REW<<

Biography

REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber, who originally hails from the Western shores of Lake Michigan. His previous bands include Camden, The Promise Ring and Decibully, and he is one half of dream-pop duo Eric & Magill. Working on Eric & Magill releases while living in both Kenya and the Republic of Armenia, Weber collaborated over the internet with a host of notable contemporary indie artists, including members of Shearwater, The Dirty Projectors, Owen, Volcano Choir and The Delgados. In 2014 he released his acclaimed debut solo album as REW<<, Departeures. His new album Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs is his debut for Hidden Shoal.

News

• REW<< Twin EP Cassette Release

  We’re very excited to announce the official release of Nagiere and Kuruvungna, two stunning new EPs from US artist REW<<. Both EPs are available as limited edition cassette and digital release through Katuktu Collective and Hidden Shoal.

  REW<< (Ryan Weber) follows up the release of May’s Salix Babylonica EP with two further neo-classical EPs of exquisite poise. Like the sound of post-ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen unfurling in time-lapse, each EP feels like a melancholic soundtrack to an unseen nature documentary, wistful, mesmeric and full of detail. Rather than aiming for expansiveness, the discreet and patient nature of each track makes its own subtle yet profound gestures, creating a set of miniature interconnected ecosystems that reward close listening.

  REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber, who originally hails from the Western shores of Lake Michigan. His previous bands include Camden, The Promise Ring and Decibully, and he is one half of dream-pop duo Eric & Magill. Working on Eric & Magill releases while living in both Kenya and the Republic of Armenia, Weber collaborated over the internet with a host of notable contemporary indie artists, including members of Shearwater, The Dirty Projectors, Owen, Volcano Choir and The Delgados.

  The music of REW<<  is available for licensing for film, tv, web, games and beyond via Hidden Shoal. Check here for more info.
  

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• New REW<< Single + Music Video

  We’re excited to present ‘Jonquil’, the first single from “Nageire”, one of two forthcoming EPs from REW<<. The track is available to stream via SoundCloud and it’s accompanying music video can be streamed via YouTube. The Nagiere and Kuruvungna EPs will see cassette and digital release on 3rd December 2019 through Katuktu Collective and Hidden Shoal with pre-orders available now.

  REW<< (Ryan Weber) follows up the release of May’s Salix Babylonica EP with two further neo-classical EPs of exquisite poise. Like the sound of post-ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen unfurling in time-lapse, each EP feels like a melancholic soundtrack to an unseen nature documentary, wistful, mesmeric and full of detail. Rather than aiming for expansiveness, the discreet and patient nature of each track makes its own subtle yet profound gestures, creating a set of miniature interconnected ecosystems that reward close listening.

  “I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for artists releasing music on the Perth, Australia based label Hidden Shoal. They seem to find artists creating music on the periphery of ambient and neo-classical that melts with a certain kind of sweetness and gentleness. REW<< is certainly no exception, built around a looped piano line and vinyl, analog sounding drones -the main melodic through line of “Sonoran” is a beautiful piece of sepia-tinged nostalgia. Wonderful stuff from this artist and label.” – Tome to the Weather Machine

  The music of REW<<  is available for licensing for film, tv, web, games and beyond via Hidden Shoal. Check here for more info.
  

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• New REW<< Single, Twin EP Cassette Release in December

  We’re excited to present ‘Sonoran’, the first single from Kuruvungna, one of two forthcoming EPs from US artist REW<<. The track can be streamed via SoundCloud and it’s accompanying video can be veiwed via YouTube. The Nagiere and Kuruvungna EPs will see cassette and digital release on 3rd December 2019 through Katuktu Collective and Hidden Shoal with pre-orders available now.

  REW<< (Ryan Weber) follows up the release of May’s Salix Babylonica EP with two further neo-classical EPs of exquisite poise. Like the sound of post-ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen unfurling in time-lapse, each EP feels like a melancholic soundtrack to an unseen nature documentary, wistful, mesmeric and full of detail. Rather than aiming for expansiveness, the discreet and patient nature of each track makes its own subtle yet profound gestures, creating a set of miniature interconnected ecosystems that reward close listening.

  REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber, who originally hails from the Western shores of Lake Michigan. His previous bands include Camden, The Promise Ring and Decibully, and he is one half of dream-pop duo Eric & Magill. Working on Eric & Magill releases while living in both Kenya and the Republic of Armenia, Weber collaborated over the internet with a host of notable contemporary indie artists, including members of Shearwater, The Dirty Projectors, Owen, Volcano Choir and The Delgados.

  The music of REW<<  is available for licensing for film, tv, web, games and beyond via Hidden Shoal. Check here for more info.
  

  Continue reading →

• Intereview with Ryan E Weber aka REW<< at Sleepy Songs

  Check out this lovely little mini intereview with Ryan E Weber (aka REW<<) over at Sleepy Songs. The interview follows the release of the latest REW<< EP Salix Babylonica, out now.

   

   

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• REW<< "Salix Babylonica" EP Out Now

  We’re excited to present the stunning new REW<< EP Salix Babylonica. The EP is available now via Bandcamp, Spotify and all other good online stores and streamers and the first single lifted from the release, ‘Salix Amygdaloides’, and its accompanying music video is also available. Don’t forget that REW<<‘s music is available for licensing for film, tv, games and more through Hidden Shoal.

  Following on from his beautiful 2018 Hidden Shoal EP Conversation Arctique, REW<<’s Salix Babylonica is a perfectly realised series of neoclassical miniatures. Each of the five tracks is centred around the piano, with the spaces around each note delicately coloured with strings and synth, tracing out a gentle, melodic dance. The feel of the EP recalls Nils Frahm’s masterful Felt – in which the incidental sounds of the piano are as important as the articulated notes – as well as the precise minimalism of Julien Marchal’s Insight series. Perhaps most striking, though, is the EP’s emotional pull, with each piece evoking a timeless, melancholic interlude from a perfectly realised short film.

  “Having worked along side acts such as The Promise Ring, Decibully and being one half of the dream pop duo, Eric & Magill, Weber has such an incredible skill set and scope that it’s no surprise his track, “Salix Amygdaloides” is a gorgeous one.” – Rural Sounds
  

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• New REW<< Single 'Salix Amygdaloides', EP Out In May

  We’re excited to present the stunning new single, ‘Salix Amygdaloides’, and its accompanying music video taken from Salix Babylonica, the new EP by REW<<. The EP will see release on the 14^th of May 2019. Don’t forget that REW<<‘s music is available for licensing for film, tv, games and more through Hidden Shoal.

  Following on from his beautiful 2018 Hidden Shoal EP Conversation Arctique, REW<<’s Salix Babylonica is a perfectly realised series of neoclassical miniatures. Each of the five tracks is centred around the piano, with the spaces around each note delicately coloured with strings and synth, tracing out a gentle, melodic dance. The feel of the EP recalls Nils Frahm’s masterful Felt – in which the incidental sounds of the piano are as important as the articulated notes – as well as the precise minimalism of Julien Marchal’s Insight series. Perhaps most striking, though, is the EP’s emotional pull, with each piece evoking a timeless, melancholic interlude from a perfectly realised short film.

   

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• REW<< "Conversation Arctique" EP Out Now!

  We’re excited to announce the official release of Conversation Arctique the new EP by US-based dreampop artist REW<<. The EP is available now for download and streaming via Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify and other good 3rd party stores. REW<<‘s music is available for licensing for film, tv, games and more through Hidden Shoal.

  In direct contrast to his eclectic, pop-inflected albums Departeures and Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, Conversation Arctique is a sparse, beautiful EP of succinct pieces for piano and strings that trace elegant melodic arcs like breath in cold air. Akin to the work of Julien Marchal, Conversation Arctique is a work of magical minimalism.

  “REW<<’s Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs is a fantastically varied, moving, and imaginative opus, and it deserves to be celebrated.” – The Big Takeover

  REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber, who originally hails from the Western shores of Lake Michigan. His previous bands include Camden, The Promise Ring and Decibully, and he is one half of dream-pop duo Eric & Magill. In 2014 he released his acclaimed debut solo album as REW<<, Departeures, followed by Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs in 2015, and On the Horns of Our Spheres in 2018.
  

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• Hidden Shoal in Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018 List!

  Hidden Shoal is incredibly honoured to have been selected as one of Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018. Textura is, in our opinion, the premiere new music magazine and favourite of the label team for unearthing and exposing new and exciting new music. This is the second time Hidden Shoal has been selected in Textura’s best labels list and as always we are nestled against some other very special labels, all of who you should check out.

  Now for a very brief and unnecessary acceptance speech – we are nothing without our incredible roster of artists, who continually amaze, inspire and surprise us. Thank you all!

   

   

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• New REW<< Single and Video, EP Soon!

  We’re excited present the gorgeous new single and music video from REW<<, taken from the forthcoming EP Conversation Arctique. Check out the music video over at YouTube, stream the track via SoundCloud and download it via Bandcamp. Conversation Arctique will see release on the 30th of November, with all tracks available for licensing for film, tv, games and more through Hidden Shoal.

  In direct contrast to his eclectic, pop-inflected albums Departeures and Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, Conversation Arctique is a sparse, beautiful EP of succinct pieces for piano and strings that trace elegant melodic arcs like breath in cold air. Akin to the work of Julien Marchal, Conversation Arctique is a work of magical minimalism.

  REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber, who originally hails from the Western shores of Lake Michigan. His previous bands include Camden, The Promise Ring and Decibully, and he is one half of dream-pop duo Eric & Magill. In 2014 he released his acclaimed debut solo album as REW<<, Departeures, followed by Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs in 2015, and On the Horns of Our Spheres in 2018.
  

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• New REW<< Remix EP Out Now!

  We’re excited to present the official release of Cupid’s Empty House (The Remixes), the new EP by REW<<. The EP is now available via Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes and all other good third party stores. Liminal Drifter‘s wonderful re-working of the REW<< original is also available now to stream on SoundCloud.

  Cupid’s Empty House features reworkings by Markus Mehr, Liminal Drifter, Ethan Kavanagh, Twilla and Rachel Harrup, plus the sublime original, taken from REW<<’s 2015 album Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs. There’s plenty to work with in the original’s delicate music box melodies and swooning synth strings, which evoke The Flaming Lips’ masterpiece The Soft Bulletin.

  “REW<<’s Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs is a fantastically varied, moving, and imaginative opus, and it deserves to be celebrated.” – The Big Takeover

  Hidden Shoal labelmates Markus Mehr and Liminal Drifter reimagine the original as a celestial exhalation and a burbling submarine delight, respectively. Ethan Kavanaugh sends snatches of voice snaking around glimmers of synth and drums, while Twilla juxtaposes pitch-shifted voice and thick bass against a stumbling drum loop. Finally, Rachel Harrup skilfully emphasises the delicious syncopation of the original.

  REW<<‘s music is available for licensing across film, tv, games, web and beyond. Read more about Hidden Shoal licensing here and contact us for more info.
  

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Reviews

• REW<< 'Sonoran' Reviewed at Tome to the Weather Machine

  “I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for artists releasing music on the Perth, Australia based label Hidden Shoal. They seem to find artists creating music on the periphery of ambient and neo-classical that melts with a certain kind of sweetness and gentleness. REW<< is certainly no exception, built around a looped piano line and vinyl, analog sounding drones -the main melodic through line of “Sonoran” is a beautiful piece of sepia-tinged nostalgia. Wonderful stuff from this artist and label.”

  – Tome to the Weather Machine

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• REW<< 'Salix Amygdaloides' Reviewed at Rural Sounds

  “Splitting his time between Kenya and Armenia is composer and producer REW<<, also known as Ryan E. Weber. Having worked along side acts such as The Promise Ring, Decibully and being one half of the dream pop duo, Eric & Magill, Weber has such an incredible skill set and scope that it’s no surprise his track, “Salix Amygdaloides” is a gorgeous one.

  The ambient, neo-classical piece carries with it a melancholic tone. Underneath the warm notes it echoes out is a textured sound that is somewhat reminiscent of a tape loop. This track comes from Weber’s forthcoming ep, Salix Babylonica which will be released on May 14th, 2019.”

  – Rural Sounds

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• “Eat Your Friends” Compilation Reviewed at DOA

  “Over almost a decade, Hidden Shoal records developed a reputation as a consistently innovative and experimental music label, giving to us music of remarkable qualities whether it was the instrumental excursions of Gilded, the blissed-out indie of My Majestic Star, the electronica of Marcus Mehr, the alt.folk stylings of Kramies – the HSR list of significant talents was a lengthy one. I say was, as in 2014 or thereabouts, the Hidden Shoal label underwent a reorganisation of sorts, and it began to seem that one of the more influential Australian record labels of the recent past was itself going into hiding. Perhaps so, although only to return refreshed, renewed, invigorated and with its varying artistic visions intact – the Eat Your Friends compilation proves that the Hidden Shoal label is properly with us again.

  One thing I’ve found when reviewing compilations is that not infrequently, when I put them into my music players, the tracks separate instead of remaining in their album folder, and that has happened with my copy of Eat Your Friends, encouraging me to view each of the tracks as a single release rather than view the album itself as a cohesive whole. Then there’s the fact that only some of its contributors are already known to me and so, ditching some of my preconceptions about what it’s going to sound like, I began listening to the 11 tracks in a random sequence, and prepared for the unexpected.

  Firstly, there’s singer/songwriter Erik Nilsson’s “Moksha Can Wait”, a song which electronic composer Marcus Mehr has taken and adapted to his subtly developed production sound, a track that begins almost inaudibly and builds to a staggering crescendo of soaring, roaring electronic sound and with Nilsson’s guitar and piano providing a counterpoint to Mehr’s swirling atmospherics. The ambient chill of City Of Satellites is given an added gloss by Tim Manzano, although I’m not so sure what he’s actually done with the track – it does sound a lot like the City Of Satellites I know from their Machine Is My Animal album, although as the track progresses and the rhythm and bass begin to disintegrate into a dubby conclusion it seems more apparent where Manzano has left his mark. Arc Lab’s “Through The Burning Glass” is remixed by Glanko, beginning with a club-level bassline before levelling into a noir tinged synth epic. And just when you thought the tracks on Eat Your Friends were entirely instrumentals, Rew perform a cover version of Umpire’s “Green Light District” and they do it with a vocal, alongside the strings and crashing cymbals and haltingly uncertain rhythms, a highlight of an album each of whose tracks is in one or another way remarkable.”

  – DOA

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• Rew<< "Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs" Reviewed at Music Won't Save You

  Translated via Google. Read the original here.]

  “The ability to combine different styles and musical languages ​​is inherent in personal and artistic biography of Ryan E. Weber, whose curriculum appear collaborations with bands and artists such as Shearwater, Owen, Decibully and Dirty Projectors, conducted from various corners of the world. For some time Weber is, metaphorically, “back home” in its Michigan and driving a solo project, REW<<, in which condensation precisely his many experiences and such a versatile personality as elusive frameworks unique.

  His second solo album, “Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs”, confirms Weber’s attitudes to a sound, however, tightrope walking that finds its hinges in the spirit of pop and density of synthetic prevalence sounds, dreamy and slightly acidic. In half an hour of Weber’s work in fact almost always it moves from keyboards to create sci-fi scenarios, when the rhythmic lapping even become more pronounced electro matrices and yet, in its strings there is also a taste for the latamente arrangement solutions ” orchestral “(at least in the sense Patrick Watson last” Love Songs for Robots “) and even to gentle acoustic harmonies, such as those that open surprise” the Distance from Vultures “.

  Agile orchestration of Weber and a linear melodic writing in his absence of sound continuity then complete the short sequence of songs from her second album, clear example of post-modern pop transformations.”

  – Music Won’t Save You

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• REW<< "Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs" Reviewed at Luna Kafe

  “I was truly amazed when hearing the second single off this album, “To Come Unglued”. A thrilling, sparkling song. I was also enthused when checking out the first teaser from the album, “The Lights in the Sands of Katumpkale” (launched in April). Heavenly music, indeed.

  So, a beautiful (and cryptic) title as Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs must surely hide several treasures and hidden gems, besides “…Katumpkale” and “To Come Unglued”. Yes, of course it does. REW<< (a.k.a. Ryan E. Weber) has come up with a delicious dish of experimental and playful pop, making this an excellent adventure. Hidden Shoal call the eclectic songcraft of Weber to be ‘refracted through the lens of a laptop, conveying the open-endedness, excitement and disconnection of post-modern living while maintaining the immediacy of pop.’ When Hidden Shoal say that the spectre of Weber’s songs go from the ‘grand to the intimate (…from shimmering, widescreen electronic pop to haunting, minimal ballads)’… well, this is the perfect, pinpoint description. And, what’s even better: Olive Skinned… is fantastic either if its ‘grand’ or ‘intimate’. It fits both ‘outfits’. Either way is good. Spellbinding stuff for sure. Tune in to and hang on to Weber’s musical journey. You will be enriched in every way.

  The album opens with the careful, colourful and slowly spinning “Big Fish and the Sirens”. Imagine a big, dream world fish slaloming, zig-zagging the blue sea between some mysterious sirens singing trying to catch it. “To Come Unglued” is as fantastic that I remembered it from two moonths back. “The Distance From Vultures” is a more fragile, sparse moment, with a plucking guitar and Weber’s intimate, intriguing vocals. Most songs are tinted with mysticism and exoticism as they spin through near see-through veils of some dreamlike adventure land. When hearing these songs, I imagine some laidback, Tim Burtonesque scenes. Add some low-toned sequences from some of Christopher Nolan’s films, or Michel Gondry’s cinematic world, and you might end up somewhere near the soul of REW<<‘s song. This is the sound of the bordering area between consciousness and unconsciousness; between the real and the unreal; between sheer, clear love and discreet admiration. This is the soundtrack to misty landscapes of mystery and magic. Just check out tracks like “Indigo Fortresses”, “Swan’s Melody”, or “Cupid’s Empty House”. This is Cupid and Psyche 2015.

  Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs is electronic pop mystique fantastique. I guess, when 2015 fades this will stand out as one of my definite favourites of the year. Hats off, Mr. Weber.”

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• REW<< Reviewed at MFOA

  “i featured a song by veteran musician, world traveler and prolific collaborator REW (ryan e. webber) awhile ago and now i’ve got the whole album to lay on you. the music is tough to describe, classify, or shoe-horn into a genre. the music is dreamy, strange, and varied. you can tell that ryan uses the REW moniker (one among his many projects) to follow a restless creative urge where ever it takes him. it’s worth looking into.”

  – The Modern Folk Music of America

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• REW<< "Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs" Reviewed at Wake The Deaf

  “We previewed Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, the new album from REW<< back in April, where we were intrigued by blend of avant garde experimentalism and accessible pop sensibilities:

  Now the album has been released and I’m glad to say it follows this same blueprint. Opener ‘Big Fish And The Sirens’ is a perfect example of this. The first thirty seconds unfold as a luscious, intricate instrumental before Weber’s vocals arrive and transform the track into a pop song. But just as his vocals take centre-stage and you think you have it pegged, the music responds accordingly, swelling once more so that Weber’s voice is reduced to just another element of a brilliant whole. The song barely reaches the 2:20 mark, yet by the time the music recedes to leave sirens traversing the silence, you feel in the aftermath of something important and on the verge of a larger burst of activity.

  As we mentioned in other REW<< and Eric & Magill posts, Weber draws inspiration from across the globe, utilising an array of distinctive sounds side by side to create something akin to the multicultural world in which we live. ‘To Come Unglued’ opens with air-raid siren synths which morph quickly into an Eastern jaunt before the drums and vocals of Western pop kick in. The title track is similarly diverse, a collision of Bollywood and Hollywood scores with the slow, atmospheric percussion of a post-rock anthem. ‘The Lights in the Sands of Katumpkale’ is the soundtrack to a different cinematic world entirely, one where unknown Europeans committed weird to tape, while ‘Cupid’s Empty House’ is a grand dream-pop song, and ‘Swan’s Melody’ is piano-led and melancholic, full of lingering moments and gravid empty spaces.

  If this variety sounds jarring then that’s because it is. Weber does not knit all the elements into a seamless whole but rather plays with order and explores the joins, in doing so creating music which addresses our fragmented, postmodern existence. His biggest achievement is managing to assemble the pieces into something listenable for all of it’s idiosyncrasies, with the pop elements acting as a string to follow into the unfamiliar territories beyond.”

  –  Wake The Deaf

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• REW<< 'To Come Unglued' Reviewed at MFOA

  “REW is ryan e. webber, electronic musician with a new album due out soon on hidden shoal recordings. his music is pretty wild, one of my favorites of the many hidden shoal releases i’ve covered. it is at once wide and narrow, transcending genre while being very self contained in terms of the way it was created. elements of pure pop, world music, psych, techno, and electronica blend to create something that is good to listen to but defies your attempts to categorize it…which is something i love. the video is very psychedelic as well.”

  – The Modern Folk Music of America

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• REW<< "Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs" Reviewed at Bluesbunny

  “In the land of obscurity it is said that there are many treasures to be found and in the land of bedsit electronica it is said that there are gems just waiting to be unearthed. Whilst not highly polished, “Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs” by the curiously named REW<< does indeed sparkle more than somewhat.

  This is something of a headphone album in that it seems crude and confused when removed from the intimacy enforced by such devices. That may, of course, be by design for although many of the songs attempt to scale the mountain there is little in the way of musical bravado on show here. The vocals are always understated, deliberately repetitious and often lost in the confusion of conflicting reverb as if echoing down a hallway in some derelict building while the melodies, for there are such things, are relegated to being beacons forever lighting the path to the end of the emotional tunnel.

  The most notable thing about this album is how well it flows and how quickly the songs, merging together as if designed to be part of a greater purpose, pass from the digital domain to the windmills of your mind. His light is always on.”

  – Bluesbunny

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• REW “Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs” Reviewed at The Big Takeover

  “Although the DIY tactic has always been a popular way for musicians to record and release material, the process has never been as fruitful, popular, or exciting as it is today. After all, the advent of newer technologies, coupled with the growing possibilities of social media and self-marketing, make it relatively easy for anyone with the ambition and artistry to put his or her work into the ether. Of course, this results in a lot of pedestrian efforts, but every so often you’ll find a remarkable needle in the mediocre haystack. Fortunately, Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, the sophomore LP by REW<<, is one such exception. Packed with dreamy, emotive soundscapes, absorbing production, inventive techniques, and engrossing melodies, it’s a fine example of how beautiful, unique, and creative music can be when it’s crafted entirely be one person.

  REW<< is the pseudonym of Ryan E. Weber, whose other projects (such as Camden, Eric & Magill, Decibully, and The Promise Ring) have earned him a significant underground following. Last year, he released his debut solo LP, Departeures, which received significant praise from several outlets. In making Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, he aimed to channel his vision “through the lens of a laptop, conveying the open-endedness, excitement and disconnection of post-modern living while maintaining the immediacy of pop.” With its awe-inspiring blend of orchestral treatments, wistful vocals, and indie foundations, the disc is a masterful sequence of touching sentiments, multilayered arrangements, and encompassing timbres that evokes the best elements of acts like The Great Depression, no-man, Sean Lennon, and The Autumn Chorus.

  Despite its short length (about thirty minutes), the album packs in more breathtaking moments than many works with twice the duration. For instance, opening gem “Big Fish and the Sirens” mixes distorted guitar, police sirens, high-pitched bells, overlapping vocals, and reverse percussion (among other elements) into an absolutely stunning concoction (especially in the way that these sounds travel between the stereo channels). From there, the more substantial “To Come Unglued” (which is also a single cut) soars due to its Middle Eastern percussion and dynamic variety. Furthermore, outbursts of regal horns allow the chorus to channel the spirit of early Chicago classics, as well as various ‘70s funk troupes.

  Later on, the title track is a dense excursion into sublime sonic madness, with a driving bass line and sharp guitar lead leading the way until a flock of heavenly strings turns the composition on its head. It’s a brilliant modification. Likewise, the orchestral dissonance of “ The Lights in the Sands of Katumpkale” makes for a very intense segue into “Swan’s Melody,” whose mournful piano lead and echoed verses undeniably gorgeous and touching. Subsequently, the quickly paced, multifarious construction of “Cupid’s Empty House,” with its swirling chimes and waltzing woodwinds, sounds like the sort of auditory puzzle The Dear Hunter might create. It’s definitely among the album’s best offerings.

  With its luscious yet ominous wall-of-sound production (including low piano notes, cinematic strings, clashing percussion, and thumping rhythm) “Indigo Fortresses” feels like a lost track by North Atlantic Oscillation. It also serves as a great penultimate piece, as it juxtaposes the finale of Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs, “Pasageway to Happier Hours,” well. A repetitious ode (in a good way), the track finds Weber repeatedly saying, “When it’s gone, it’s gone” as modest drum beats, organ, horns, and piano decorate his cathartic delivery. It’s not the most intriguing song on the record, but it’s probably the best choice to finish it.

  Beyond cementing the idea that a lone musician can craft wonderfully emotional, colorful, and resourceful art, Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs further demonstrates that much of the most original and impactful music of today is being made under the radar, without the financial backing, mainstream publicity, or pop culture power of many severely inferior acts. In other words, REW<< is but one of countless artists whose popularity and success are inversely proportional to his talent and necessity. Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs is a fantastically varied, moving, and imaginative opus, and it deserves to be celebrated.”

  – The Big Takeover

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Press Releases

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Artist Photos

Music Videos

Licensing

REW’s music is  available for licensing (master & sync cleared) through Hidden Shoal. Please contact us with some basic details about your project and the track(s) you wish to use and we’ll be sure to get back to you straight away.