Posted on: July 24, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

“Violens, a new project featuring Lansing-Dreiden members, may be less than a year old, but they are already the best discovery of this collection. Their stoned, sweet “Trance Like Turn” features sunny, vintage harmonies that peek through the gray clouds of their steely, post-punk beats and synthesized aggression.”

Time-Out NY : “Most bands will never write a song so flawless as Violens’ “Violent Sensation Descends.” … Your ears are broken if you don’t play it several times over before you can do anything else…Violens clearly draws from the mid-’80s U.K. indie scene (Aztec Camera, the Pale Fountains, Prefab Sprout) but doesn’t sound derivative of anyone; the group’s evocation of that era’s internationalist style and wit comes wrapped in a cool emotionalism that also characterizes Violens’ onstage vibe. The only issue with their shows is that we can’t get them to play a song more than once.”

FrictionNYC.com : “‘Violent Sensation Descends’ begins with a dark, almost haunting psychedelic swirl before breaking into warm, jangly, sunny psych-pop. Warm harmonies and delectable melodies are book-ended by another delve into dark psych whirl.”

RCRD LBL.COM : “Violens …make hallucinatory, ’60s inspired pop records akin to Of Montreal imagining kicking it with the Zombies and Joe Meek back in the day. We’re releasing their first RCRD LBL single today, the bouncy “Violent Sensation Descends”. We’ve been listening to it all morning and we feel as if a void has been filled.”

Violens are thrilled to announce summer tour dates with indie rock faves Grizzly Bear, and 2008 break out band MGMT. Following the release of singer/producer Jorge Elbrecht’s remix of their single “Time to Pretend”, MGMT asked Violens to join them on dates between a busy schedule of summer festivals. The band will then join Grizzly Bear as sole support on their shows between dates with Radiohead. Additional dates with each package will be announced shortly.

Violens recently released their critically acclaimed new single “Trance-Like Turn” on The Green Owl Records Comp: A Benefit for the Energy Action Coalition. Their contribution is featured among tracks by other notable artists such as Feist, Muse, Deerhoof, Bloc Party, A Place To Bury Strangers, and many more. 100% of profits from the album sales will be donated to the EAC, to support their efforts to raise environmental awareness in our community. http://greenowlrecords.com/comp.php

The band was recently named one of 8 bands to watch in 2008 by The L Magazine. Follow the link below to their feature, alongside Brooklyn’s High Places: http://thelmagazine.com/6/11/feature/feature4.cfm?ctype=1

Violens (pronounced “vy-lenz”) are a New York-via-Miami four-piece formed in the fall of 2007, featuring members Iddo Arad (synths/vocals), Ben Brantley (bass), Jorge Elbrecht (lead vocals/guitar) and Kris King (drums). Their music imagines a place where The Zombies & The Byrds meet Wire & The Violent Femmes, and Crass meets Angelo Badalamenti & Prefab Sprout. Violens songs conjure descriptions of nightmares, the passing of time, speculations on spiritual messages, and accounts of psychedelic hallucinations. Even their most frenetic guitar work and aggressive rhythms are draped in a gauze of reverberant, harmonized vocals and synths which create a sense of creepy, artificial comfort. A fitting characterization, lyrically and musically, for a group whose name sounds like a melding of the words “violence” and “violins”.

US Summer Dates

August 11-Washington DC @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/Grizzly Bear
August 14- Boston, MA @ Museum of Fine Arts w/Grizzly Bear

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