Three years after his debut Planted/Plans, SF’s Dylan Shearer is back with his second LP Porchpuddles, set for release June 19th on SF-based label Empty Cellar Records. Shearer — whom his label describes as an “elusive pop wizard” — brings to the table a unique brand of psych-pop not heard since the 60s and 70s, weaving his ethereal baritone through delicately constructed instrumental melodies.
Shearer premiered the album’s first single “Afterwhile” on Raven Sings The Blues and Ad Hoc on May 29th. The track is a prime example of Shearer’s singular voice, a mesmerizing and haunting four minutes of stunning pop beauty:
Check out more information on the album, including comments from Tim Cohen (The Fresh & Onlys / Magic Trick) and the full track listing, as well as another streaming song, after the jump.
Porchpuddles, recorded by Eric Bauer (who, aside from forming a number of SF bands like Crack: We Are Rock, DJ Shitbird, Ultimate Party Machine, and Big Techno Werewolves, previously worked with the likes of Ty Segall, Wax Idols, Mikal Cronin, and The Mantles), explores themes of love and isolation across Shearer’s dreamlike voice and sounds. The album’s vinyl release is a limited edition of 500 and comes with a download code to access both the album as well as seven bonus tracks.
Shearer and this forthcoming release have been garnering accolades from bloggers and fellow musicians alike. San Francisco’s one-and-only Tim Cohen is clearly fond of his labelmate and Porchpuddles, penning this write-up for Empty Cellar in anticipation of the album’s release:
There is a new specter among us. Dylan Shearer’s throaty baritone seems to have been borne on the slow-moving winds off some far-away coast. Plaintive and honest, his voice recalls Syd Barrett, Bill Fay, Skip Spence, and others whose words and melodies never seemed in a rush to get anywhere, yet always arrived fully formed in the listener’s ear nonetheless. Porchpuddles, Shearer’s second full length and first for San Francisco’s hodge-podge Empty Cellar records, is rare in its perfect timelessness. Sounds are heard and understood perfectly, yet the combination of these sounds is beyond a simple pop understanding. Songs of longing and songs of seeming indifference are bedded together seamlessly. Perhaps, questions about the record’s origin and its mysterious creator will abound, for taken at face value, Porchpuddles has little to no recognizable counterpart in today’s one-hit warehouse. Indeed, there is a new specter among us; let us all welcome in the ghost of the present.
High praise from such a well-regarded stalwart of the Bay Area music scene, especially when he’s making comparisons to legends like Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett and Moby Grape’s Skip Spence. But it’s easy to see what draws Cohen to Shearer’s work, as “Afterwhile” is just the tip of the album’s iceberg. “Tardy Party”, the album’s third song, is a gently soaring yet beautifully numbing track about longing for the past:
Pre-order Porchpuddles over on Endless Nest, and keep tuned to The Bay Bridged for more news on Shearer, including hopefully some tour dates in support of his new record.
Porchpuddles Track Listing:
Side A: Afterwhile / Vacancies / Tardy Party / Where I’ve Gone / That’s All, Folks
Side B: Cutting Through / Alright, Already / Quartz Trails / Lostlore (Tinsel Mines) / Walked Away
