One Track Mind

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Brooklyn’s The Depreciation Guild may only be three members deep, but they create dense, opalescent tunes sure to please any shoegaze fan. The trio is comprised of frontman Kurt Feldman and Christoph Hochheim, who are both full-time members of indie-pop darlings The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Christoph’s twin brother Anton. Their 2007 debut, In Her Gentle Jaws, premiered free of charge on the band’s website and was subsequently downloaded nearly 100,000 times. Following the impressive demand, the LP was given a formal re-release in 2009 alongside the white vinyl single for “Dream About Me.” This year, the band will be issuing their highly anticipated follow-up, Spirit Youth, to be released May 18th on Kanine Records.

“My Chariot,” the first track from Spirit Youth, is the type of song less concerned with pushing limits than with delivering a personal take on a classic sound (in this case taking cues from heroes of the height of the shoegaze era like Chapterhouse and Pale Saints). Part of The Depreciation Guild’s twist on this tried and true recipe comes in the form of Feldman’s incorporation of an old Nintendo soundcard in their performances. Rather than color their music with neon chiptune tones, the 8-bit sounds are woven into the soundscape with subtlety and purpose; if one isn’t on the lookout for these notes, they will likely slip pass undetected. The end product is deeply satisfying, an ideal candidate to throw on in repeat mode this weekend morning as winter relinquishes its grasp and spring begins its annual takeover.

Be sure to check out The Depreciation Guild live at SXSW:

Mar 17 2010 – 1:00 pm at the Elbo.ws, Consequence of Sound, and The Music Slut day party at Peckerheads
Mar 17 2010 – 11:45 pm at the Kanine Records Showcase at Wave Rooftop