From the outset of recording “Sparse Illumination”, Blackout Transmission lead songwriter/arranger, C. Goett, envisioned calling upon musical comrades to reimagine these tracks through remixes and alternate interpretations. By activating the national Etxe Records community and local Los Angeles network, “Radiance + Variance: Remixes and Alternate Interpretations” advances new experimental and more electronic approaches to the original songs tracked with Scott Holmes (Highlands, Dream Machine LB).

Available exclusively on Bandcamp.

“We welcome Blackout Transmission onto our radar. . . one of the finest bands to come out of Los Angeles, California recently; a quartet that rocks between alternative rock and shoegaze.

One of the most spectacular debut albums of this year and other recent years. They sound like a light in the dark; a hope in the face of adversity. They sound like so many things that stir the fibers and take sighs. And we rub our hands over what may be the beginning of a promising career.”

Last month, New Noise Magazine premiered Sparse Illumination, the debut LP from L.A.-based post-punk outfit Blackout Transmission. Collectively, the eight tracks on the album, out now through Etxe Records, combine for a tight 34-minute dose of post-punk, shoegaze, and neo-psychedelia that evokes low-shutter-speed nocturnal journeys through desert canyons and winding coastal highways

Quite a bit of UK shoegaze influence comes through only a few minutes into Sparse Illumination, recalling different periods of classic bands like Ride, Swervedriver, and Catherine Wheel. But where some of the well-known albums from those artists still had more of a driving tempo, Blackout Transmission chooses to instead embrace a more laid-back and hypnotic approach to their songwriting which brings in just as much inspiration from psychedelic rock. But where this band starts to deviate is in the darker textures they bring to the table, as rather than maintaining the consistently brighter tonality songs like “Heavy Circles” and “Pacifica” head in darker and noisier directions by the end, bringing some of the grittiness of their home city into the music. It’s the type of album that you can put on, close your eyes, and totally lose yourself in as the textures wash over you and, in that regard, Sparse Illumination remains consistent from beginning to end.

Lush Jangle and Clang and Retro 80s Spacerock From Blackout Transmission