Windmills by the Ocean

Windmills by the Ocean is the title of a recently unearthed recording from August 2003, the sole output of Boston natives Mike Davis, Dave Dunbar, Brooke Gillespie, Bryant Clifford Meyer and Thos Niles. Since the project's beginning and end, the creators have continued on in such bands as 27, Anodyne, ISIS, and Red Sparowes, but the relevancy of this intense recording can be most appreciated now, three years after it's conception. The variety and depth to this (mostly) instrumental music documentation reaches far beyond those of any mere side-project, and the heavy-music genres are in dire need of something this refreshing. These rock-based songs incorporate so many elements of "drone" the group could almost reside next to their celestial forefathers Sunn O))) and Earth, except with more melody... and drums. However, the usage of keyboard and electronic elements alongside several guitars make the album more comparable to Sigur Rós than Black Sabbath, but without compromising any of the heavy metal elements the members have become most-known for. The additional usage of improvisation and mild repetition allows the listener to relax into a slow headbang across five songs that each surpass the six-minute mark. But what makes this album most impressive is the triumphant, anthemic feel to it, especially considering the group never even made it to the live setting. According to the band's MySpace page, "WINDMILLS BY THE OCEAN ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON NEW SOUNDS TO BE TURNED INTO ONES AND ZEROES IN THE SEASON AFTER THIS ONE. LISTEN TO UHU FOR A LO-FI DEMONSTRATION. IN THE MEANTIME PRACTICE YOUR MAGIC. The EP, Windmills by the Ocean II, was released on February 1st 2011 and is now available to buy and download online. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.