SPC ECO – 3-D

Dean Garcia made a name for himself in the 1990′s as one half of the atmospheric, electronic-rock band Curve (along with beguiling lead singer Toni Halliday), and after Curve split up in 2005, Dean focused on several collaborations with other artists, including KaRIN and Statik of Collide for The Secret Meeting and Lucia Cifarelli of KMFDM for The Chrono Logic.  Dean has a knack for working with enthralling female vocalists, and with his new band, SPC ECO, that’s no exception.  Dean’s own daughter, Rose Berlin, provides the lyrics and ethereal vocals, while guitar f/x master, Joey Levenson, rounds out the band.  

The 13 songs on the 67-minute 3-D all feature shimmering, dream-pop sonics and structures that are drenched with a thick coat of guitar distortion and textured electronics.  Rose’s sweetly airy vocals and musings are half-buried in the ambient to energized frisson, her light vocals lifting, gliding, and dreamily sighing in soft, bright waves. 

Rose sounds like a gently cooing Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins on opener “For All Time” playing lightly with the gentle whirl of slightly warped, chiming tings, a muffled, running bass line, and a steady drum beat that anchors the song.  She, at first, sings in a wordless, breathy tone, then lifts up, gliding to a higher register as she sighs “you and I forever.” amid a blast of guitar lines and cymbal crash.  Rose’s layered vocals float atop each other in a blissful state, but are also imbued with a hint of melancholy. 

Starkly high-pitched electronics, a low, wind-tunnel sound that slowly builds up in intensity, and measured beat mark “Shine On Down” while Rose sings gracefully, but in a downer tone “Follow me to the sky / I’ll be there / for you tonight” against a bed of low background vocals and occasional laser blip ‘n’ blast noises.  “Telling You” reveals the link to Dean’s previous band Curve with its lush soundscape where the smooth, cool vocals contrast with edgy electronic turmoil.  Coiling, cycling noises, a deeper beat, and contorting distorted guitar all contribute to the miasma as Rose airily and brightly sing-talks “I’m telling you / let me go.”  A sinuous, mournful, distorted guitar line runs through the downbeat “See You Soon” as Rose sighs in a darker tone “I’ll only stay a little while / I promise to come back again” amid scraping industrial noises, high-pitched electronic beeps, hit-aluminum beat, and running bass line.

Stand-out track “Another Day” is a captivating melding of noise and melody, a contrast between distortion and beauty, and a balance of dark and light with its slow build up of industrial grinding noises and electronic bleeps and a propulsive undertow of low drums and fiery distorted guitar line churn versus Rose’s sweetly angelic vocals as she achingly sings “…and now the time has come / for you to say goodbye / take all the things you’ve said / into another day.”  By the end of the song the guitar takes on the vocal melody line, elevating the bittersweet ambience to greater heights.

The woozily hypnotic effect of My Bloody Valentine songs is on display on “So Special” with its warped, weaving, higher-pitched guitar f/x and short bursts of chugging guitar grind, while Rose’s breathy, half-buried vocals are a placid and soothing contrast.  The 3-minute pop song is represented with the guitar-driven “You’re Alright”, with its drums, cymbals, and guitar format, 1960′s vibe of light vocal “Whah-oohs”, and verse, chorus, verse structure.  “Something Anything” has a bouncier, kinetic drum beat, fluid bass line, muted, but chiming guitar that recalls Cocteau Twins, and a tugging chorus of My Bloody Valentine-like swoony swirls.

On the U.S. release of 3-D there are two bonus tracks, including “Telling You (ELO RUB Mix)” which adds a dance floor beat to the studio track.  The other is “Shine On Down (Overnight Mix)” and it improves upon the original song by taking Rose’s vocals and making them clearly heard, raising them to the forefront as she sings “I’m waiting for the world to let me down / in time maybe something else will come around.”

Official site: http://www.spceco.com/

Record Label: http://www.noiseplusmusic.com/