heard of Summer at Shatter Creek. I was on one of my new music hunts, I assume, and I'm sure it was recommended to me. Either that, or I accidentally downloaded samples from the label's site. Regardless, I suddenly had two mp3's on my computer and I fell in love with each song the more I heard them. So, finally, on a bit of whim, and with very little research, I ordered this album. At first I was expecting some strange Mercury Rev/Belle and Sebastian amalgam. I was pleasantly wrong. What I got was something so new yet so familiar. As I listened to the album, I flipped through the liner notes (drawings) and I was struck with a sense of nostalgia. This is one of those "one-man-band" albums, and this one gets quite personal. His songs are about his neighbors, his family, and things he does in his spare time. The best song on the album, "My Neighbor's Having a Seizure," plays out like an epic. It begins with a simple programmed beat, with a cool synth loop that carries throughout most of the song. Craig Gerwich's melodies are so smooth and sing-a-longable, but if you listen carefully to the lyrics, it's an erie recollection of a "normal occurance." In summary, I say any fan of the lighter side of indie rock should invest in this album. Unlike other solo acts, Summer at Shatter Creek isn't afraid to create long, anthemic, and intricate songs, filled with crescendos galore."

Very promising

jedthehumanoid83 | GRADIGNAN France | 06/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"when i got my free cd sampler from the (great) californian label absolutely kosher about a month ago, a song immediately stood out upon first listen, and it was summer at shatter creek's "my neighbour's having a seizure" , possibly the song of the year so far, a gorgeous intimate indie-rock epic about, well, the narrator's neighbour who's having a seizure and whose death is "just a matter of time" which explodes in an absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful final crescendo. if you're remotely a grandaddy/flaming lips/elephant 6 bands fan, or an indie fan in general, please do me a favor and listen to it ten times in a row. you will be floored.i found the album in a record store the other day and picked it up with no hesitation, and though no song on it approaches the ecstatic catharsis of the song aforementioned (should that have happened, it was the best album ever), it is shaping up to be one of the year's best releases. though it is not depressing, the album conveys a sense of solitude (the band is actually a one-man band - craig gurwich did everything by himself), of remoteness from the world in a very impressive way, boasts very beautiful mellow melodies in general, and has a knack for intriguing arrangements which keep the whole thing interesting from track 1 to 9. you can also check out the first song from the album, "home for the holidays", it also has an incredible finale.
this self-title record is not a masterpiece yet, but it will be very exciting to hear what summer at shatter creek is going to come up next.in the booklet, gurwich proceeds to briefly sum up his life story, and ends with the statement "somehow i've ended up where i am now. wherever this is." this is a beautiful place.(oh, and don't let the cover artwork scare you away)"