One of the goals of the music reviews we do is to help the artists find what is good about their music and build upon it to create something even better. Another key factor is to motivate the musician to keep doing what they are doing and continue to bring new music into the world. It seems to have worked with Scan Hopper who we reviewed back in April. (Check the past review out here: http://indiebandguru.com/scan-hopper-very-impressive-diy-psych-shoegaze-project/)
The indie psychedelic shoegaze sound has returned on Scan Hopper’s newest release The Mariana Bridges EP. We are glad the group is able to put together albums much quicker now. It had taken 7 years to get the last two releases out but only 8 months to put this 7 song EP into the world. This is an original album which remains spacey even with the average song being under 2 minutes long. The minute and a half ‘Brownie Form’ features a pretty female vocal with a delicate wall of sound built behind it. It kind of lulls the brain into a zen state before the more pop sounds of ‘Making Love To The Universe (Part 2)’. The echoed group vocals here brought to mind the music of The Polyphonic Spree. A joyous song that will be repeating in your head way after the track ends. ‘On Nonesuch Road’ adds a level of intrigue to the already interesting album with its strange vocal play and noises coming at the listener from every angle. By the time you reach the mellow last song ‘In My Brain’ your mind will be a little exhausted even though it is only about 13 minutes of music. This is a suitable ending that will also give you the strength to start the record from the top again. Go enjoy the gapless stream of the full album at: https://scan.bandcamp.com/track/mariana-bridges-ep-gapless-version
