DOWNLOAD: Hurricane Bells - "This Year" (MP3)

Hurricane Bells is the new solo project by Longwave guitarist/front-man Steve Schiltz. This is a solo project in the truest sense of the word as Schiltz wrote, played, recorded and mixed every note himself. Some songs were written within the past 18 months while others are crafted from pieces written throughout his years as a songwriter.

Tonight is the Ghost is fascinating debut that is a significant depature from Longwave's guitar-driven indie rock. The majority of these songs have a mellow, echo-drenched, late-night listening vibe. My only complaint is that this record doesn't quite come across as a coherent body of work as Schiltz moves through a number of style across the disc. The disc starts with the melancholy opener "This Year" and moves on from there to the lo-fi pop of "This is a Test". The third track, "I Can't Remember", is a John Lennon sounding piece and the remainder of the disc takes bends around alt-country ("Freezing Rain") and Steely Dan style indie rock ("The Winters in New York". There are also two instrumentals on the disc - the too-brief "Crocodile" and "Tenterhooks"

Schiltz should get a lot of attention for this disc as one of the b-side, "Monsters" was included in the movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Schiltz describes "Monsters" as "a little more rocky, up-tempo than the stuff that’s on the Hurricane Bells MySpace page — it’s got some fuzzed-out guitar and a ripping guitar solo.”



While the late-night vibe of this disc may not hold up well during the bustle of the day, the rawness of Schiltz's performance and the variance of the songs keeps this disc engaging after repeated listens.

Tonight is the Ghost is available digitally through Vagrant Records and physical release is schedule for February.

Links:
Hurricane Bells' MySpace Profile