Terrene: Press

If you plug in a guitar and a microphone and you turn on some recording equipment you'll probably find out at some point that a good original song isn't going to happen as expediently as you might have imagined. The front man of Terrene has been making music since 1995 and probably sooner. He's taken his time and developed a style that most people don't know about, since Terrene has managed to successfully steer clear of a daunting industry. "The Indifferent Universe" is a well assembled, complete collection of music that is as good an introduction to the world as any in music history. Contrary to what seems to be the trend lately, Terrene have accomplished their independent endeavor through uncompromised songwriting, which has resulted in some beautiful music that you don't have to convince yourself to enjoy. They're sure to earn a following remeniscent of bands like The Chameleons UK or The Dandy Warhols, and it's likely they might even surpass them. As preliminary studio indie recordings go, this is a rare beauty not to be missed.

5 (out of 5) stars

Terrene blends countless genres for a very unique sound.  Dylan's style of writing is sometimes reminiscent of an octave-lower Jeff Hanson (namely in "Fixed Up"), while containing a nasal-ish quality—rather than mimicking Alec Ounsworth, Dylan's voice is clear and composed.  Traces of an Elephant 6 style psychedelic pop can be found and even hints of Sunny Day Real Estate (circa How It Feels To Be Something On...) underlying more modern and mainstream pop sensibilities are present. They add in a few post-rock traits that are common in groups like Explosions in the Sky—that rapid one-note strumming that produces an epic, dreamy sound. "Mermaid" concludes The Indifferent Universe, out this July, building softly from a slow and spacious beginning to a quiet, reality-altering conclusion. From the behemoth post-rock-pop to the melancholy ballads, be prepared for Terrene to take over your non-commercial airwaves.  And be prepared for The Indifferent Universe to blow your mind.

If patience is a virtue, then John Dylan, the singer, guitarist, and founding member of Terrene, ought to be knighted by now. What began as a solo project in the late nineties has quietly blossomed over the past decade into an exquisite work of art. With a complete band now in tow and a label finally at the helm, Dylan is finally ready to release his work in full-length form, and as any of Terrene's loyal fans can tell you, it is a long time coming. To put this into context, on June 30, 2000 Dylan's "Fifty-One" was Spin Magazine's "Cool Track of the Day." That was seven years ago, folks, and today a refined and expanded version "Fifty-One" is poised to be the first single off Terrene's brightly polished record, The Indifferent Universe.

The word "terrene" may mean "of or relating to the earth" but Terrene, the band, sounds anything but earthly. The echoic guitars chime beautifully with soaring harmonies whirling in from all directions, and every sound is obscured lightly by a lucid haze of reverb, giving the music a very nebulous quality. Attempts to pigeonhole or compare Terrene's sound with established genres and artists usually result only in Frankensteinian conglomerations of eclectic bands -- a tooth of Sonic Youth, a couple toes of Sigur Ros, a Flaming Lip, maybe a few Blonde Redhead hairs sticking out somewhere, etc. -- but these stitched generalizations do no justice to the ten years of songs (some copyrights date back as far as 1996) underneath the sheen of two years' worth of production.

Of the thirteen tracks on this record, the only ones I find myself skipping past are the untitled interludes which have been inserted between some songs. "Fifty-One" is catchy as hell, and it showcases Terrene's strong points of good songwriting, aural expansion, and instrumental harmonies right off the bat. The 8-bit video game sounds and keyboard-led melodies of "Unwelcome" are giddy, danceable, and just plain fun to listen to. "The Spirits On The Shelf" is breathtakingly moving, with a backdrop of soft mandolins and violins keeping the emotions aloft.

From a songwriting perspective, the strongest track on the record is "Media Sift (Through Heart Rises)." The song begins with a simultaneous crash of instrumentation, layered with high-tempo rhythms and low-tempo chord progressions over which Dylan's resonant vocals and nostalgic lyrics are stretched. After what seems to be a verse, the song leaps into what seems to be a chorus, but before long it becomes apparent that there is no sense turning back. Every few measures the song grows an increment, the melodies expand to make way for more melodies, and the sphere of harmonies augments. Finally, once it reaches its own apex, Dylan concludes the lyrics with the line "Each wake leaves every dream unsure, to media sifts and nothing more" and the song vaults into a final hurrah before exploding into a hushed fallout of dissipating guitar plucks. The most notable characteristic of this song is how naturally it abandons the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure in favor of a linearized, progressive structure. In this sense, it never retrogresses or becomes redundant, even as some elements of the percussion, guitar harmonies, and vocal lines remain consistent throughout...

Terrene's music is at its best when the listeners can look up at the panorama of the night's sky and feel that the music they are listening to is as mystical and expansive as the heavens above them. They have mastered the merits of musical complexity, and the next logical step forward might be to find the merits of simplicity so that the two can be juxtaposed to full effect. Terrene is a promising star, and one to watch for. If they can continue to grow, today's red dwarf might be tomorrow's supergiant.

If only a band existed that distilled the best bits (you know the bits I mean, they’re all over your CD compilations) from the Shins, the Apples in Stereo and Built to Spill and in the process arrived at a perfect sonic constellation. Well, Terrene’s new album may just have arrived at this superlative juncture due to its consistent policy of dreaming up hypnotic melodies.

The much anticipated release date is finally here for a brand new 13 track album from a band we originally featured over a year ago [original 2006 review + download]. Actually, I've had the promo copy on heavy rotation in my car for the past couple of months, waiting for just the right time to post this beauty on the blog. After spending some time absorbing these new songs, it easily becomes evident that Terrene has been busy evolving their sound into a blend of unique new horizons while preserving a hint of the classic artists they mention as being an influence. The Indifferent Universe keeps this excellent balance throughout its entirety and, without a single weak moment in the mix, is probably one of the more solid releases we've heard so far this year.

Shockingly addictive indie rock that reminds you almost out of the gate of Stereolab and those great '90s era indie rock bands. But there's a monstrous amount of sonic "ummph" to this record. It's got character that's for sure, almost enough to make "The Indifferent Universe" its own individual. But beyond the guitars, bass, drums, and nicely sung vocals is an organic wildebeest that haunts you with sweeping and soaring sounds that are absolutely heavenly.

By blending shimmering pop with folk elements and a little psych added to both, John Dylan manages to remain elusive throughout this twelve song release. To make up this trio there is Dylan plus his invited guest rhythm section, and these songs are tight for what was originally a set of demos that were heavily overdubbed. That tinkering shows, as Dylan, drummer Jimmy Gilbertson and bassist Ramsey Saleem seem to sense the depth that these songs have been explored, and add powerful finishing touches with their small combo.

Usually when a record is named after one of the songs in the set, you know that has special meaning. So it is here; the title track is an epic of several emotional peaks that, hell yeah, suck you in deep.

The band began as the solo project of John Dylan in the late Nineties before morphing into a trio in 2003, with straight-up drums, bass and guitar. The sound, however, is more aurally complex than that lineup would suggest. Perhaps this is due to the album having been recorded over a longer period, containing songs that were written as far back as 1996. Indeed, there is a bit of a time lapse feeling that one gets when listening to this engaging set of a baker's dozen tracks. Like a set of donuts, The Indifferent Universe benefits from variety; in addition to Phil Ek's influence, the album throws out everything from to the prog-rock of Yes to the bounciness of Architecture in Helsinki.

Interestingly, Terrene open the album with "Fifty-One," which Spin Magazine tagged as the "Cool Track of the Day" - back on June 30th 2000! God bless Spin, but on Universe, it happens to be the most un-cool of the bunch. Not to knock the fun Beatles-meets-Built to Spill song off its pedestal, but the album progressively gets more accomplished from there in, making the inclusion of "Fifty-One" seem a nostalgic lark. The following track, "Andromeda," is a far better indicator of what the band is all about: free-forming, melodious songs that feel as if they're barely planted on Terra-firma. The album art of an empty landscape sans satellite dish pointing upwards certainly adds to that sense (and, again, recalls Yes). This is where Terrene are at their best, in songs where one feels their longing for something out there. Later, the excellent mid-point "Stereo!" captures the flag: floating high-fret guitar riffs, teamed with moving high-pitched vocal lines, and a rousing drum march is the winning formula for this band. Fortunately, they touch on this a few more times on side two. Notable in its own right is "The Spirits on the Shelf," another standout that shows Dylan's acute sense of tender melody, including a dulcet violin accompaniment.