Artist description coastal's music borders on reverent. restraint and simplicity are key to the overall sound. smooth basslines, wispy drum movements, melodic, delayed guitar work, a delicate vocal presence, and subdued organ keys all combine to make the music flow with a relaxed simplicity that is truly beautiful. if you need something nonmedicated to put you to sleep, you found it here.

Music Style slowcore, slogaze, minimal, dream, drone

Musical Influences Stereolab, Idaho, American Analog Set, Velour100, Field Mice, Ida, Mojave3, Yo La Tengo, Low, Rocketship, Red House Painters, Slowdive, MBV, House of Love, the Pale Saints, James Brown

Similar Artists Ida, American Analog Set, Velour100, Low, Stereolab, Field Mice, Mojave3, Trembling Blue Stars

Artist History coastal is the hybrid of several musicians who have played out for years in their respective bands, yet have never really made the music they wanted to. Jason Gough has been involved in shoegaze style bands for several years and it was through such bands that he met up with Josh Callaway. the two started to write songs together and shortly enlisted Jim Harker to take on drum duties. with the main structure in formation, the three felt the music needed something more. Luisa Gough took on keyboard duties to complete coastal's current line-up. coastal signed to the words on music label out of minneapolis last year and released its debut full-length CD in march 2001.

Group Members Jason Gough - vox/guitar/drums...Josh Callaway - bass...Jim Harker - drums/guitar...Luisa Gough - vox/keys

Instruments guitar, drums, organ, bass

Albums debut full-length CD on 'words on music' label

Press Reviews coastal CD reviews (NEW) on their self-titled debut, this Provo, UT quartet play soft, slow, and hauntingly beautiful dreampop that most resembles Low and early Slowdive. each song features the lovely harmonies of Jason and Luisa Gough, backed by delicate, shimmering guitars, quietly-stroked drums, and lulling organ, topped off with sparkling production. the Goughs' heavenly wistful vocals are the band's best feature, bringing to mind the unforgettable Neil Halstead/Rachel Goswell duets in Slowdive and Mojave 3. the album's main flaw is that the songs never stray from a strict, narrowly-defined slowcore format, making one wish the band would vary the tempos a bit. each song seems on the verge of breaking loose into something more dramatic and powerful, but never does ("Celesta" with its uncharacteristic wavering guitar explosion near the end, comes closest). but taken individually, each song is a soothing delight, perfect for late-night contemplation or a long drive in the country......MARK SUPPANZ, THE BIG TAKEOVER, #48.....coastal (formerly Infrared) is a band from Provo (Utah) that plays gentle and slow dirges with a strong melodic content but a frail structure. coastal (Words On Music, 2001) takes shoegazing psychedelia and tunes it to a more humane kind of songwriting. Jason Gough 's guitar creates delicate filigrees that Josh Callaway's bass and Jim Harker's drums barely caress, while Luisa Gough's keyboards lay down a shroud of enchanted drones. the effect recalls Idaho, Slowdive, Yo La Tengo, Red House Painters or, further back in time, Hugo Largo, all the bands that whispered deeply felt emotions. everything is subdued, but the melodies are actually quite engaging. The languid, nostalgic theme of Northern projects a sense of ecstatic trance, an ecstasy that seems to ascend to the heavens in Paris Radio, impalpable dust of nursery rhymes. Cinder is even sweeter, a celestial duet that soars through the instruments' shimmering tones. on the other hand, Her Reflection In Chrome is somber to the limit of Nick Drake's manic depression, redeemed by Gough's ethereal contralto. The intensely harmonious Ivy sounds like a religious hymn played at half speed. Celesta has the "breathing" flavor of late Pink Floyd, another duet awash in crystal tones. Gough's organ is inconspicous but pivotal: it brushes the canvas rather than drawing shapes but ultimately gives each song its echological niche, where it can grow and metabolize. needless to say, eight of these lengthy trancey songs are not easy to digest (unless you are in either the most serene or gloomiest of moods) and certainly the quartet could use a more varied instrumentation to add spices to their rather plain dishes, if nothing else to dispel the notion that their music is merely an act of self-flagellation. but the result is already impressive, a mature statement that improves on one of the most poetic genres of popular music.....*coastal: voted to scaruffi’s best of 2001 list*.....PIERO SCARUFFI, www.scaruffi.com.....most people i know hate getting promos, and i'll agree that sometimes it's a waste of postage and bubble-wrap mailers. (come on, why send me a promo of some death-rock metal band?! do you people even look at the web site before sending CDs?!) but sometimes, a promo can introduce you to some wonderful band that you honestly might not have ever found otherwise! and then the whole point of this site really comes into focus, as you're able to pass on the name and share the joy, so to speak! and with that, i introduce you to Provo, Utah's coastal. with their eight-song debut release, they bring us slow, languid washes of guitar work, quiet droning keyboard work, understated bass lines, all punctuated with soft, gentle brushing on the drums. it's all very gentle, delicate and atmospheric. just so lovely! lead vocalist Jason Gough has a quiet, low voice that's very strong and emotive; no wimpy indie-rawk whining here. and he's ably assisted by Luisa, whose quiet harmonies really fill out their sound. They totally remind me of Mojave 3, which is a huge compliment from me! i think they're music is a little bit too atmospheric to sound like Low, although the harmonies totally call Alan and Mimi to mind. you could also say they sound a bit like American Analog Set, especially on "Paris Radio". check out the links below to sample some songs, and then order away!.....(J.5.01), www.copacetic-online.com.....coastal’s music is slow and hypnotic and swirls and converges without any traces in this 30-minute (promotional) e.p. from their forthcoming CD on the words on music label. the five songs maintain a hazy, almost mystical atmosphere. blissful and meditative through the cords of a picked guitar, which is balanced with sustained organ and repetition. female and male vocals whisper and yearn in a sweet melancholic way, inviting you to close your eyes, lay down, and be carried away by the soft sounds, letting go your thoughts until you abandon yourself in this mesmerizing music. the word "hypnotic" is the best way to describe this music, as I have said, from the beginning track ‘northern’ (which is my favorite) until the end. a piece of advice: don't listen to this CD while driving.....LOSING TODAY MAGAZINE.....contrast seems to be the key word in describing coastal's songs. contrast between both the minimal matrix of the music and the uniform structure of the songs, and the strong impact that they have on the listener. slow yet overwhelmingly vibrant, fragile yet emotionally powerful and originating an unstoppable evocative and introspective surge. somber, sad, rare, precious and, to me, unmissable.....ALESSANDR CRESTANI, best kept secret records.....even with the genre slowly becoming a bit overcrowded, it seems there will always be people with an insatiable hunger for the sad, slow type of rock that's regularly served up by bands like Ida, Low and the Red House Painters. for the Utah quartet coastal, that's good news. the young band makes their debut with an 8-song self-titled CD, and on it they display all the qualities of the bands they so obviously admire: gorgeous guitar melodies, perfect boy/girl harmonies, super light drumming and a strange aversion to the idea of ever moving the pace to anything beyond a slow crawl. as far as the "slow-core" sound, they lean more toward the Red House Painters side of the fence than the Ida side, building songs around soft organ parts and repetitive, spacey guitar parts. these clean-toned guitar parts usually wind up being the focal point of coastal's songs, as they intertwine perfectly with Josh Calloway's bass playing, which is a bit more impressive than that which we usually hear from the genre. everything in coastal's repertoire is in place, and they do an excellent job with a sound that has become slightly overdone, so it's really just a matter of how much shoegazer pop you want in your collection. if you think there's room for one more record, coastal's debut will be a nice fit.....MIKE CONKLIN, www.basement-life.com.....i’m listening to coastal’s CD as i type, and i feel like i am floating in a calm, warm pool of water, with a tiny ripple wave running under me every few seconds to remind me i’m alive. smooth and slow, very, very slow, the music floats into your subconscious as background music initially, unnoticed for the most part. but the music gradually makes you notice it with the smooth mix of melody, a clean bassline that works beautifully, and drums that add fullness to the songs. as for the vocals, the male lead has a soothing voice that the female voice harmonizes with perfectly, fading in and out. the tracks are each a bit different, but don’t distract from the flow of the album. my personal favorite tracks are ‘cinder’ and ‘infrared.’ coastal is one of the few local bands to be signed to a record label. this CD, self-titled, is their first on the label, Words on Music, out of Minnesota. the album was released in March. coastal is of the genre of music known as slocore. they sound similar in style to the bands Low (who recently played with coastal at Johnny B’s) and Red House Painters. the first time i heard coastal, i wasn’t sure how to react. nice, but really, i was ready to fall asleep. however, as i have listened to this CD a few more times through, i have come to enjoy it more and more. it is more than just background music; the melody sounds and harmonies have seeped into my brain and i am drinking it in. i honestly have to say that they are one of the most talented local bands i have heard. this is not the CD to listen to while driving alone at night or when you are trying to stay up late studying for a test. this is the ultimate CD to listen to while trying to relax, clear your brain, or to give you good dreams.....SUVI HYNYNEN, Utah Valley Pulse, Spring 2001.....i tend to like bands that can create an atmosphere with their music. that atmosphere can be dark, energetic, spacey, sleepy etc. and my mood will determine what i listen to. i had never heard of coastal before and the first time i listened to this CD i was laying in my bed after a far too long day at work. i think i made it to song two before falling asleep. when i woke up in the morning, i grabbed the CD and decided i'd listen to it as i drove to work. this time i made it to about song four before the music drifted into the background - it was a particularly bad traffic day and i couldn't afford to fall asleep. another day or two passed before i tried to listen to the CD again and this time it was after another not so pleasant day of work. the good thing this time was that I was so stressed out that I couldn't fall asleep. that's when i noticed how good this CD is. coastal makes music that flows very gently. the tones are subdued and add a bit of droneyness, but they are not lacking in energy. Both organs and guitars are used to provide the tones with neither dominating the mix. simple, almost stripped down, bass playing and drumming work perfectly with the other tones providing just enough momentum. and then there are the vocals. more than whispered, but still very soft. male and female vocals drift in on top of the gentle tones and strike a great balance with the music. for this reason i was instantly reminded of the band Ida. Strangely enough, i was also reminded of Low, who recently released an album recorded with a member of Ida. there are touches of American Analog Set (the organs) and Nord Express (the soft, stripped down feel) to be found here too. though it took a few listens before my mood and the tone of this album synced up, once they did i was immediately drawn in. coastal can create a very gentle and flowing atmosphere and the songs have a very nice balance to them with no one element dominating the mix. the vocals have a subtle, almost hypnotic quality and effortlessly ride upon the music. coastal creates atmospheric pop that may get lost in the background under some circumstances, but only because it doesn't try to dominate the scene. when the situation is right though, the music quickly draws you in and floats you along with it.....CHRIS JONES, www.pennyblackmusic.com.....coastal-s/t CD HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! this is absolutely gorgeous stuff. this band used to be known as infrared on the mp3.com circuit, but somewhat recently changed their name. this disc is 8 tracks of some of the most gorgeous slowburn / slowcore stuff we've heard in ages. boy girl vocal harmonies melt together blissfully. guitars tumble along at a melancholy pace. keyboards lull softly and hypnotically. softly brushed drums accentuate the rhythms. this is truly a tremendous and outstanding work of beauty. most definitely for fans of low, best boy electric, etc.....CLAIRECORDS.COM.....lately i've been a sucker for sad, slow stuff, particularly if there's an organ (the instrument) involved. coastal plays right to my weakness. add sweet, melancholy boy/girl voices and some pretty melodies, and i'm hooked. none of the players on this disc particularly stand out, but that's really a strength in this sort of music. the bass is pleasantly warm and round, the drums brushy and whispered, the guitar makes pretty little figures in the background and the organ plays long, sustained tones to hold everything together. Jason and Luisa Gough use their lovely voices to sing about love and memory and longing. you know -- exactly what you're supposed to sing about when playing stuff like this! i enjoyed all of Coastal, but a couple of tracks really stand out. "Northern" has a hint of the Jesus and Mary Chain about it -- albeit a less drug-addled and distorted incarnation thereof. the song's slowly modulating bass line, languidly echoing guitar lines and monochromatic vocals do all they can to lull you into their fuzzy little world. "Paris Radio" is similarly atmospheric, but this time in more of a mysterious, David Lynchian sort of way. maybe it's the slowly cyclical bass line and the eternally sustained guitars that give it its other-worldly flavor; something's going on that makes me expect to see a dwarf step out of a closet any minute. it'll be a gentle, fuzzy dwarf, i imagine. okay, maybe coastal sounds a lot like other quiet, pretty bands we've all heard before, but I'm just not in the mood to argue with quiet and pretty. admittedly, some of the lyrics are a bit simple, with overly predictable rhymes, and there's not a lot of variety to the sound. there are definitely some areas for improvement, and they keep coastal from being a truly exceptional disc. but it's still a gorgeous, delicate, sleepy little thing and that's just what i'm looking for right about now.....IRVING BELLEMEAD, splendid ezine.....with delayed guitar, smooth keyboard tones, thick melodic bass guitar, simple unobtrusive drums, and reverb drenched harmonizing male and female vocals, coastal aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. with their debut self-titled five-song e.p., they have successfully combined the lush dreamy sounds of shoegaze with the reverant beauty and simplicity of low.....DARON GARNER, fakejazz.com

Location provo, utah - USA

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