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All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors was a well-regarded but horribly monikered group that unabashedly reveled in their shoegazing influences. The swooning miasma of sound they created during their half-decade run garnered them something of a following among diehard dreampop fans. Ex-ANL&LF member Merc applies the sonic philosophies of his former group to his current project, Ifwhen. By stripping away the poppier elements and indulging in a more purely psychedelic experience, he’s emerged with a record that’s far more challenging and engaging than anything he did before. With mixing assistance from Oktopus (of hip-hop duo Dälek), Merc’s singular vision of swirling, assaultive womb-rock has come to fruition. Hooks are present, but often muddled into the noisy, atmospheric stew just like the glistening guitars, throbbing bass and synthetic programming touches. Most of the songs here are fragmentary, expanded by repetition into bombastic near-epics; they often don’t have much to say, but what they do say is said beautifully.
reviewed by: jason ferguson for the orlando weekly |
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This is, without a doubt, the strangest release that we have yet to hear on the esoteric Clairecords label. Ifwhen is the new band formed by Merc , who some will remember as a member of the shoegazer band All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors . We Will Gently Destroy You is a strange album indeed. The best way we can describe the sound of this CD is to say...that it sounds like two (or possibly three) different CDs are playing at the exact same time. This band's arrangements are decidedly unconventional and strange. If the oddities were stripped away, some of the songs might sound almost normal...but with all the peculiar layers of additional sound...the music sounds extremely muted and slightly crazy. Strangely dreamlike and hypnotic, this is an album that is bound to confuse writers and fans. And in this day and age...when most folks feel as if they've seen and heard everything before...that is a real accomplishment. Bizarre, trippy cuts include "Only Faster," "A Furious Kind," "Escape Method," and "Nothing Left to Avoid." Sometimes sounds kind of like a cross between The Cocteau Twins and a toned down Skinny Puppy (???!!!)...
reviewed by: babysue.com |
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IfWhen is the new group formed out of the ashes of the late, great All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors. The musician linking the two outfits is the mysteriously-named Merc, and here he's joined by a couple new members to create a similarly-swarming racket of overblown shoegaze tendencies. Produced by Oktopus of Dälek, the nicely-titled We Will Gently Destroy You is ten songs and forty-five minutes of pedal-to-the-metal sonics.
With over-the-top, wall-of-sound style production, this is one of those releases where more, more, more is the modus operandi. There are only three people in the band, but piles of melodies and textures are constantly bombarding the listener, with breathy vocals from Merc adding a very slight human quality to the sometimes overwhelming output. "Fantastic Maneuver" kicks things off and it doesn't really let up from there, with programmed beats slamming in the background of "Only Faster" while huge filtered guitar waves, synth washes, and layers of electronics pour down into the open spaces like water in a jar of tiny pebbles. "A Furious Kind" is just what the title describes, as woozy, almost sour notes pile on top of one another as slews of layered guitar and synth create a heaving wall of sound that the vocals of Merc basically surf in on. When the group is on, the trio creates sounds that one might expect new work from My Bloody Valentine to push out, but unlike that group IfWhen doesn't really let up at any points. There are certainly a few short quieter moments, but nothing that could really be considered a breather or break. With track after track of molasses-thick sound, it's a bit tiring from a listening standpoint, but at the same time it will definitely float your boat if you're looking for a sonic blast in the face. reviewed by: almostcool.org |
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In his previous band, All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors, vocalist + guitarist + programmer Merc helped assemble some of the best hypnotic noise since Loveless. Ifwhen, which also includes bassist Kentaro and keyboardist Mary MacDowell, now has the ball in their court. While there are definite reminders of All Natural Lemon's sound effects and androgynous vocals, Ifwhen is even more adventurous and mind-bending. "Escape Method," for example, features warped soundage and extra airy vocals. As a matter of fact, all the other tracks are like that too. Trippy.
reviewed by: Kenyon for advancecopy |
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"This is the new album from the extremely progressive band Ifwhen. Hailing from New York, these kids bring a great mix of downtempo, math rock, shoegaze and electronic together to make a wonderfully lush experimental sound. Their songs are distorted and fuzzy, creating an atmosphere that is unsettling while at the same time comfortable and hypnotic."
reviewed by: Kizer for mlive.com |
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