Vaadat Charigim - Sinking as a Stone (Burger Records)

I’ve always felt that good shoegaze was more about the emotions the music stirs up than the words being conveyed. Vocals are often buried under a zillion layers of shimmering guitars and keyboards anyway, so whether a band emotes in English or Hebrew matters less than you think. Thus, we have this Israeli three piece band, who sing entirely in Hebrew on this, their second album. The album title is the only thing in English here, so hold on to your hats. “Neshel” is a nearly 11 minute dream pop opus, nearly beating England’s 93MillionMilesFromTheSun for song length! This opening track has a slightly mysterious and ominous vibe that underlays the main melody, almost as if someone is humming in a far distant room and you only catch snatches of melody. As the song progresses and builds, it bubbles up as if from a deep well of feeling. It’s a great opening track for this 7 song album of mostly long tunes. “Hadavar Haamiti” is more standard shoegaze fare, served up with waves of blissful guitar and heavily reverbed vocals. This approach works well for the band, as it is coupled with a memorable melody. “Klum” follows suit, and I struggle not to think of Heidi Klum when I encounter this song title, though I am sure it’s unrelated. “Ein Li Makom” darkens things up a bit, but it’s somber start is brightened up by keyboard washes and lush layers of sound. It is rather short and succinct, and I find this suits the band better. Could this be a hit? “Imperia Achrona” is another lovely piece, though it trembles around the seven minute mark. It has all the hallmarks of great shoegaze, and this time vocalist Yuval Haring is front and center in the sound. Floating and pretty, this could very well be the centerpiece of this album. It may remind you of Ride in their quieter moments, or even Slowdive. No doubt everyone will hear something different, and come up with their own descriptions to hang a hat on this band’s work. “Hashiamum Shokea” closes out the record, with hints of psychedelia scattered throughout, and has some killer hooks at its center. The band seems to still be finding its sea legs, though this is beautiful music that transcends language.

Check out the band on their Facebook page.