(Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Country) Milk Lines - Ceramic - 2015, MP3, 320 kbps

Milk Lines (married duo Jeff Clarke and Emily Frances Bitze) play a stripped-down, ramshackle form of garage folk equally influenced by psychedelic rock and country. Based in Montreal, the duo began playing shows in 2012, and after receiving notice from bands such as Fucked Up, they contributed a cover of "Sappy" to an online Nirvana tribute compilation and released a split 7" with Omhouse in late 2013. Gigs with Hooded Fang, Shannon & the Clams, and Amen Dunes followed, and in 2015 Milk Lines signed to In the Red, which had previously released two albums by Clarke's earlier band Demon's Claws. A self-titled cassette appeared, and following a fall North American tour with the King Khan & BBQ Show, Milk Lines' full-length debut, Ceramic, was released by In the Red. ~ Paul Simpson

"Everything's dead, but the fantasy remains." These lyrics are sung early on during Milk Lines' debut full-length, Ceramic, and they're fitting words to summarize an album preoccupied with death and mysticism. Milk Lines (Montreal-based married duo Jeff Clarke and Emily Frances Bitze) play a stripped-down brand of garage folk that channels the psychedelia of Syd Barrett as well as the ruggedness of outlaw country, with just a hint of ZZ Top boogie blues. Death is everywhere on this album, from the rollicking country stomps "Suicide Note" and "Crib Death" to the dreamier "Purgatory," which manages to conjure up a countrified hybrid of the Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd, and somehow makes it work. Album highlight "Crystal Crown" demonstrates the duo's mystical side, and sounds like a more rootsy version of Thee Oh Sees. The album's artwork finds the duo relaxing in some rocky mountains, most likely in the middle of a scorching desert, and it's easy to imagine the album being recorded in such an environment. It feels a little tense and bothered by the heat, but overall they sound like they're having a great time basking in the sun and making music. Their playing is loose, sloppy, and scratchy, but always spirited.

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Analyzed folder: /Users/Desktop/Milk Lines - Ceramic - 2015
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR7 -1.20 dB -10.22 dB 01 Planes of Neptune, Pt. 1.mp3
DR6 -0.89 dB -7.08 dB 02 Pellucidar.mp3
DR6 -0.92 dB -7.14 dB 03 Golden Torpedo.mp3
DR6 -0.90 dB -8.22 dB 04 Lucille.mp3
DR6 -0.96 dB -7.75 dB 05 Suicide Note.mp3
DR7 -1.06 dB -8.47 dB 06 Purgatory.mp3
DR6 -0.90 dB -7.37 dB 07 Crib Death.mp3
DR6 -0.82 dB -7.19 dB 08 Can I Stand in Your Sun.mp3
DR7 -1.07 dB -9.09 dB 09 Came from Her.mp3
DR5 -0.68 dB -6.83 dB 10 Crystal Crown.mp3
DR6 -0.98 dB -8.15 dB 11 Another Breed.mp3
DR7 -1.10 dB -9.90 dB 12 Planes of Neptune, Pt. 2.mp3
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Number of files: 12
Official DR value: DR6