Everything Purple!

On 800Beloved’s 2009 release Bouquet, singer/songwriter Sean Lynch sings, “Let’s kill everyone we know and hit the open road/ into blackness we will go with no hope for tomorrow.” I know what you’re thinking. “If only I could’ve thought of that last Friday night when I was trying to pick up that goth girl at the bar.” Well, 800Beloved has released a new album of dreamy post-punk/new wave variety called Everything Purple.

The album, released from Moongadget, is crafted very well, from the ambient drones that carry the listener along with the shoegazey, delay-drenched guitar work that climbs up and down the neck of the guitar. Lynch’s reverb heavy vocals add to the surreal quality of the music, making his Morrissey-esque affectations sound more like one of the instruments rather than a stand alone croon that would distract from the sound as a whole. Everything Purple sounds far away, like a dream remembered in the first few moments of consciousness. That, however, is what I believe to be the first and foremost reason to play it as loud as space and time will permit.

A quick note that really drove home the feel of 800Beloved: If you go on their Facebook page and become a fan (which I suggest after you finish this article), the reason behind the band’s name is supplied. It says the name is from a 1-800 number than hints at a duality: “ ‘800’ representing the interest in popular culture’s flimsiness, while ‘beloved’ alludes to the lyrical use of sacred, often dismal, and ironically naïve subject matter.” I thought it beautiful, much like the music.

800Beloved will be having the official album release party at the  Majestic Cafe on May 1^st for Everything Purple.