“Laptop pop and shoegaze. Surprisingly, the mishmash of these two genres with video game music feels organic†Pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11143-in-her-gentle-jaws/
“Soaring, shoegazing soundscapes of pop wonder†Chromewaves.com
“Not to be missed!†Insound
“These [three] gents’ music is a wonderful collage of guitars, drums, fuzzy electronics, and heartfelt lyrics that, in this writer’s opinion, places them a couple steps ahead of most post-rock acts. Makes me want to hop the L train and give these guys a hug.” XLR8R.com
As effacingly discrete as their name, Brooklyn-based 3-piece The Depreciation Guild have been making underground waves to match those created by their fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched melodies.
Artfully combining progressive and retro chic, the trio draws influence from shoegaze guitar walls, dreampop highs, and the rigidity of electronic rhythms, while creating a sound that is a bit different from both, dreamily reinventing their musical heritage.
The pieces may seem disparate, but they weave together masterfully. One part stems from the utilization of a 8-bit Nintendo soundcard: painstakingly self-taught by frontman Kurt Feldman, the modified entertainment system is used to compose a crushing backdrop of rhythmic, synthetic elements. Yet its use is tasteful, seamlessly blending with guitars, drums and hushed vocals to create the band’s layered sound.
Along with Kurt on vocals, guitar and soundchips, The Depreciation Guild is comprised of twin brothers Christoph Hochheim (guitar, vocals) and Anton Hochheim (live drums).
Following their premiere full-length In Her Gentle Jaws, self-released in December ‘07 exclusively as a free download, the album has already found its way to over 90,000 hard drives. The stir across the Internet, as well as in their own backyard, is testament to some breathtaking songwriting and arranging. A musical piece to be heard as a whole saturated in color, and drifting into dream.
2008 highlights for the band included headlining the annual Geekfest in Mexico, and playing American Eagle’s New American Music Union festival in Pittsburgh, sharing a stage with the likes of Bob Dylan and The Raconteurs.
Also notable is the band’s close relation to new indie breakouts The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, as the bands busily share two members in Kurt and Christoph. Though The Depreciation Guild’s existence pre-dates The Pains’, this alliance has already resulted in one sold-out tour of the US, and another cross-country trek is booked for the bro-bands in September/October.
And now, one of The Depreciation Guild’s finest songs to date, the new single, “Dream About Me,” is set to break on Kanine Records, on white 7†vinyl and digital download.
With the band newly signed to Kanine, and ready to record their second full-length this summer with Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv at the helm, it’s clear the story has only just begun.
US TOUR DATES
09-05 Boston, MA – Middle East Downstairs
09-06 Montreal, Quebec – La Sala Rossa
09-07 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe Tavern
09-08 Chicago, IL – Logan Square Auditorium
09-09 Madison, WI – Stage Door at the Orpheum
09-10 Omaha, NE – The Slowdown
09-13 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
09-14 Boise, ID – Neurolux
09-17 Portland, OR – Music Fest North West/Doug Fir
09-21 San Diego, CA – Casbah
09-22 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
09-24 Fort Worth, TX – Lola’s
09-25 Austin, TX – The Mohawk
09-26 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
09-27 Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
09-28 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
09-29 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
09-30 Washington, DC – Black Cat
10-01 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
10-05 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
www.myspace.com/thedepreciationguild