Seattle’s Guest Directors already made me a fan with 2022’s Oh, To Be Weightless In The Sky, and these nine new tunes continue their post-everything formula with plenty of noise and harmony that I’m always a sucker for.
The sonically rich and distorted “From This Distance” gets the listen off to a thick and hazy start, where post-punk and no lack of melody enters thanks to Gary Thorstensen and Julie D’s swirling guitars.
The excellent opener is then complemented by the slightly jangly and scrappy “Perfect Picture,” where Rian Turner’s stunning drums won’t go unnoticed, and the pretty “Raise A Glass” provides a great platform for Charles Russo’s flawless bass playing that helps lay the foundation for a calmer landscape.
The first half of the listen exits with the crunchy, indeed bluesy nods of “Blackout Dream Blues,” where Julie D’s expressive pipes match the reverb fueled guitar and subsequent power and melody.
Side B gets off to a dense start with the beautiful noise of the hard hitting “Skinless,” which comes with some very eloquent singing, as well as the dreamy melodica of the rich “Nico.” Further still, the shoegaze beauty of “Stare It Down” is quite absorbing, and “You’ll Never Know” exits with a flowing cinematic quality of spirited guitars, light drumming and strong attention to mood.
Members of Guest Directors cut their teeth in bands like TAD and Chinchilla, and they bring much experience and talent to songs that will appeal to fans of shoegaze, dream pop, noisy punk, psychedelic moments and even blues stabs. If bands like Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, Catherine Wheel, Ride or the more recent New Age Healers are in your rotation, Guest Directors should be occupying much of your listening time.
