Pompeii, Pageantry (Jennifer)

Austin quartet Pompeii have returned from a five year hiatus to release their latest album, Loom, this week through Red Eye Transit. It’s filled with lush, string filled atmospherics and ambient melodies on songs like the title track and Celtic Mist along with more intense and driving shoegaze vibe on tracks like Blueprint and Drift.  The band will be holding their album release party and tour kickoff (including an appearance at CMJ) this Friday at Holy Mountain along with special guests Pageantry, Botany, and Football, Etc.  If you can’t pick up a copy of the album at the show, you can order from their website.

:Pompeii – Loom:
:Pompeii – Blueprint:

Speaking of Pageantry, they just released a stand alone single, Spine, as a hint of what lies ahead as the band finishes up their first full length album and prepares for a string of tour dates, including appearances at CMJ in NYC. Spine kicks off with a playful organ intro as it segues into the darker contrast of its somewhat ominous lyrics (“Feared you a lot last year/Every time you obeyed I smelled blood on your breath”), and then soars with a pristine slide guitar solo, dreamy vocals, and a taut rhythm section. I’m a big fan of their expansive, layered sound; it’s hard to believe sometimes that they’re only a trio. As mentioned up above, they’ll be playing at Holy Mountain this Friday.