the stargazer lilies: Deep Heaven Now IV Compilation

Deep Heaven Now is a reboot of the original 90s Deep Heaven parties/mini-festivals held in Boston. True to tradition, the festival is celebrated bi/semi annually, gathering together some of the best psychedelic and ambient rock bands from the East coast and Midwest.

Spearheaded by Jinsen Liu of 28 Degrees Taurus, the festival is held at different locations each time and always involves various bands expressing their love for shoegaze, ambient and psychedelic rock and roll.

Deep Heaven Now IV is a mix of tracks from bands who performed in the August 5 & 6 (2011) festivals in Somerville.

Listening to the compilation definitely gives you a sweet taste of the kind of mayhem and good time you’ll be in for in this festival. Opening strong with Gospel Gossip’s Ponds, the track is taken from their mini EP, Drift. It’s a slightly upbeat shoegaze indie rock cut with gorgeous vocal work, hazy guitars and a simple charm. The three piece is from Northfield, MN and first came out with their debut back in 2007.

Other standout cuts for me include the sweet indie shoegaze track June by Brief Candles. There’s also the psychedelic/ambient cut from The December Sound, titled, Never. It’s a song filled with melting guitars, synths, obscure vocals and a brooding, melancholic atmosphere.

Of course, you have 19 other tracks from very talented musicians to enjoy further. Being a fan of shoegaze rock makes this compilation easy to love. It’s a great way to discover new favorite bands and at the same time just listen to good free music.

You can check out more about the festival by visiting their Facebook page right here. Worth the download if you ask me.