Netherfriends Get Ambient With Alap

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 5, 2011 5:40PM

With records like EP Calling You Out and last year’s full-length Barry And Sherry, locals Netherfriends have specialized in whimsical, guitars-and-synth-driven psychedelic-pop. But even at the band's poppiest, there’s always been an undercurrent of atmospheric, whirring soundscapes in their highly melodic sound. If you've ever wondered what Netherfriends might sound like after putting those soundscapes in a cryogenic freezer, you've got your answer.

On New Years' Day, Netherfriends released Alap, an ambient, drone-heavy departure that they put out through Bandcamp for free. Prepare to have your mind blown.

Netherfriends' Shawn Rosenblatt said Alap is "a term used in Indian classical music for a section that is improvised and free flowing." The tracks on Alap, all named for days of the week, certainly do flow freely, sounding like a demo score for a Sofia Coppola movie. Rosenblatt recorded the album during Christmas week because, in his words, "I was bored out of my mind!" Based on the results of Alap, we hope Rosenblatt becomes so bored that he thinks he has mono.

Peruse one of the many videos Rosenblatt made for the Alap tracks below. Trippy stuff. Check out Alap for free -- or a donation, if you're so inclined -- here.