Exclusive track premiere for The Frogs’ cover of “Starboy” off O.D.D.S. II
"Encapsulating sonic soundscapes ranging from My Bloody Valentine’s reverb-soaked shoegaze, Dead Meadow’s psychedelic haze and Temples’ contemporary fuzz, Ancient River breaks from the constraints of musical genres to create an aurally expansive world." Anon Magazine
Ancient River featured on Trail Of Deads' OPEN TAPE over at NEØLYD
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Featured us on their open tape for German online blog NEØLYD, Thanks guys!
→ www.neolyd.com/opentapes/trail-of-dead/
→ www.spoti.fi/1ZiOBIg
01. Ancient River – Stay With Me
02. Here We Go Magic – Stella
03. Savages – Adore
04. Unwound – Off This Century
05. Death Grips – Inanimate Sensation
06. Iggy Pop – In The Lobby
07. The Holydrug Couple – Atlantic Postcard
08. Show Me The Body – Bone Soup
09. Shabazz Palaces – Forerunner Foray
10. Lower Dens – To Live and Die in LA
Austin Town Hall // Ancient River Now an ATX Band
My homie Lankford has posted about psychedelic rock band a few times in the past and I’ve been a fan of the band for awhile as well. With that said, you can imagine our combined excitement when we just got word that the band is planning a big move to the best city in the world (Austin duh). So now an ATX band, the duo will be looking to flesh out their sound with a 3rd member while they wrap up two new albums worth of material. Very excite!
Though I don’t have new music to share today, you should check out their last album, Keeper of the Dawn, in full below. New music is coming soon.
View full post here...
Backseat Mafia Interview James Barreto
"With the release of their sixth album, ‘Keeper Of The Dawn’, and appearances all over the globe, it’s fair to say that Florida duo Ancient River are one of the main stalwarts of the current psych scene. Their vast kaleidoscope of sound has it’s roots in the swampy blues of the American South, but over the years it’s grown to reflect elements of shoegaze, americana, and of course psychedelia. Keeper Of The Dawn’ is a monumental album..."
Gig Soup give 4/5 stars for Ancient River's Keeper Of The Dawn
"....this a great example of modern prog-rock, and despite everything said above it’s a likeable album. It certainly shouldn’t be dismissed on its first listen but instead applauded for attempting to revisit a genre that will in-time come full circle – as most musical tastes do. Certainly fans of prog will embrace this release, while those unfamiliar with it may need a gentle shove in its rough direction..."
Get Into This // Beats, Drones & Rock'n Roll // Ancient River
Unknown Pleasures #43 ft. Kèmi Adè, Ancient River, Cowtown
"Somewhere between the Temples and Tame Impala-led strands on the more accessible-leaning side of the psych Venn diagram, new album Keeper of the Dawn, their seventh in five years, is a whirlpool of acid riffs, shamanistic organ drifts and grooves tarred and coated in deep south grit with attitudinous results."
Fast'n Boulous, Tame Impala's synths vs all the guitars
"While some recent psych rock seems to lack some mystery and enigma, Ancient River has plenty to spare. Their music can be contemplative and dreamily cinematic, which works perfectly with the surreal short film provided for their song “Stay With Me.” Surprisingly, the band is from Gainesville, Florida. Like Tame Impala, they share a My Bloody Valentine influence with a touch of cosmic Americana..."
NME Under The Radar Band Ancient River
"With a healthy does of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's more lysergic moments about them, the Florida psych-rockers specialise in woozy West Coast wig outs. Standout track 'This Is The Time' goes a step further too - recalling the Brian Jonestown Massacre with it's drums and free-playing fretwork to create gentle, dreamy rock'n roll. Recent album 'Keeper Of The Dawn' is a mist that's worth getting lost in"
Fuzzy Logic, Interview with James Barreto from Ancient River
"I've been a fan of Ancient River for a little while now, and can solidly testify that these two dudes make some of the finest, loudest, full throttle psych rock that you're likely to find. The duo is currently touring up a storm to support latest long player Keeper of The Dawn, another excellent collection of their expansive, time warp noise."
Ancient River Explores the Psychedelic Frontier, Knoxville Mercury
"I moved there specifically to make music with another band in town, and then I met James,” Cordova says. “I had never joined a band that already existed. I can say this about Ancient River—when I found out about the band, if I hadn’t joined, they probably would have been my favorite band in Gainesville. I kind of feel like it was the right time, right place...”
Revolt Of The Apes, band of the week Ancient River
"Ancient River are so dialed-in to their individual current at this moment – a current strengthened, without question, by the duo’s relentless touring – that the entire album becomes more than a sum of its parts, just as the dawn can be felt each morning as something more than our moon momentarily disappearing from view. Ancient River has turned over time to also be much more than the sum of its parts, and on 'Keeper of the Dawn,' to simply be Ancient River. The album is a keeper in a thousand different ways."
The Wild Honey Pie feature Ancient River's track Keeper Of The Dawn
"With a name like “Keeper Of The Dawn”, Ancient River has set all our expectations extremely high for their new release, and needless to say, those expectations have been met. Heavy on the reverb and chill on the vibes, “Keeper of The Dawn” sounds like the product of what would happen if Connan Mockasin had a recording session with The Doors."
Stereo Embers Track Of The Day, Keeper Of The Dawn
“On a nexus where the more introspective moments of early Genesis (think Lamb Lies..) intersects with a re-imagined Spiritualized chasing some lost psych-Americana spark, slow-dancing in the desert with an errant gleam of crystal, you’ll find Ancient River”
Spin Magazine Premieres This Is The Time by Ancient River
“Hearing Ancient River‘s lush, expansive sound, it’s hard to imagine that it’s just two guys. Starting out as the bedroom brainchild of lead singer James Barreto, the Gainesville duo are getting ready to release their newest album Keeper of the Dawn. Taking cues from contemporaries like Temples and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, new single “This Is The Time” finds the duo in a magical haze...”
The Obelisk feature Keeper Of The Dawn
“...my first exposure to the band, who are already veterans of Austin Psych Fest, Liverpool Psych Fest and others — they’ll also appear at Milwaukee Psych Fest and the Reverence Festival this year — but the spaciousness the Gainesville duo offer argues well in its own favor.”
Austin Town Hall
“When you read that an artist was present at the Austin Psych Fest, thoughts can be misleading, perhaps explaining the rebranding as Levitation Fest. Ancient River remind me of how much that sound can influence, yet also expand beyond those boundaries, especially with their new six minute opus. The songs hazy and plodding, quietly building on this barely audible little melody. It’s really something to experience, finding yourself weaving our ears in and out of this tune...”
Impose Magazine Interview James Barreto
"....After The Ohm I locked myself in a room for a couple of years trying to really develop my sound. I played guitar until it felt like another limb and also taught myself some music theory. My goal was to define exactly what I wanted to do artistically and have the ability to do it..."
"...We are big David Axelrod fans and I loved the idea of putting the drums up front on some tracks. The album is a dark precursor to those first moments of light at dawn, only what you thought was the early light was merely a dream and you awaken to find yourself in the darkest of night with morning no where..."
Full post here...