Press

Praise for Rituals by Sun Color Sound:

 

11.17.23 Aural Aggravation review: “[Ritual One is] an ambitious piece in every way, and its scope and scale are immense. There is so much depth and detail here, and it takes repeated listens to really appreciate just how much is happening, especially given that the first reaction is simply to bow to its sheer sonic force.” Read the full review here.

 

Praise for Her Spirit Cracked the Sky by solarminds:

 

6.22.21 Scene Point Blank review: “[Her Spirit Cracked the Sky] is certainly powerful, definitely takes the listener somewhere, and while I don’t know that I’d label it as a post-rock album, I think it achieves something similar to what the classics of that genre do.” Read the full review here.

3.26.21 The Progressive Rock Journal review: “Elaborate but at the same time accessible…A mix of avant-garde, cosmic, Progressive sounds, the list of genres and styles could continue, showing clear ideas and a mature sound. It exudes emotion and offers us an engaging and touching listening, a particular disc that at each listen will give us new ideas and pleasant surprises…” Read the full review here.

 

3.23.21 The Gift  and The Lie added to ambient // drone // post-rock Spotify playlist by Ben Clapton.

 

2.22.21 Thoughts Words Action review: “…intelligent arrangements, rollercoaster structures, and outstanding musicianship. Their music defies classification into one particular genre… [S]hoegaze would be an appropriate starting point, but there are also elements of ambient, cinematic, symphonic, experimental, post-rock, indie-rock, ethno, and world music.” Read the full review here.

 

2.9.21 Album release news story by Os Garatos De Liverpool.

 

2.8.21The Gift added to Post-Rock Promo playlist – a monthly Spotify playlist by Post-Rock Promo.

 

1.29.21 The Progressive Rock Journal premiers official music video for The Lie.

 

1.23.21The Gift added to Progressive Rock Earworms – a monthly Spotify playlist by TheProgLoop.

 

1.22.21 The ProgLoop review: “…unearthly yet intimate…The songs feel spiritual and from within but the experience is a visual journey through the soundscapes that spark your imagination in countless different ways. The grand epic that spans the first side in its entirety is “The Gift” which introduces this cinematic expressiveness with auditory images…Whether it is the bloodcurdling thunder sounds that intertwine the first two tracks or the uneasy and impending feel of the percussion buildup in “The Visit”, solarminds know how to create the perfect environment to strip us of our barriers and hurl us into this distant world of tense (e)motions. Blindsided by the sheer sonic power of the album, you are left to let go, for what remains is from the trails of the thunderstorm.” Read the full review here.

 

1.16.21 Aural Aggravation review: “…epic…awe inspiring… It leads the listener on a journey through an array of soundscapes, and there’s not only considerable atmosphere being conjured here, but the music also has a very visual aspect. You feel as if you’re being transported through different scenes, and at times, are creeping cautiously and peering around corners, while at others, staring out from a high plateau overlooking immense vistas that stretch further than the eye can see…[The Lie is] a delicate, tender experience that grows in emotional intensity and pulls at the gut with its starkness, its rawness.” Read the full review here.

Here’s what my friend, Martin, aka DJ Dragonfly, texted me after hearing the first rough mix of The Gift:

“Hey Chris good morning, I had a good listen last night…what a piece… It was a very powerful experience… I was transfixed by all the movements within the music. Overall, it really struck me as a deeply powerful journey, at times it felt like a beautiful dirge, weaving feelings of longing, hope, despair and peace with brief moments of climactic resolve.  Very well done… very well done.

Wow.  Totally feeling it… Totally feeling it my friend

And then there is the ending, initially I wanted it to have a long fade , but  the suddenness of the ending was realized/felt a metaphor for release and relief, And then I realized how perfect it was … with just a little tiny trail of sound at the end , a few floating artifacts of sound… A whisper of goodbye”

 

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Press for Intimate Portraits and Ambient Gestures by solarminds:

 

Review in Son of Marketing: Unknown Music Pleasures 8.16.16

…evocative and haunting well-reshaped ambient textures…Read More

 

Interview with solarminds by Middle Tennessee Music Blog 8.1.16

What does Wayne Coyne have to do with the new album? What was the last song Chris listened to (at the time of the interview? Which albums exploded Chris’ teenage mind? And, much much more…Full Q&A Here

 

Review in Deruting Magazine (Spain) 6.29.16

Solarminds takes us on an introspective, deep journey, with much to experience. The songs are tangible, the music full of texture. I believe a second listen -with headphones- is a must…Read More (link to original article in Spanish) [a link to a translated version in English from the original Spanish by the original author is here]

 

“just do the maximum and try to feel things” featured in Middle Tennessee Music’s “Indie Music Spotlight” 6.27.16

 

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Press for X-Rays and Open Transmissions by solarminds:

 

13 Reviewers Agree:  “ritualistic goddess worship”, is “too experimental.”

“like an industrial whimper slowly growling” … “really cool textures and sound design” … “a little too avant garde,” and a bunch of other bad (non)reviews…Read More

 

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Press for a lighthouse for the Sun by solarminds:

 

Review on Audioversity.com by PMMasterson 1.17.08

[note: this music blog is now defunct, buy you can read the entire review by clicking “Read More” below]

At its most base description, A Lighthouse for the Sun is a band in love with space-rock and shoegaze and post-rockand maybe a little noise-pop. But it’s also none of those things. It’s a record steeped in a history dating back hundreds of years and modernized to be put in terms of what the average music listener knows rather than what musicology students study….Read More

 

Get Wiggy with This –  Review in San Diego Reader 1.16.08

It’s conceptual audio art, and it’s not for everyone. By track four, I’m impressed. No instrument misses a chord or beat. Even though it’s oddball stuff, it’s well played, relaxing, and forces contemplation, which seems to be Solarminds’ intended goal…Read More

 

“my salvation (saved)” featured in San Diego Reader’s “As I Heard it” 12.6.07

That would be a good song for going on a long trip…Read More

 

Interview with Tim Pyles on FM94.9 12.21.08