Where some bands pummel you over the head with gristly guitar leads and beefy bass lines, bands like NYC's Bowery Electric take an opposite tack, wielding their instruments with great subtlety but still extracting great power from them. On its debut long-player, the trio works with repetition and swooning melodies, building songs as if they were kids making grandiose art projects out of gooey papier-mâché Like Loop, Bowery Electric subjects all the songs' other intriguing elements-low-in-the-mix vocals, suggestive guitar noises-to hypnotic rhythms, which rock gently back and forth. While at first the album threatens to bleed quietly into space, merging with the elements in the air, "Next To Nothing," its second track, quickly sets things straight with seven and a half minutes of activity-listening to its gentle pulses and enveloping melodies is sort of akin to spinning around on amusement park swings until you're just about queasy, but still loving every minute of it. The next seven tracks hold that pattern with minimal dips and rises, "Long Way Down" echoing a downward gravitational pull, "Deep Sky Objects" propelling the mood back upwards with circular vigor. To fully immerse yourself in Bowery Electric, dive into the 10-minute "Slow Thrills," which casually lulls you into a relaxed slumber before volume levels rise to a new steady high. - Lydia Anderson, CMJ

Bowery Electric's debut full-length album is a droning, atmospheric affair. Guitars, drums, and hushed vocals suggest a definite Slowdive influence, but Bowery Electric approaches the shoegazer sound with more moodiness, tension, and space rock ethics. "Next to Nothing" and "Long Way Down" almost sound like Just for a Day-era Slowdive letting off steam; the distorted guitars and gentle drums of both tracks never sound lush, as there's an undercurrent of confusion and discomfort in the way the instruments mix. The music brings to mind imagery of rainy days or starless nights. There's not really a stab at traditional song structure with any of the tracks. "Another Road" sees vocalist Martha Schwendener nearly speaking her vocals, and she sounds quite caught up in the dreamy music that surrounds her. Neither Schwendener nor Lawrence Chandler seem to care if their vocals are audible or understood; their voices simply become additional instruments, as is common with shoegazer music. There are ample pace changes to be found throughout the album's nine tracks. "Over and Over" is a slow-burning, quiet number, which is immediately followed by the tense, dark "Deep Sky Objects." "Deep Sky Objects" sounds more than a bit like a Joy Division song, if not for the dreamy, processed vocals. Bowery Electric works equally well with short, moody song fragments (on "Sounds in Motion" and "Over and Over") as with grand, drawn-out movements (on "Next to Nothing" and "Slow Thrills"). "Drift Away" is an ambient joy. It's quite an achievement that the album, at over 50 minutes, never gets boring or even less than compelling, even though there's not much variation in mood from track to track and within individual songs. Despite the fact that the band is the sum of its influences, the album is quite fresh and interesting throughout. Bowery Electric is an extremely accomplished, beautifully moody debut. - Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide