Alcian Blue

1998-2006


Official Site: Alcian Blue Site
Myspace Page: Alcian Blue Myspace

Members:
Sam Chintha, Jake Reid, Kim Reid, Clark Stacy, Matt Welch


Back in the late 90's, four people who played in various high school bands got together and formed a band. Based on close friendships and shared musical interests, the band started writing songs and performing under the name Wintermute. Finding out there was a Texas band already named that, the band promptly changed the name to Alcian Blue and released their first record Slow Colorless Stare. (This album was also self produced and recorded as would be all future albums by the band.)

Over the next 8 years, Alcian Blue both teamed up with close friends Skywave to play up and down the East Coast as well as continue self releasing albums under the Safranin Label they created. Angelica Take Me Down was the first single to move Alcian's older sounds of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine to a rawer gritty edge. The single marked the beginning of the Translucent EP which pushed recording experimentations into the red. 3/4 of the EP was lost in a hard drive accident and the band had to re-record most of the tracks, but the end result was a sonic annihilation on speakers. Complete with a spray-painted sleeve and xeroxed insert done by Kim Dodd, the EP was a big leap forward in production. Post Translucent, Alcian released the Silvers Sleep Walk EP featuring an intense cover of a rare Slowdive song, Joy, as well as two live tracks.

The band followed up the set of EP's with a departure from the noise on Fall Behind. The EP came with a video the band put together and a sound that was darker and more influenced by synths and mechanical beats. The band was working on a full length album to follow this up when Clark Stacy, the long time drummer, left the band and joined the Air Force. Kim, who is now married to singer/guitarist Jake Reid, had recorded synths for the Fall Behind EP and joined up full time as the band decided to venture on with drum machines and new territories. With a new line up and new songs in the works, the band put aside songs that were being worked on and embraced a new sound. Signing to Elephant Stone Records, the band released their self-titled album full of sound-scapes and a vast array of influences, moving well beyond the shoegaze sound. After 10 years of working, the band called it quits unexpectedly in the fall of 2006. Information on them can be found below.

Releases


Slow Colorless Stare | Released 2001
1. Touch
2. response
3. Channel
4. Opaque
5. Variance
6. A Faded Song
7. Empty Roads


Angelica Single | Released 2003
1. Angelica Take Me Down
2. Channel (early demo)
3. Euqapo
4. Never Go Away


Translucent | Released 2003
1. Angelica Take Me Down
2. Silvers Sleep Walk
3. Everyday Is Fall
4. Translucent


Silvers Sleep Walk | Released 2004
1. Silvers Sleep Walk
2. Fall Behind (live)
3. Everyday Is Fall (live)
4. Joy (Slowdive cover)


Fall Behind EP | Released 2005
1. Fall Behind
2. A Strange Day (Cure Cover)
3. Fall Behind (demo)
4. Darkest Days


You Just Disappear Single | Released 2005
1. You Just Disappear
2. See You Shine


Alcian Blue S/T | Released 2006
Released on Elephant Stone Records
1. Horizons
2. 71705
3. You Just Disappear
4. Night Sky
5. Frozen Sleep
6. Caroline
7. This Day This Age
8. Turn Away
9. See You Shine
10. Terminal Escape


Years Too Late | Released 2007
1. A Fading Smile
2. Years Too Late
3. Fall Behind (re-edit)
4. Spiral
5. Carousel