Music
Press
Current Issue: VOL. 2 - NO. 12 December 18th – January 14th, 2006
Ultra Plush
Boston, Massachusetts
Unsigned
www.ultraplush.net
www.myspace.com/ultraplush
Psychedelic Rock/World Music
By: Susan Frances
Ultra Plush has the oscillating psychedelics of the ‘60s with elements of trance-pop ambiences, Goth rock chants, middle-eastern shimmers, and prog-rock arcades. Their music is a world fusion with an Enigma-theme sonic and The Doors atmospheres. Based in Boston, Massachusetts Ultra Plush’s core band members Eric David Love – guitar and vocals, and Berklee graduate Richard Maddalo – drums, compose organic seascapes that float and swell with the pleasing motions of the ocean tides. Their bowers of exotic circulets interlock and stroke gently across melodic flushes as the vocals project and hover over the music notes.
Their song “Heaven’s Earth” has the ‘60s psychedelic rock vibrations of The Doors along a mid-tempo beat with haunting vocals and clouds of swirling tones. Their track “Unknown Boy” use vocal echoes along vistas of brushed drum strokes. There is a Dresden Dolls-like spring in the beat willowing in an Enigma-toned ambience. The wisps of vocals on “Celestine Dream” are deepened by prog-rock elevations and trance-like argots. The middle-eastern trammels winnow an airy fluidity in the tune. The songs float on air as the lyrics poetically path into nature’s pith chanting:
“Winter Bites into your home
The Wheel turns on so I’m told
Spring seeds sing on
Whispering winds
Fire-shine within.”
Esthetically pleasing, romantically shadowed, hypnotically pulsed are the qualities tenderly transmitted through Ultra Plush’s music. A mix of New Age, stargaze, and Glam-escapes similarly to Canada’s Dream Aria pervades Ultra Plush’s sonic ambiences. The influences are worldly and the music spheres ethereal. Ultra Plush formed in 2003 and developed a fan base by performing at music festivals and for art gallery shows. Their songs can also be heard in the indie film Cypto-Candida, directed by Josh Kastorf.
Review online:
http://www.northeastintune.com/index.php?bd=reg&sb=land&article=110613 - Indie In Tune
Ultra Plush
I accosted Ultraplush' pretty little bass player Sandra Levesque after their set and asked her if they'd been rehearsing a lot since I saw them last. She said they had. Then their drummer Richard Maddalo walked up, so I asked him, too. Same answer. The reason I asked was that this band has gotten so tight in such a short time that they deserve a huge tip of the hat. The rythym section, especially, was cooking. Singer/leader/guitarist and force of nature Eric David Love deserves a perfect band to surround him, and now he has it. The backup vocals of their stunning guitarist/vocalist Amy Geszvain were lovely. This whole band is good-looking, so they have it all, in my opinion.
Read Online:http://kaiserape.com/blog.htm - Kaiser Ape
Discography
SINGLES & EPs:
Sunday's Best
Happy
Event Horizon
Secret Service Man
Wishing Well
Unknown Boy
Heaven's'eartH
Apothecurious
Hansel and Gretal
Celestine dream
Singles and Ep's play on:
WMBR 88.1 and WZBC 90.3
Photos
Bio
Influenced by early developments of experiment rock that was born out of the 60's, the bite of punk rock of the 70's, the dark ambiance of Industrial and Goth music of the late 80's and early 90's as well as the lush sounds of traditional world music, this band has melted an eclectic vibe into a harmonious smooth flavor that seems strongly pleasing, leaving the listener refresh and oscillated. Many fans have dubbed it as Lynchian music. Others have compared it to a cross between Cure, Sonic Youth, Pixies and Mojave 3. Lyrics appear to be set to cast enchantment, paint dynamic landscapes or serve as mono-logs for characters in a surreal movie of fantasy, cowboy westerns and dark shadows. Taking fairly tale themes, sacred sounds and ancient ambiance and exploding it into a postmodern acid rain romance rock sound track, Ultra Plush is sure to please.
The back story:
Ultra Plush started as a duo playing art galleries and festivals in late spring of 2003. Creating Lynchian dream-scape music and dressed for cyber Blade Runner punk battle. These two glam kids hit the scene with a lighthearted step and a wreckless ambition. Ultra Plush was then joined by Berkley graduate and master drummer Richard Maddalo in the fall of 2004. The group experimented with other artist including Peter Lauria, Kris Thompson, Rob Byrd and to name a few. During this time they recorded and worked closely with Dreamchild and Amber Spyglass to record music. Continuing to play festivals and art shows, Ultra Plush began to become know for being a much heavier rock version than it's previous ambient dream music and was dubbed as Indie/Psychedelic/Goth/Rock, branching it self to be more appropriate for bars and other usually band venues in the Boston area. Later in the fall of 2005 Kennedy, one of the original duo members, left Ultra Plush to dedicate herself to self-mastery and discovery. Things seemed grim for Eric Love and Richard Maddalo but no sooner they where saved from vagabond cowgirl rocker Amy Geszvain on guitar and vocals and fashion designer, artist and welder Sandra Levesque on Bass in the winter of 2005. Geszvain left the project in the fall of 2006 to focus on her own music.
Now a power three piece, Ultra Plush continues to create musical pearls.
As always, influenced by the morbidity of the dark-wave/goth scene and an Aquarian optimism-Ultra Plush has one of those qualities that can only be described as a happy marriage of Yin and Yang, a space that is gray and made of all shades of color. Equally at home weaving a musical spell at Salem's Vampire Masquerade Ball, playing in the woods of Vermont through a thunderous rainstorm or enchanting audiences at local rock clubs, Ultra Plush continues to explore the Sonick world.
Links
