Greenhouse

There’s more than one act working under the name of Greenhouse. This particular model was constructed in Denton, Texas, far away in the US of A, and they have just released their first album – Never Look Back. The Instagram print on the cover, together with the band’s name and the title written in a very simple font, sets the scene to combine and contrast the old with the new. The visual juxtaposition of styles on the sleeve in many ways feeds through into the musical contents of the disc itself. Thus there is a certain irony in it being called ‘Never look back’ as there are clear perspectives on the past which are neatly conjugated with a very modern vision. The outcome is a solid and self-confident piece of work that has a certain timeless air about it.

In essence it’s electronic music but there are contemporary facets about the guitar work and singing that clearly place it in the now rather than the then. The album has eleven tracks and embarks on its journey with the incongruously titled ‘Halloween’. It’s not evident there is anything ghostly about this very catchy instrumental but it showcases incisive use of guitars while also being a soothing and becalming intro. Indeed there is a considerable ambience about the whole record and it’s the kind of thing you could listen to either thrashing down the motorway in your car or in a herbally distorted room with the lights out and just a lava lamp for company!

There are only two participants in this outfit, Ryan Torres and Rex Hudson, and they share synths and guitars between them with Ryan doing honours on the drumsticks. Some of the vocals are a little far down in the mix and overall the instrumental elements are stronger than the lyrical. ‘Never look back’ the second track actually confounds this claim by offering the best and cleanest lyrics of them all. ‘Friends don’t last forever’ employs some nice discordant structures to keep the ears from becoming flabby but the longest track on the album, ‘Dark matter is what matters on a rainy day’, is conclusive evidence that when this guys find a good groove they fly down it like a slalom. The song sparkles along with an animated clarity that behoves them to pursue this direction with further releases.

The song segues through thunder and lightening effects into a daydream passage entitled ‘Interlude’ which emerges into ‘The better house’. This is a hypnotic synth-swirling piece pumped along by sturdy drum beats and nourished by melodic trills that add a kind of techno-prettiness to its advantage. ‘All too common’ isn’t just chilled, it’s positively glacial. High notes on the guitar are commonplace throughout this album and they work particularly well on this cut where they glitter like icicles from start to finish. The penultimate ‘Pity party’ is an example where the lyrics actually outweigh the music. Then again the title gives it away a bit. Mind there are some nifty lines, such as nothing means that much to me as I’m a pity party VIP and it does end with an idiosyncratic shout of hooray – perhaps optimism overcoming adversity.

Undoubtedly they’ve saved the best ‘til last and the final track has a lovely feel to it with the richest sound on the album by far, and hopefully an overture for the follow up. Whether it was last by chance or design it displays an integrity and maturity that sets it apart. It’s a fine conclusion to a fine beginning from these young Americans. Essentially this album is going to be about personal preference and will feel different dependent upon what circumstances and how you approach it on any particular day. One thing’s for sure, the buds of promise have appeared and in this greenhouse they should certainly bear fruit. - Electricharmonymusic

Who says you can’t find good bands anymore?
I spoke to the owner of the independent record label Globe Garage, an independent record label based in Woodbridge, Virginia. I always love finding other independent music labels because they are Easter eggs. They are hard to find and sometimes you might find one that is filled with way more than expected. Globe Garage is a newly established label so their list of bands isn’t big but they are looking good and can only expand. Greenhouse is one of the bands I found. This Texas born two man band (Ryan Torres; Synth/Drums/Guitar, and Rex Hudson; Guitar/Vocals/Synth) is a strange conceptual bit of music. There debut album Never Look Back just came out a few days ago. This album is very atmospheric, an album to listen to, even if it sounds a little weird (due to synth drums), listen to it more, the songs are so well put together, the drums shouldn’t matter, and sometimes the electronic drums make it work, like the song “Dark Matter is What Matters on a Rainy Day”.
For a debut album, this album isn’t bad at ALL. This band has a lot to offer! They should even consider recruiting a full-time drummer and give that drummer a electronic drum set so they can still maintain that new wave sound, but can become more of an intact band, but that’s just one person’s opinion. What do you guys think??
SONGS THAT STAND OUT:
Never Look Back – title track, a catchy, poppy potential hit.
Dark Matter is What Matters on a Rainy Day/Interlude – two songs blending together, this (almost) 8 minute two part track is one impressive instrumental epic.
I Am a She-Wolf Breaking Down the Door – another irresistible catchy tune, elements of synths for this song (for the whole album basically) gives layer to the song.
Greenhouse is touring later this year so make sure to check them out near your town - http://independentfeedback.tumblr.com

I didn’t know much about this band prior to checking them out so before listening to this album I did a little research. Greenhouse is the work of two musicians from Denton, Texas who are releasing their first length album on Globe Garage Records.

The album starts with a really laid back vibe with some downtempo electronic influences easily heard as a vintage sounding guitar pleases the ears. Definitely a great track to ease us into the album. Track 2 we get a better idea of Greenhouse’s sound as it takes a more indie approach with standard indie vocals in front of crescendo style guitar work that could easily be found on just about any post-rock album. The tempo is slow and mellow and the vocals are made better by the filters found throughout the album and particularly in the track “Friend’s Don’t Ever Last Forever”

I find the drums to be slightly loud in the mix and a bass drum a tad bit too airy which was very distracting on the following track “Stuck in the Waiting Room.” With this being a mellow album with electronic elements scattered throughout, heavy influence on drums really doesn’t compliment the mood. I will say that the guitar work more then makes up for this slight though, it really is top notch and sets a good feel for the album. The best example of this would be in the track “Dark Matter is What Matters on a Rainy Day.” This track is just insanely good in every way and is a ridiculously unique mix of raw guitar and electronic inspired drums. Next is an interlude which features thunder and rain that fits well.

The next two tracks really drive home the mellow vibe of this album. It finishes up with three strong vocal filled tracks and the post-rock crescendo influenced guitar makes another appearance. I’m really digging the experimental elements on this album, setting it a part from almost anything else I’ve reviewed all year. While it features a lot of electronic influence, it’s not an electronic album by any means. At the same time, it’s certainly not a post-rock album given that it features indie vocals on a few tracks and the song structure is nothing near traditional post-rock. Then again, you can’t call it indie either because most of the indie scene would be turned off by the rawness of the guitar work and the electronic vibe. Overall this is a great effort by a young band that should continue to grow and expand their sound in the coming years as they mature. This album is well worth of time of anyone into the aforementioned genres. 7-1-12 - Postrockstar.com