See all 4 pictures

Bowery Electric

370,356 plays (27,824 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

Add to my Library Share

Vocalist/guitarist Lawrence Chandler, a former protege of minimalist composer LaMonte Young, and vocalist/bassist Martha Schwendener (now known under the name Echostar) formed Bowery Electric in late 1993 and played their first show together at Brownie’s in New York City in January 1994. With drummer Michael Johngren completing the trio, Bowery Electric played shows across the East Coast and recorded a double seven inch single with Kramer that they released on their own Hi-Fidelity label.

In the fall of 1994, very impressed by the debut single set, kranky got in touch with the band. The debut, self-titled album was recorded with Mike Deming at Studio .45 in Hartford, CT in January 1995. Bowery Electric was released on compact disc and vinyl in mid-1995. As The Wire described it, Bowery Electric “weave chilled downbeat dirges via hazy sheets of distorted guitar (that sound as though they were recorded underwater), stumbling sluggish percussion and benumbed male/female vocals… the album works as a sustained moodpiece…”. Or, as Chris Wodskou put it in the Sept. 1995 issue of Exclaim!, “Bowery Electric shimmer in the way a 20 foot sheet of metal shimmers and resonates when vibrated. A sharp pop confection with the blunt force of a three-alarm headache.”

Simon Reynolds’ seminal post-Rock article in the November 1995 issue of The Wire placed Bowery Electric in the forefront of “a distinctively American post-rock.” The band returned to Studio .45 to work on the second full length release with engineer Rich Costley.

Tagged as:

shoegaze, trip-hop, electronic, post-rock, ambient
See more…

Similar Artists

Top Albums

Beat
Bowery Electric
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.49
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $14.98
- eBay Search
Lushlife
Bowery Electric
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.90
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $9.90
- Buy Album
- Amazon $25.49
- eBay Search
Bowery Electric
Bowery Electric
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $14.98
- eBay Search
Vertigo
Bowery Electric
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $39.95
- eBay Search

Top Tracks

1	Fear of Flying full track	139
2	Without Stopping full track	92
3	Empty Words full track	91
4	Beat full track	88
4	Black Light full track	88
6	Floating World	86
7	Lushlife	84
8	Inside Out full track	80
9	Freedom Fighter	72
10	Shook Ones	71
11	Looped full track	69
11	Under the Sun full track	69
13	Soul City	65
14	Coming Down full track	62
15	Sounds in Motion full track	61

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

jeleffto wrote:
last week

Beat is so amazing! Just throws me in a daze. Lushlife and s/t are awesome as well!

View Profile | Leave jeleffto a shout
melez102 wrote:
last week

Wondering why are they so underrated, Lushlife is a great album.

View Profile | Leave melez102 a shout
Vibyl wrote:
17 days ago

jshank, listen to Lushlife then you'll understand the trip hop tag.

View Profile | Leave Vibyl a shout
dyna-soar wrote:
18 days ago

so awesome.

View Profile | Leave dyna-soar a shout
gonchoriffic wrote:
last month

yeah man, when I put it on I feel like I've listened to nothing else for the past twenty years

View Profile | Leave gonchoriffic a shout
riigo wrote:
last month

guhhh beat is so hypnotic

View Profile | Leave riigo a shout
ovsovereigndec wrote:
last month

We, secret sons and daughters of werewolves...

View Profile | Leave ovsovereigndec a shout
rajisk wrote:
last month

Lush life is my favorite one so far....and trip-hop tag suits well

View Profile | Leave rajisk a shout
jshank wrote:
last month

trip-hop is such a stupid fucking tag for this band...

View Profile | Leave jshank a shout
ekesner wrote:
last month

Beat is life changing.

View Profile | Leave ekesner a shout
ebasswah wrote:
September 2009

the '95 album is very lovable

View Profile | Leave ebasswah a shout
Zinmaru wrote:
September 2009

I love Beat! still have to listen to the others.

View Profile | Leave Zinmaru a shout
Dj1nn wrote:
August 2009

Found this band through Spotify. Great chillout music.

View Profile | Leave Dj1nn a shout
churst1 wrote:
July 2009

"lushlife" is great, late at night with coffee & cigarettes. perfect :)

View Profile | Leave churst1 a shout
ironicnoise wrote:
July 2009

saw them when they came to montreal for BEAT... awsome

View Profile | Leave ironicnoise a shout
thirdprofile wrote:
July 2009

wow, "lushlife" is great too, i think i actually prefer it to the s/t just about... can't believe that i slept on their other two albums for a few months thinking "beat" was a lot better. these guys have the potential to be one of my favourite bands.

View Profile | Leave thirdprofile a shout
thirdprofile wrote:
July 2009

just got done with their s/t after having been in love with "beat" for the last couple of months and it's superb, "slow thrills" in particular is one hell of a trip. will be listening to "lushlife" soon and if that settles with me as well as the other two then these guys will be right up there as one of my very favourites. great stuff.

View Profile | Leave thirdprofile a shout
DiffusionOfTime wrote:
June 2009

Lovers of Bowery Electric will likely fall in love with Perfume Tree (particularly their album A Lifetime Away) as well.

View Profile | Leave DiffusionOfTime a shout
BUD2THECHUD wrote:
June 2009

The track "Lushlife" is addictive and easily left on repeat for an evening. Love that bass line. Droning.....

View Profile | Leave BUD2THECHUD a shout
lisagiraffe wrote:
May 2009

We connected once back in the days of "Drone-on" in the mid-90's. One of the first records I ever bought was their first album on clear blue vinyl. I was so inspired!

View Profile | Leave lisagiraffe a shout

See all 89 shouts

Videos

Listeners

k_rosene
Listening now
to Under the Sun
spider3131
Listening now
to Over and Over
thereisthen
Listening now
to Beat
evol_
Top Listener
Autumncry
Top Listener
nagikosan
Top Listener

Recent Activity

pharmaben added Bowery Electric to pharmaben’s library. yesterday afternoon
p53ud0x tagged Bowery Electric with ‘darklight’. Thursday evening
SarahEMoran, emburke, posypusher and 5 other people added Bowery Electric to their libraries. Monday morning
thirdprofile wrote about Bowery Electric – Beat in top 40 albums. Monday morning
melez102 tagged Bowery Electric with ‘trip-hop’. last week
sakhalin_ and librarynth added Bowery Electric to their libraries. last week
petya_sh tagged Bowery Electric with experimental, post-rock, electronic and 2 other tags. last week
PiedPaper added Bowery Electric to PiedPaper’s library. last week
uk80 wrote about Bowery Electric in a deleted journal. 14 days ago
uk80 wrote about Bowery Electric in Mindfuck DEMOS (music). 14 days ago