A Sunny Day in Glasgow
February 2010
After two full-length excursions into blissed-out reverie (not to mention several singles and EPs), Philadelphia's A Sunny Day in Glasgow is poised to move further beyond the "dream pop" and "neo-shoe gaze" tags for newfound sonic freedom.
Formed in the early aughts by Ben Daniels and Ever Nalens, A Sunny Day in Glasgow began to take shape with the addition of Ben's sisters, Lauren and Robin, in 2005. The following year, the band made its recorded debut with the EP The Sunniest Day Ever, which caught the attention of taste-making radio station WNYU and the kingmakers at Pitchfork Media.
ASDIG confounded some early fans with their first LP, the noisy Scribble Mural Comic Journal (2007), before getting a bit more mannered on the sophomore release, Ashes Grammar (2009). Challenged by numerous line-up changes in its formative years, the group is now comprised of Ben Daniels, Annie Fredrickson, Josh Meakim, Jen Goma, Adam Herndon and Ryan Newmyer.
On the upcoming "The Nitetime Rainbows EP", the sextet takes inspiration from the ambient soundscapes of Brian Eno, the meticulously layered guitars of My Bloody Valentine and the ethereal musings of any number of bands who released groundbreaking records on the labels 4AD and Too Pure in the 80s and 90s.
Opening with "The Nitetime Rainbows", which also appeared midway through Ashes Grammar, the EP segues into the slightly tougher sister song "Daytime Rainbows" before letting the sunshine through on "So Bloody, So Tight", one of the best songs that the band has released. With its rudimentary attack of the baby grand and some truly angelic vocals, "Piano Lessons" harkens back to the beautiful noise of Scribble Mural Comic Journal. Three remixes of "Nitetime Rainbows" (by Benoît Pioulard, Ezekiel Honig and The Buddy System) round things out nicely.
A Sunny Day in Glasgow will be touring across North America and Europe throughout the spring. The Nitetime Rainbows will be released on clear vinyl and download via Mis Ojos Discos on March 2nd. The band will also make its SXSW debut in Austin, Texas later the same month.
