Listen: Ringo Deathstarr

By Jay Ziegler on February 24th, 2008

Quite possibly two of the greatest achievements in mankind’s history would have to be the formation of The Beatles in 1960 and the debut of Star Wars in 1977. You take a little of this and a little of that from both elements and voila! You have yourself a wonderful musical portmanteau that is Ringo Deathstarr.

The Austin, Texas shoegazing quartet has been together for over three years and in its short existence, the Starr have racked up some highly critical acclaim. Sources such as Pitchfork Media, Skyscraper Magazine, The White Noise Revisited and The Austin Chronicle have given the band considerable praise, even comparing them to Irish shoegazing legends, My Bloody Valentine.

Their songs resemble dreamy, colorful pieces of glass that float in clouds made of honey and absinthe. There’s also a darker shade of musical color which is found in guitarist/vocalist Elliot Frazier’s vocals. His vocals have a strong resemblance of the late Ian Curtis from Joy Division as well as J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. Musically their songs are low-key, dreamy and take you on journeys.

On “Some Kind Of Sad,” the melodies are encircled in a cage of distortion, complete with darkened spikes of dripping guitar work (very Dali-esque) by lead guitarist Renan McFarland. One of their other tunes, “Your Town”, sees the band in a light where they’re great at mastering the ability to create somber moods. It is dreamy to the point that it blurs the lines of reality and fantasy right before your eyes. Elliot Frazier’s vocals are mesmerizing, swirling and with that Kevin Shields’ nostalgia from My Bloody Valentine’s epic “Loveless“, too.

Currently, the band is on their own east coast tour, hitting cities such as Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Brooklyn and Washington DC. These Austin natives definitely have a great sound here, and it’s only a matter of time before they truly are heard in the music world. Give them a spin and they’ll spin not only your eardrums, but your heart as well.

[MySpace]

Check out:
“Some Kind of Sad”
“Your Town”

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::