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Hyperactive Music Magazine - 2005.03.01
The Mindy Set:A Sugared Mind
The Mindy Set are poised to become the next big breakout band in New Mexico with their new release A Sugared Mind. With a West Coast tour, opening for bands like The Killers and Shonen Knife , already under their belts, A Sugared Mind is a smart step forward.
Veterans of the Albuquerque music scene since 2001, the "Mindies" developed a sound that is born somewhere in 80's new wave but remains uniquely their own. Fans of new wave icons The Psychedelic Furs will love the sound even if it's a bit melodic at times.
Matt Dickens and the rest of the band mix vocals and rhythms into well crafted songs. While the record starts off slowly, hang in there: it builds nicely, and is worth the wait. A Sugared Mind is a bit dark, but that's one of the many strengths of the album.
-Tim Lucky
- Hyperactive Magazine
Wig Wam Bam Zine #62 - 2004.10.01
The Mindy Set - A Sugared Mind (Socyermom Records)
Near perfection from the instrumental Beginning to the fly-away home Slide Show end, we've all been waiting for a polished full-length from these four (sometimes five) for a long time.
The disc actually ends with two so-called bonus tracks ( bonus as opposed to what? The non-existent vinyl version? ):another instro Carnies and from the first EP demo In My Apartment . Carnies actually would've been a fine bookend closer and Apartment should've fit somewhere else in the sequence but those are minor points.
Once again Alex Rose mixes this like a master alchemist, flawless showcasing of both Mike's and Matt's lovely guitars without diminishing the solid J/J rhythm section (Josh & Jill to you).
Its an interesting release as half the tracks were cut with other personnel --Frank “Walls” Larson on drums and Isaac “Foxxy” Bonnel on keys--but it all flows together and illustrates how the band just wants to make great music, not piss about in-fighting over who-did-what. Even the Beatles couldn't deal with crediting Eric Clapton or Billy Preston or Klaus Voorman where it was due.
However now that the Mindies are back to the classic line-up, I hope it stays that way for a good long while; or at least long enough for another gem in about a year..?
- Wig Wam Bam
The Alibi - 2004.09.09
The Mindy Set A Sugared Mind
by Michael Henningsen
The album opens wide, instrumentally into a vast void left by sadly defunct groups like Starfish and then rushes headlong into a beautiful psychedelic haze that owes as much to the Beatles as it does to the Flaming Lips. A Sugared Mind, the Mindy Set's debut, is a rush of pop that encompasses several decades of rock—from classic to paisley underground to shoegaze to the quiet comfort of contemporary ambient a la American Analog Set. Brit-pop underpinnings lurk beneath shadows of The Jam and Fall-like grooves, creating a finely tuned psych-pop aesthetic that's downright addictive.
- The Alibi
Discography
Demon E (EP) - 2001
New Broadcast (Single) - 2003
A Sugared Mind (LP) - 2004
For Tonight (Single) - 2005
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The MindySet formed in Albuquerque, NM in 2001 featuring Matt Dickens (vocals & guitar), Mike Tinley (guitar), Josh Williams (vocals & bass), and Jill McArthur (drums). With influences ranging from The Stone Roses to the Velvet Underground and Joy Division to Chapterhouse, The MindySet has crafted a unique blend of psychedelic, yet danceable, pop. From 2001-2003 The MindySet released "Demon E" featuring their underground hits "In My Apartment" and "How Much I've Enjoyed This." The band followed their release with a tour of the west coast. Following their tour the band joined up with keyboardist Isaac Bonnel and began their journey in search on sonic pleasure. During this time the band opened up for acts like The Killers, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Shonen Knife and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. From 2003-2004 the band teamed up with Producer/Studio Engineer Alex Rose to begin work on their debut LP "A Sugared Mind." With only a few weeks until "A Sugared Mind's" Release, and the return of the original lineup; The MindySet inked a deal with local label Socyermom Records. In March 2005, The MindySet joined fellow Detach Recording Artists in Austin during SXSW for the Detach Records Industry Party. The band has also recently recorded "For Tonight,"which is to be released this year on Socyermom's "Rock Outside the Box II." All in all, The MindySet has spent years working hard in support of the local Albuquerque music scene and has loved every minute of it. With that said, this is just the beginning.
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