| Gates |
| Parallel Lives (June 3rd, 2016) |
Gates — Parallel Lives (June 3rd, 2016) 
♣ The pressing is available on the following variants:
• 180–Gram Black (screened cover) — 300
• Milky Clear with Blood Red Splatter — 300
• Orange Crush — 600
• White/Royal Blue/Blood Red Splatter — 1,000
Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Styles: Post–Rock, Emo, Post–Hardcore, Alternative/Indie Rock, Experimental Rock
Album release: June 3rd, 2016
Record Label: Pure Noise Records
Duration: 45:39
Tracks:
01 Forget 3:16
02 Habit 3:33
03 Eyes 4:47
04 Shiver 3:54
05 House & Home 3:34
06 Empty Canvas 3:56
07 Color Worn 5:28
08 Fade 4:15
09 Penny 3:18
10 Left Behind 4:51
11 Parallel Lives 4:56
℗ 2016 Pure Noise Records
Credits:
♦ Dan Crapanzano Cabasa, Drums, Group Member, Percussion, Shaker
♦ Kevin Dye Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Loop, Mixing, Omnichord, Piano, Producer, Programming, Sample Loops, Synthesizer, Tambourine, Vibraphone, Vocals
♦ Gates Composer
♦ Tom Happel Engineer
♦ Mike Kalajian Mastering
♦ Dan King Artwork, Fender Rhodes, Group Member, Guitar, Loop, Maracas, Piano
♦ Ethan Koozer Group Member, Guitar, Shaker, Tambourine
♦ Mike Maroney Artwork, Bass, Group Member, Guitar (Bass), Synthesizer
♦ Frank Mitaritonna Engineer
♦ Nick Starrantino Percussion
♦ Mike Watts Mixing, Organ, Percussion, Producer, Shaker, Tambourine
© Photo credit: Noa Griffel
AllMusic Review by Matt Collar; Score: ****
♣ Gates’ sophomore full–length album, Parallel Lives, finds the emotive New Jersey outfit digging even deeper into a sweeping, atmospheric rock palette. Essentially, the album picks up where 2014’s Bloom & Breathe left off, with a handful of widescreen, guitar–based anthems that showcase lead singer/guitarist and songwriter Kevin Dye’s angelic, breathy croon. A hard band to pin down, Gates have a style that seems to straddle the line between more aggressive acts like Manchester Orchestra and introspective indie favorites like Red House Painters. That said, for an ambient–leaning rock outfit, there isn’t anything overtly experimental going on with Parallel Lives. Even at their most diffuse, Gates wouldn’t sound out of place next to bands like Paramore and Anberlin.
♣ Cuts like the glowing “Forget” and the windswept “Color Worn” often work best in terms of mood-setting as Gates take hold of the listener’s emotional core, slowly tightening their grip over the course of the song. It’s an approach that works particularly well when they marry their oceanic rock gaze to more crisply attenuated guitar and drum riffs, as they do on the malevolently yearning “Eyes.” Built around a kinetic low–end guitar lick and an off–kilter drum line that sounds like something the Cure might have done in the ’80s, the track bursts skyward at the chorus, with Dye singing as if he’s being lifted toward heaven. It’s a cathartic, heart–pounding moment and one of the best examples of how Gates are able sweep you up in the aching beauty of their sound. Thankfully, while much of the album is colored in dark hues, there’s a wistful romanticism at the heart of many of Gates’ songs. Even a poignant track like “Empty Canvas” seems to imply something more transcendent and hopeful at the center of the sadness. Dye sings “You draw your hands across an empty canvas/Your fingers paint a scene so dull and lifeless/And all the color warmth from me is pointless/’Cuz all you’ll ever be is black and white,” and “Now I am always with you, even if you didn’t want to reframe my work of art.”
Bandcamp: https://purenoise.bandcamp.com/album/parallel-lives
Label: http://www.purenoise.net/
Written by Patrick McNamara
♣ Gates are five guys from New Brunswick, NJ who make muscular emotional music (i think there’s an abbreviated genre term for emotional music like this but can’t recall its name right now) that reaches for the stars. It’s soaring and pretty and shreds. Sometimes it gives me goosebumps too.
♣ This band brings a whole lotta heart to their work. I know this to be true. Gates mean what they say and believe what they play. There’s nothing casually detached here. There’s no wry humor or silly absurdity in their repertoire. These climactic melodies mean serious business, friends. This isn’t about puppy dogs and ice cream. This is about stepping out from the shadows and “seeing the light,” man. And when Gates’ guitars get triumphant and reach their euphoric peak, things really do look a little brighter around here - which is impressive because as of this writing (11:04 am in the Year of the Perdue Wonderchicken) it is yet another cold grey ass day outside and winter hasn’t even started yet. Sigh. So it goes.
♣ I’ve probably listened to Gates’ new (too short = left wanting more = perfect) album “You Are All You Have Left to Fear” about twenty-five times in the last week. And that’s no exaggeration. I’ve told you a million times before that I don’t do that. The album has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise super sucky week for me. I’ll tell you about it sometime. When are you free to discuss my darkness? How’s 7pm tonight? If that doesn’t work, how does any night between now and forever work for you?
♣ Go ahead and stream this album below. Just do it. You will either really like it or realize immediately that this ain’t your thing. And if not, that’s fine You don’t like to feel? No problem! I’m OK. You’re OK. And everyone is still chill. Forever and Ever. Amen. ♣ http://www.ohmyrockness.com/bands/gates
_____________________________________________________________
| Gates |
| Parallel Lives (June 3rd, 2016) |
• 180–Gram Black (screened cover) — 300
• Milky Clear with Blood Red Splatter — 300
• Orange Crush — 600
• White/Royal Blue/Blood Red Splatter — 1,000
Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Styles: Post–Rock, Emo, Post–Hardcore, Alternative/Indie Rock, Experimental Rock
Album release: June 3rd, 2016
Record Label: Pure Noise Records
Duration: 45:39
Tracks:
01 Forget 3:16
02 Habit 3:33
03 Eyes 4:47
04 Shiver 3:54
05 House & Home 3:34
06 Empty Canvas 3:56
07 Color Worn 5:28
08 Fade 4:15
09 Penny 3:18
10 Left Behind 4:51
11 Parallel Lives 4:56
℗ 2016 Pure Noise Records
Credits:
♦ Dan Crapanzano Cabasa, Drums, Group Member, Percussion, Shaker
♦ Kevin Dye Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Loop, Mixing, Omnichord, Piano, Producer, Programming, Sample Loops, Synthesizer, Tambourine, Vibraphone, Vocals
♦ Gates Composer
♦ Tom Happel Engineer
♦ Mike Kalajian Mastering
♦ Dan King Artwork, Fender Rhodes, Group Member, Guitar, Loop, Maracas, Piano
♦ Ethan Koozer Group Member, Guitar, Shaker, Tambourine
♦ Mike Maroney Artwork, Bass, Group Member, Guitar (Bass), Synthesizer
♦ Frank Mitaritonna Engineer
♦ Nick Starrantino Percussion
♦ Mike Watts Mixing, Organ, Percussion, Producer, Shaker, Tambourine
AllMusic Review by Matt Collar; Score: ****
♣ Gates’ sophomore full–length album, Parallel Lives, finds the emotive New Jersey outfit digging even deeper into a sweeping, atmospheric rock palette. Essentially, the album picks up where 2014’s Bloom & Breathe left off, with a handful of widescreen, guitar–based anthems that showcase lead singer/guitarist and songwriter Kevin Dye’s angelic, breathy croon. A hard band to pin down, Gates have a style that seems to straddle the line between more aggressive acts like Manchester Orchestra and introspective indie favorites like Red House Painters. That said, for an ambient–leaning rock outfit, there isn’t anything overtly experimental going on with Parallel Lives. Even at their most diffuse, Gates wouldn’t sound out of place next to bands like Paramore and Anberlin.
♣ Cuts like the glowing “Forget” and the windswept “Color Worn” often work best in terms of mood-setting as Gates take hold of the listener’s emotional core, slowly tightening their grip over the course of the song. It’s an approach that works particularly well when they marry their oceanic rock gaze to more crisply attenuated guitar and drum riffs, as they do on the malevolently yearning “Eyes.” Built around a kinetic low–end guitar lick and an off–kilter drum line that sounds like something the Cure might have done in the ’80s, the track bursts skyward at the chorus, with Dye singing as if he’s being lifted toward heaven. It’s a cathartic, heart–pounding moment and one of the best examples of how Gates are able sweep you up in the aching beauty of their sound. Thankfully, while much of the album is colored in dark hues, there’s a wistful romanticism at the heart of many of Gates’ songs. Even a poignant track like “Empty Canvas” seems to imply something more transcendent and hopeful at the center of the sadness. Dye sings “You draw your hands across an empty canvas/Your fingers paint a scene so dull and lifeless/And all the color warmth from me is pointless/’Cuz all you’ll ever be is black and white,” and “Now I am always with you, even if you didn’t want to reframe my work of art.”
Bandcamp: https://purenoise.bandcamp.com/album/parallel-lives
Label: http://www.purenoise.net/
Written by Patrick McNamara
♣ Gates are five guys from New Brunswick, NJ who make muscular emotional music (i think there’s an abbreviated genre term for emotional music like this but can’t recall its name right now) that reaches for the stars. It’s soaring and pretty and shreds. Sometimes it gives me goosebumps too.
♣ This band brings a whole lotta heart to their work. I know this to be true. Gates mean what they say and believe what they play. There’s nothing casually detached here. There’s no wry humor or silly absurdity in their repertoire. These climactic melodies mean serious business, friends. This isn’t about puppy dogs and ice cream. This is about stepping out from the shadows and “seeing the light,” man. And when Gates’ guitars get triumphant and reach their euphoric peak, things really do look a little brighter around here - which is impressive because as of this writing (11:04 am in the Year of the Perdue Wonderchicken) it is yet another cold grey ass day outside and winter hasn’t even started yet. Sigh. So it goes.
♣ I’ve probably listened to Gates’ new (too short = left wanting more = perfect) album “You Are All You Have Left to Fear” about twenty-five times in the last week. And that’s no exaggeration. I’ve told you a million times before that I don’t do that. The album has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise super sucky week for me. I’ll tell you about it sometime. When are you free to discuss my darkness? How’s 7pm tonight? If that doesn’t work, how does any night between now and forever work for you?
♣ Go ahead and stream this album below. Just do it. You will either really like it or realize immediately that this ain’t your thing. And if not, that’s fine You don’t like to feel? No problem! I’m OK. You’re OK. And everyone is still chill. Forever and Ever. Amen. ♣ http://www.ohmyrockness.com/bands/gates
_____________________________________________________________