Requiring less than two weeks of studio time to complete, it’s accurate to say that Apex Manor’s Heartbreak City was captured more than it was recorded due to the “everybody in the same room” live sessions featuring songwriter Ross Flournoy on guitar and vocals, Dan Allaire (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums, and Rob Barbato on bass and production duties. The raucous result is a sonic spectacle that cleverly balances aggressive Dinosaur Jr.-esque guitars with dreamy synth work that’s reminiscent of The Cure, all mixed together with spirited instrumental performances, nuanced melodicism, and lyrics that swing wildly between being cryptic and being profound. In short, it’s everything there is to love about early ’90s pre-commercialized alternative rock but with a refreshingly modern absence of pretense or nostalgia.
Maar liefst 14 cd's met daarop verzameld het mooiste uit 20 jaar Top 2000. De cd's zijn gerangschikt naar de periode van waaruit de nummers komen: de 50, de 60,'s, de 70's, de 80. de 90's, de 00's en de 10's. Daarnaast is er nog een dubbelcd met daarop Long Versions van een aantal classic Top 2000 nummers.
Some albums are born from necessity rather than desire. When a Shadow Is Forced Into the Light is one. After Swallow the Sun issued their triple-length magnum opus Songs from the North I, II & III in 2015, tragedy struck. Guitarist/composer Juha Raivio lost his life partner, the poet and vocalist Aleah Stanbridge, to cancer at the end of 2016. She and Raivio had formed the band Trees of Eternity but she passed before their debut was completed. He finished and released the album then went into seclusion. Upon returning, he formed the band Hallatar, composing songs from lyrics in her journals. They released No Stars Upon the Bridge in 2017. But Raivio also channeled his grief into this extended reflection on loss, sadness, heartbreak, and transformation for STS; he penned its nine songs in three weeks…