Grand Archives

I allow myself one record per month. Yesterday I realized that it was already the 24th and I hadn't yet gotten one for February. I had been to record stores two or three times but nothing seemed perfect.

I combed through every single album my record store had, and at the end I was torn between the 10 20 year-old (dear Lord what is wrong with me) My Bloody Valentine debut (full length) and Mirah's insect-based concept album Share This Place: Stories and Observations. I couldn't decide. At all. Then I looked up at the new release shelves absentmindedly, and was faced with the most beautiful cover art I had seen in months (years?).


Grand Archives. I hadn't heard of them, but they were signed to SubPop, which I have a fairly good level of trust in. And they were from Seattle, which is a place I like to hear music from. So I thought what the hell and bought it.

It's a beautiful album. It came with a digital code for my iPod, and a free white 45 of two other songs. I don't really know how to describe them other than melodic layers that I want to drown in. Here is what Sound Fix has to say:

While each track displays a different combination of influences, what they all have in common are rich, gorgeous vocal harmonies and carefully layered instrumental tracks that work together to create a deep, expansive pool of sound you’ll feel as if you could dive into.

I guess I wasn't alone in thinking of water when I heard this. It's very pretty.

I was inspired to write about this just now when I saw that FREEwilliamsburg wrote about it two days ago. Apparently there's an ex Band of Horses guy in it. That would explain a bit.

Visit Grand Archives on MySpace, take a listen.