Great Lakes
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Great Lakes

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"Diamond Times Review"

"Four stars. Jewel of an album from Elephant 6 alumni. Dan Donahue and Ben Crum's third album drops the myopic indie of its predecessors for powerful, accomplished pop music. Here moonlighting members of The Essex Green, Of Montreal and Ladybug Transistor cover the record with grandiose guitars, weeping pedal steels, honking saxes and barrelhouse piano. The results are utterly great - "Night Hearts" recalls something The Band would have produced in Saugerties, "Shaky Faith" evokes the lysergic country rock of Beachwood Sparks, while "Hot Cosmos" is stomping rock'n'soul." - Uncut - Uncut


"Diamond Times Review"

"When it comes to music, most people associate Athens, Georgia, with REM... and not a lot else. In truth, it's had a vibrant, hugely influential scene since the early Nineties, based around the Elephant 6 Collective and its acts such as Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal and Neutral ilk Hotel. Also affiliated to the Collective are Great Lakes, now living in Brooklyn, who are expert purveryors of psychedelic-flecked indie-rock. Diamond Times sees them at their best, shamelessly retro but highly listenable." - The Sun - The Sun


Discography

The band's eponymous debut was released in 2000. An ambitious production that blended classic songcraft with epic soundscapes, Allmusic called it "a luminous paean to late-'60s psych-pop crafted with obvious skill and affection," Uncut magazine praised its "gorgeous stereophonic experiments," and the NME has called it "a charming, delicately performed minor psychedelic classic."

Their 2nd LP, 2002's The Distance Between, further explored the intricate pop stylings of their debut, and originals ranging from breezy, gentle pop to psychedelic garage rock mingled with BeeGees and Mike Nesmith covers. It was selected as one of the top overlooked albums of 2002 by Magnet Magazine.

With their 3rd LP, 2006's Diamond Times, the band embraced a broader, more eclectic range of musical influences, and their sound grew into what Uncut magazine called simply "powerful, accomplished pop music," and "utterly great." The band's old hometown rag, Athens, Georgia's own Flagpole magazine, noted that, " Hands down, Diamond Times has some gorgeously composed and executed songs," and Americana UK picked it as one of the top albums of the year, saying, "It makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck it's that great."

The band has also released five 7" vinyl singles, including a split 7" with Elf Power, and has had tracks appear on compilations by HHBTM, Flying Rhino and Darla.

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Bio

Great Lakes formed in Athens, Georgia around the songwriting partnership of lyricist Dan Donahue and composer Ben Crum. Heavily inspired in their early days by the Elephant 6 scene in Athens (Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and the loose collective of psychedelicly-minded artists and home recording avatars that grew up around them), the band has had many members, many of them notable for their work in other musical projects, including: Jamey Huggins, Dottie Alexander, Kevin Barnes, Bryan Poole (all from Of Montreal), Heather McIntosh (Japancakes, Lil Wayne), Derek Almstead (Elf Power), Jeff Baron (The Essex Green), Scott Spillane (Neutral Milk Hotel), Kyle Forester (Meatus Murder), Kevin Shea (Storm & Stress) and Jay Israelson (Lansing-Dreiden). Crum has also written songs for, performed, and recorded with The Ladybug Transistor; as well as performed and recorded with The Essex Green, The Late BP Helium, Regia, and Annie Hayden.