Honduras want to destroy you with 'Ace'
I had a great time recording, mixing and mastering these guys. They made the front page of Rollingstone.com with the premiering of their song "Ace". Check it out here:
Brian Zieske music producer, mixer, mastering, recording / audio engineer.

5. Apteka, 'Gargoyle Days' (aptekamusic.com) This quartet builds an expressway to your skull in the grand tradition of Sonic Youth, Spiritualized and other guitar armies. On its first full-length album, Apteka luxuriates in the sound and physicality of humming amplifiers, but crucially, the band doesn't forget the songs. |
9. Soft Speaker, 'I'll Tend Your Garden' (softspeaker.com) The first of two full-length albums released by this co-ed quartet this year, "I'll Tend Your Garden" is a haven for guitar lovers. Six-string tones overlap and crash, sometimes hurtling ahead, other times creating huge, cavernous spaces for bass and drums to roam. Though the vocals are fairly nondescript, they become another almost subliminal texture in the band's widescreen sound. |
King Sparrow, King Sparrow: If I had to pick the one album by a Chicago band that blew me away this year, it was beautifully mastered self-titled full-length from Chicago rock trio King Sparrow. Being very familiar with the band (and all the songs present on the album) prior to its release, I was not expecting any surprises, but my jaw still dropped the first time I heard the finished product. It's that good. The band's sound runs the gamut from gritty and nasty to surfy and poppy, and listening to the finished album, you can tell it was an intense labor of love for all the parties who had a hand in its creation. It is absolutely spot-on, in terms of songcraft, performance, and production. (Unsigned; available in CD and digital formats here).
produced by Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet Recording Inc
Secret Colours, Secret Colours: This full-length debut from Chicago psych-pop revivalists Secret Colours is thoroughly enjoyable, from start to finish (read a full review here). The album blends foggy psychedelic flavoring with a sweet naivete that wears very well indeed. The band members definitely wear their influences on their sleeves on this record, but there isn't a bad track in the bunch.
recorded at Gallery of Carpet Recording Inc