WINTER DRONES - BLOOD IN THE COFFIN (CD)

"Leon Dufficy is primarily known as guitarist in the hippie-jam outfit, Hush Arbors, but now he steps into his own as the driving force behind Winter Drones. Sounding like the perfect combination of fuzzed-out ambient drift, shoegaze swirl and propulsive pop sensibilities, Winter Drones have slowly gained attention in their native U.K. with a handful of obscure CD-R/cassette releases and compilation appearances. Earlier this year, the band's debut album, Blood In The Coffin, came out as a limited-edition tape on U.K. micro-label Sexbeat Records. While legions of artists are mining the ambient style, Dufficy stands out because of his ability to develop his soundscapes, infusing them with a touch of melody to impart a sense of emotion. Songs like the lead-off track, 'Watch Your Eyes,' set the mood perfectly while 'Bongs Dream' shows Dufficy's intuitive understanding that the perfectly weighted note/chord can add tremendous emotional resonance to an atmospheric piece. But Dufficy isn't some common nu-age denizen and the album really shines when the drums come in and the band rocks out. 'Winnie Coopers Bones' and 'Two Long Weeks Part 2' find him perfectly capable of crafting memorable songs that stick with the listener. The album's centerpiece, 'Stiff Wizard', starts with flanged/fuzzed guitars swishing about and sounding like jet engines on a runway. As the piece builds towards take-off, a simple radar-like melody begins pinging and the song takes flight when the drums and driving guitar chords launch in -- a perfect microcosm of the whole record." (label info)