UMMAGMA: Compass (2019)
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“Comprised of 12 tracks with a bonus track (‘Bouquet’) offered for the digital version, ‘Compass’ is beguiling in its post-genre nature. This is an album of grace and change, of familiarity and exploration, of emotion and euphoria, of sky-scraping cinematic highs and intimate and intriguing lows. This is the sound of a band allowing themselves to jump creative divides, to kick down musical barriers, and rip up the rule book or perhaps just ignore the fact that there ever was one in the first place.
This album follows on the trail of their ‘LCD’ EP with Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and Dean Garcia (Curve), and ‘Winter Tale’ EP with 4AD dreampop pioneer A.R.Kane. Both of these were released in 2017 to critical acclaim.
They say you can tell a lot about someone by the company that they keep, and the same holds true for a band. Ummagma’s collaborations speak volumes. Apart from these three dreampop-shoegaze icons, they’ve worked with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Malcolm Holmes, Swervedriver’s Graham Bonnar, and nudisco kingpinAlexander Robotnick. They’ve also collaborated with Beauty in Chaos, a project that involves members of The Cure, The Mission, Ministry, The Offspring, Bauhaus, A Flock of Seagulls, Cheap Trick, Ice-T andVan Halen, among others.
This forward thinking collection of songs is not bound to fad nor fashion, time or place. Every shimmering dreamscape found here is balanced with more robust and driven grooves, sometimes even within the same song. ‘Otherwise’ projects a drifting, woozy platform through which they thread reggae infusions and delicate distant Spanish guitars into something sultry and solid yet ethereal and chameleon-like. ‘Galicticon’ hints at Vangelis-inspired soundtracks,‘LCD’ is a strident rock urge, warped and woven with strange musical motifs and gorgeous glitches, and ‘Bouquet’ is an otherworldly slice of balladry.” (Press)
UMMAGMA: Caravan (Advanced single, from “Compass”, Emerald & Doreen Records, 2019)
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“Indie pop electronic rock duo Ummagma have announced their new album ‘Compass’, to be released in June via Manchester-based label Leonard Skully Records. Their third long-play, this is the duo’s first album in six years and also the first time the band is releasing a record on vinyl.
Ahead of this album, they present the ‘Caravan’ single, along with a special B-side ‘Ty i Ya’. The title track is an invigorating pop rock anthem inspired by the musicians’ own journeys and infused with Carpathian gammas and percussion” (Press Note)
Sounds of Sputnik / Ummagma: New born (Split, 2017)
“Russia’s Sounds of Sputnik has released ‘New Born’, their debut album with Ummagma through hallmark U.S. shoegaze label Moon Sounds Records.
The ‘New Born’ LP presents a palette of ethereal guitar, powerful drums, lush bass, and clever guitars, topped off with gossamer female vocals. Sounds of Sputnik paired up with Canadian-Ukrainian dreampop duo Ummagma to co-write, produce, and record this album. Ummagma’s Shauna McLarnon and Alexx Kretov also both contribute stunning vocals.
Rooted in a shared love of melodic dream pop, post-rock and shoegaze, both Sounds of Sputnik and Ummagma bring their own influences from Lush, Curve, Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, together with Hammock, Jesus & Mary Chain and The Twilight Sad to create briliant “dream noise”.
The ‘New Born’ LP also features contributions by several legendary guests: drummer Graham Bonnar (Swervedriver/ Brian Jonestown Massacre) on ‘Overdrive’, and remixes by Malcolm Holmes (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark), psych rock producer Fran Ashcroft (Damon Albarn, Lords of Acid), Russian producers Morozov and Oleg Mezherovsky, and Brazil’s Mind Movies” (Press)
Ummagma: Frequency (Ep, Raphalite Recordings, 2015)
El nuevo artefacto del dúo canadiense-ucraniano Ummagma se llama Frequency. Un Ep en el que vuelven a dar rienda suelta a toda su creatividad Dreamgaze para dar lugar a un disco creativo, original y en el que la belleza aflora por todos sus poros.
Por cierto, para su elaboración, han contado con la colaboración de miembros de Cocteau Twins, OMD o Lights That Change.
“Frequency’ follows the band’s two debut LPs ‘Antigravity’ and ‘Ummagma’, which they simultaneously released in 2012. This release represents a slight departure from the first two albums, which whisked the listener through the romanticism of first meetings, big love, adventures abroad and optimistic dreaming through to the realities of birth, loss, death and departure. In contrast, ‘Frequency’ explores such themes as space and distance, timelessness, escapism, and the search for tranquility” (Press)
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Ummagma: Lama (Emerald & Doreen Records, 2014)
On the trail of their double A-side single Rotation, released in December, dreampop shoegaze stars Ummagma celebrate their ethereal Stereolab-MBV-spirited uber-song ‘Lama’ with a mind-expanding package of eclectic remixes by an international roster of producers and artists, most of whom you might not directly connect to genres like noise rock or dreampop. Apart from their own Ukrainian and Canadian connections, this Ummagma LP is a uniting force of sonic satellites, bringing together Italy, Sweden, Germany, Brazil and Russia.
But this is exactly the point we usually drive home at Emerald & Doreen: bringing great new artists together in new ways to create art capable of transforming deep feelings and emotions into sounds and music. In this release, all remixers have contributed their own wavelengths and energy to create new versions of this great song.
The outcome is proof that beauty is found in diversity. Italy’s original electro new wave pioneer Alexander Robotnick sways with a spaced out, chilled dream pop version. Irregular Disco Workers add some severe 80s mood and 90s Acid feel. Copycat fuses a Moroder-esque synth disco arpeggio with My Bloody Valentine-style vocals and guitars to ingeniously please indie and disco lovers at the same time! Theatre of Delays delivers a heartbreaking emo house version that brings you into the fifth dimension. Label-makers go nogo turn Lama into a Stereolab-esque breakbeat beauty with Notwist-like sounds and 90s indie guitars. Mind Movies turn ‘Lama’ into a flipping, winding mechanical breakbeat butterfly, swirling around its own axis, and spinning a beautiful tumbling dance. Sounds of Sputnik add a 70s psychedelic edge to it, infusing this track with electro wonder. The overwhelming feeling you get after listening to all these variants is awe from taking part in such a cool ride! (Press)
Ummagma: The road to Lees (Video Premiere, 2014)
El último sencillo de Ummagma se titula The road to lees, y es otra interesante mezcla de Dream-Pop y electrónica avanzada, pero con humanidad y sabiendo llegar al alma del oyente.
Ummagma: Rotation / Live and let die (Emerald & Doreen Records, Single, 2013)
Shauna y Alexander, Alexander y Shauna, aka Ummagma, son otro de esos dúos de ensoñadores que de vez en cuando se asoman por la barandilla de The JangleBox.
Su sonido es un auténtico crisol donde caben desde el Dream-Pop hasta el Post-Rock, el Shoegaze o el Minimalismo. Un auténtico cóctel de delicias que ellos prefieren denominar Dreamgaze.
Si conocéis a Shauna os puedo garantizar que el eclecticismo es la nota dominante en sus gustos musicales.
Acaban de publicar este sencillo en el sello Emerald & Doreen Records, aunque ambos temas estaban incluidos en su álbum de presentación: Ummagma (2012) y en su segundo trabajo: Antigravity (2012).
“Ummagma combines their love of indie rock, synthpop and electronica to create their own unique brand of “dreamgaze” power pop. Stunning hypnotic vocals and lush blissed-out resonance create a sonic launching pad to the galaxy or the universe within while getting your groove on. In “Rotation”, this occurs on waves of bombastic synths, and in “Live and Let Die”, epic guitar riffs lace with magnetic drumbeats to stage an astonishing dreampop fest. With a jubilant Stereolab and Curve-type feel, these addictive tracks lovingly embed themselves in your brain. Ummagma offers a soundtrack of reverie for both trailblazers and stargazers. This single is a teaser for several Ummagma releases on Emerald & Doreen forthcoming in early 2014.
Ummagma are a rare commodity in today’s music scene: deliciously diverse, dreamy, and loaded with positivity. Since exploding onto the underground music scene in 2012 with 2 independently released full-length LPs – “Antigravity” and self-titled “Ummagma” – the duo has been blazing a colourful, yet eclectic, path forward” (Bandcamp)
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Ummagma/Virta: Split Single (Som Non Label, 2013)
Los paisajes Dream-Pop del dúo ucranio-canadiense Ummagma se dan cita con el virtuosismo Cinemático-Jazzístico del trío finés Virta en este single compartido y recientemente editado por la etiqueta Som Non Label.
En realidad, las dos bandas tienen muchos aspectos en común: un gusto por el remanso musical calmado (Tales from the deep waters-Virta; Back to you-Ummagma -tremenda canción-). Una afinidad por la experimentación y la ampliación de estilos (Traffic-Virta; River town-Ummagma). Y el registrar su música con sus propios medios, apostando por la autoedición y por hacérselo ellos mismos.
Y en verdad, resulta complicado etiquetar a ambas bandas. Antes hacíamos referencia al gusto por la experimentación y la exploración musical. ¿Dream-Pop, Shoegaze, Post-Rock, Post-Folk…? Todo cabe y (casi) todo se puede registrar en la mochila musical de Ummagma. Según nos contó la propia Shauna (50% de Ummagma):
“We are pleased to be on the same EP as Virta because, not only are they a dynamic band with sounds reminiscent of many of the bands we love, but they also make a potent cocktail with original colour“
Puedes (y debes) escucharlo, compartirlo y descargarlo desde la página Bandcamp que acompaño.
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“Ummagma – a Canadian/Ukrainian dreampop indie rock duo, who won the Alternative Eurovision on Britain’s Amazing Radio this month, representing Ukraine amongst 21 countries – has released a new Split EP with Virta, a Finnish indie trio combining textures of Scandinavian jazz and post-rock with avant-garde sensibilities – something like a mix of Tortoise, Miles Davis, King Crimson and Sigur Ros. The new EP, which includes two songs from each of the bands, was released by Italy’s Som Non-Label – all tracks may be streamed/embedded from Soundcloud and Bandcamp.
The Ummagma / Virta Split EP comes on the trail of Ummagma’s debut LPs “Antigravity” and“Ummagma” in July and Virta’s debut album “Tales from the Deep Waters”, released in November. In Ummagma – Shauna McLarnon is on vocals, while Alexander Kretov plays all other instruments. In Virta – Heikki Selamo is on guitar and effects,
Erik Heikkinen is on drums and percussion, while Antti Hevosmaa covers trumpet and vocals. Both bands are totally DIY in their approach to arrangement, recording, mixing, mastering, video production and promotion.
Considering that Ummagma is often associated with dreampop, shoegaze and postrock, this split EP introduces tracks with more of a folkrock jazzy ambience. It would otherwise seem that the two bands featured on this Split EP are very different. However, thanks to the flexibility and cross-genre aspect of both of these bands, not to mention the creative minds that have brought this to fruition, this odd couple ultimately make a perfectly seamless match. Ummagma are making waves across the globe with their deep textured soundscapes, mesmerising vocals and beats, making for a rewarding listen” (Press Release)
Ummagma: Lama (Jane Woodman Remix, 2013)
De la colaboración del dúo ucranio-norteamericano Ummagma y la artista multidisciplinar Jane Woodman surge esta colaboración en la que Jane remezcla un tema de Ummagma: Lama, añadiéndole sonoridades extras.
El Shoegaze de tintes electrónicos de Ummagma toma una nueva dimensión e incluso dirección en las manos de Jane Woodman.
Os dejo con el Bandcamp de ambos, para que podáis escuchar o descargar sus músicas.
Ummagma-Facebook / Jane Woodman Facebook / Ummagma-Bandcamp / Jane Woodman Bandcamp
Ummagma: Talk to her (Video-Single, 2012)
El realizador de vanguardia francés Bulle Plexiglass ha realizado este vídeo sobre un tema del dúo Ucranio-Canadiense Ummagma: Talk to her, perteneciente a su primer disco. Ambientes algo claustrofóbicos para la música insinuante de Ummagma. Enjoy it!
Ummagma: Antigravity (2012) / Ummagma (2012)
Expansión Sonora
Ummagma son un dúo y a la vez una agrupación algo atípica. En primer lugar, por su procedencia: canadiense conoce a ucraniano. Ella solista y arreglista. Él, músico multiinstrumentista, arreglista, productor… Sus trayectorias se cruzan en un momento dado y comienza a surgir de ahí una fructífera relación afectivo-musical que daría como resultado algo igualmente atípico, dos discos de debut.
Ummagma y Antigravity, ambos editados este verano de 2012 son dos enormes ejemplos de expansión musical, de conocimiento sin fin del medio, de desarrollo ilimitado de géneros comunmente establecidos. Sus presupuestos iniciales son, más o menos, partir de grupos de la hornada de los noventa: Cocteau Twins, Stereolab, Lush (Lama, Live and let die, Kiev; Upsurd, Outside, Rotation…). Para ir expandiéndose, como dije, hacia terrenos más astrales con la huella de Mercury Rev (Colors). O sencillamente, acercarse al virtuosismo sonoro de Robert Fripp o Brian Eno (Photographer, Beautiful moment, Micro macro; BFD… ). En los veinticuatro cortes de ambos trabajos hay lugar para casi todo. Sus intenciones son, más que loables, arriesgadas, al intentar abarcar un universo tan enorme de influencias. Y me atrevo a afirmar que lo consiguen. Es difícil que cualquier aficionado al Shoegaze, al Dream-Pop, al Post-Rock, al Rock-Progresivo… no encuentre un tema (o varios) que le llenen.
Su expansión sonora quizás no encuentre más límites que los que su propia creatividad les imponga. Mientras tanto, los discos de Ummagma continuarán haciendo las delicias de quienes los oigan.
Por cierto, y ya que han editado dos discos, aunque la reseña haga mención simultánea a ambos, me gustaría señalar que Antigravity es un disco que me llena algo más, en el que encuentro más rasgos Shoegazers, sonidos intimistas y etéreos, ecos espaciales, que echo a faltar en Ummagma. Seguid vuestro criterio y me contáis.
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“So what does Ummagma’s music sound like exactly? It’s a bit tricky to pinpoint. The closest that I can come to describing their sound is to compare Peter Gabriel’s album Up, hints of James Blake, and the entire decade of ’90s music. There are just way too many genres and influences heard within Ummagma’s music to give a completely accurate description. Ummagma is just one of those bands that makes music for people who love music of all types. Both Antigravity and Ummagma are extremely spectacular works. Each album transports you into a realm of relaxation and broad soundscapes. You find yourself exposed to a gigantic variety of sounds and noises, yet nothing becomes overpowering or obnoxious. Ummagma has mastered their production so well, that everything successfully works together. I acknowledge that all music is art, and takes time and dedication, no matter how good or bad it sounds. I’m a music fan, first and foremost, so I appreciate it all. However, Ummagma is on an entirely different level. This is art” (therecordstache.com)
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