Violent Hearts by Shimmering Stars - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

On their debut album, Violent Hearts, Vancouver trio Shimmering Stars delve deeply into the ghostly sounds of 1950s and early-'60s pop and come up with a sound both older than a scratchy old 45 and as current as the latest MP3 you downloaded but didn’t listen to. The guitar-bass-drums sound the group uses is simple as can be, nimbly running through familiar chord changes as the vocals (usually sung by guitarist Rory McClure but bolstered by drummer Andrew Dergousoff and bassist Brent Sasaki) float over the top like melancholy clouds. Applying this effectively direct approach to some very catchy and sweetly sad and romantic songs, they then dip the entire thing in buckets and buckets of cavernous reverb to give the record a pleasingly warm and shambolic feel. It likely would have worked without the smeared and hazy surfaces, but the sound has a haunting quality that helps the songs sink in deeper. Split between Brill Building-inspired ballads that wrench and tug at the old familiar heartstrings (like the careening “Sun’s Going Down” and the painfully slow-burning “Sabians”) and more uptempo tracks that have a bit of bounce (like the should-be-a-hit single “I’m Gonna Try” and the rollicking soda shop jams “I Don’t Wanna Know” and “Dancing to Music I Hate”), the record is full of songs that have sharp hooks and memorable melodies. There may not be a single moment of musical originality here but they dig up the past like the best gravediggers around, rebuilding the old scavenged parts into something full of life and rambunctious, heartbreakingly real energy. Violent Hearts is a resoundingly successful debut that puts the band right at the front of the line of all the reverb-heavy, backward-looking indie pop bands that overran the music scene like seagulls on the beach at low tide in the early part of the decade.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo

1. Believe

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

2. I'm Gonna Try

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Shimmering Stars
Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

3. No One

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

4. East Van Girls

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

5. Into The Sea

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

6. Nervous Breakdown

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

7. Privilege

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

8. Sun's Going Down

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

9. Sabians

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

10. Dancing To Music I Hate

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

11. I Don't Wanna Know

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

12. Other Girls

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

13. Did I Lose You

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

14. Walk Away

by Shimmering Stars

Vocals: Shimmering Stars; Performer
Primary Artist: Shimmering Stars; Main Performer
Composer: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Lyricist: Rory Mcclure; Composer
Music Publisher: Shimmering Stars; Other

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

14 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

29 minutes and 26 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 1448x1448 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

4/14 tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

2/14 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Pop/Rock, House, Electronic, Dance, Alternative, College Rock, Adult Alternative

Label

Almost Musique

Music Distribution Service

Unknown

Country

Canada

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Sep 12, 2011

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

884463383661