"They are among the elite of the many groups emerging from our fair city's ever-diversifying scene. More than anything, what puts them heads above most is the power of their music. The lyrical power of Thrushes is massive. At their best, Thrushes' music is pure emotional power, pouring into the core of you from head to toe, filling you with the moment and message of the song." – B-More Tunes, 1/14/08..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
"Top Album – Rating 8.9. This is the kind of music I produce in my head all day long." – Charlantric, 1/9/08
"Their song "heartbeats"--with it's textbook shoeazer guitars, atmospheric female vocals, and sparkling drum/symbol crashes--makes me swirl with giddiness." – Three Imaginary Girls, 1/9/08
"Top Baltimore Albums of 2007 - 1. We are in the midst of a major shoegaze revival and Thrushes have managed to single handedly put the genre on the map in Baltimore. Lush vocals, lavish soundscapes... they are all here. It's obvious that the band paid excruciating attention to detail and went out of their way to make every sound exactly the way they wanted it. This is a fine debut and if you have seen them live, you know that they have more great songs on the way. If you haven't seen them live yet, you are missing out." – Instrumental Analysis, 1/3/08
"Top 25 Albums of 2007. Thrushes – Sun Come Undone" – Milk Milk Lemonade, 1/1/08
"Favorite Albums of 2007 - 14. Thrushes – Sun Come Undone" – Five Acts, 12/26/07
"2007 Top 10 Baltimore Album Releases - 6. Thrushes - Sun Come Undone: Luscious and saccharine, Thrushes' sound replicates the 'wall of sound' like it's a full-time job, and on tracks like "Into The Woods", guitarist Casey Harvey presents a case study in why Rickenbackers and reverb have more in common than simply beginning with 'r'." – SEN Baltimore, 12/22/07
"If crushing heartache were set to music, it would sound like the beautiful songs and mellifluous guitars of Thrushes and the plaintive wails of lead singer Anna Conner. Taking over where Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine left off in the early '90s, Thrushes pads its music with thick walls of drum cymbals and guitars that sometimes ape violins or ghostly ships pushing through a cold night sea. Lonely, lush and beautiful are these little songbirds." – Baltimore Metromix, 12/7/07
"attractive and beautiful style of explosive sound. Their music has the gift of preserving, even at the height of these impulses, its splendor and its class." – Feed Me With Your Noise (France), 12/5/07
"Listening to the Baltimore band Thrushes, one is reminded of early spring. The days are still bleak and silent, yet, slowly sound comes back as sunlight increases." – Bmore Live, 11/14/07
"Long story short, they are at this point one of the best bands in Baltimore." – Lo-Fi Social Club, 11/20/07
"… the perfect soundtrack for lonely car night rides for the alternative souls out there." 8.5 of 10 – Mic (Greece), 10/30/07
"Baltimore psychedelic shoe-gazers Thrushes hit the stage at Trash Bar last night for a CMJ Marathon showcase around 12:30 a.m., and rocked the room into a dizzy frenzy with gorgeous, vulnerable vocals and swaying guitars. Having recently acquired a new drummer, the foursome didn't seem to miss, er, a beat! Despite complications with the microphone involving some unfortunate mouth shocking, the band played off the problem with humor and blazed through their set playing songs from their debut album Sun Come Undone (Birdnote). Poised and humble, Thrushes plucked, banged, and flickered through an impressive set." – CMJ, 10/17/07
"There are certain things in the world that have a haunting beauty, and a certain something that takes you away to a place where the world stands still and all is dark and flush with beauty… It's hard to put into words, but this unexplainable feeling and emotion is essentially the essence of Thrushes. Singer/guitarist Anna Conner's voice is so soothing and full of gorgeous melodies that it just soars above the music with great triumph. Her voice is so soothing and beautiful, so vivid that you can almost identify with the notes she sings. The guitars play rather simple melodies but are drenched in a beautiful combination of distortion and reverb that it soars and oozes from the amps like glorious summer rain or a creek in the forest floor... an impressive album from a promising band—certainly one to keep an eye on." – The Silent Ballet, 9/24/07
"… whipping and shivering with stock-in-trade swarms of heavily effected guitars, singer Anna Conner's gauzy/sexy coo floating in the maelstrom. But the four-piece crew's gaze isn't entirely static, either… Guitarist/effects guru Casey Harvey pulls in plenty of Jesus And Mary Chain grinding and woozy My Bloody Valentine swirl, but there's some reclamation of emo there, too… all the heart-gazing coming off dynamic and energized." – Paperthinwalls, 9/19/07
"More dreamy reverb drenched female fronted shegazing alternative dream-pop. My Bloody Valentine meets Yo Lo Tango, Jesus And Mary Chain meets Mazzy Star, spiraling sonic emotion and Galaxie 500 and Sundays and Craines. Thrushes are from Baltimore, Maryland and they have a clever lo-fi edge rather than just the lushness of others – they have the lushness as well of course – and a rather good drummer who adds to the texture. Thrushes have a little edge of their own, well worth your time." – Organ Magazine (UK), 9/6/07
"… it's the subtle changes in shade in Thrushes' ever-dripping watercolours that set them apart: the cymbal clash before the bridge on 'Heartbeats', the brooding key changes and the way the drums actually sound like a train building up speed on 'Ghost Train'. Anna Connor's vocals on 'The Hardest Part' are like Justin Broadrick at his best; repeating one phrase as the guitars build up around it. She sounds like she's coming to a gradual realisation of what this actually means, of the consequential tragedy to her words. Before you know it, you're engulfed, and then Thrushes reveal another of their traits: their ability to hit you with an explosion of reverb from nowhere, and for it to feel like the most natural thing in the world (see the chorus of 'Into the Woods'). This is shoegaze with a swagger: as unpredictable, wild and joyfully young as it is noisy and beautiful." – Fact Magazine (UK), 9/6/07
"Thrushes unleash a sonic power that alternates from quiet and subtle to loud and abrasive, though always oddly beautiful. While they do have a certain Spector pop quality hidden deep, almost imperceptibly, under the covers, rearing it's head at times in girl-group drum beats or guitar melodies, their real influence is the noise pop of the early 90s from My Bloody Valentine to Lush... It's a dissonant and vaguely unsettling beauty that Thrushes creates... They have the almost unheard of perfect sense of themselves as a band and it has led to a record that will wash over you with waves of their own sonic ocean." Rating: 8/10 – Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense, 9/6/07
"Ambling out of Baltimore with wall-of-sound guitars, spaced-out rhythms and pretty, understated vocals comes Thrushes, a four-piece band seeking to redefine shoegazing. Anyone missing bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, today is your lucky day. Plenty of swirling reverb and feedback aren't just an afterthought here, but a main ingredient, and when paired with the evocative, plaintive vocals, makes for an irresistible listen. The truth is, rock music that's also beautiful is timeless. Keep an eye on Thrushes, they've got a good thing going on!" – Low Budget Superhero, 9/5/07
"Thrushes begin "Heartbeats" with a quotation of the iconic drum beat from the Jesus and Mary Chain's shoegazer classic "Just Like Honey," which is itself a nod to the Ronnettes' hit "Be My Baby." The song falls somewhere between those two musical extremes with a warm, passionate lead vocal by frontwoman Anna Connor that sharply contrasts with her own chilly washes of distorted electric guitar. She sounds as though she's doing everything she can to balance out her emotions, but as her aloof front crumbles, the song becomes increasingly gorgeous and affecting." – Associated Press/ASAP, 8/29/07
"Airy guitar and thick bass slide in alongside Anna Conner's breathy vocals. A tiny piano line accentuates the melody. Everything drops out, guitars explode, and suddenly you're laying in a green field on a ranch somewhere in Texas, staring at the stars and more than a little buzzed… Whereas The Jesus & Mary Chain were purposefully abrasive with their guitar sound, Thrushes applies a gorgeous, reverb and distortion drenched wall of sound over the booming drums. Think The Twilight Sad without the accent." – Define Tigers, 8/26/07
"Absolutely charming, extremely intense, melodious and beautiful noise pop. The charming simple '80's bass lines, wonderful 90's guitar walls of Casey Harvey, the ethereal voice of singer 'Anna Conner' which is so instrumental in their sound, and that varied use of percussion toys … fit wonderfully within." – The Last Pop Song (Germany), 8/24/07
"So be warned that recreational use of 'Sun Come Undone' may quickly become a daily habit - Thrushes' debut is a sonic fix to savor, shaking, knees to chin on the high school locker room floor between cathartic cold/hot blasts of pedals and cymbals." – Butter Team, 8/19/07
"The quartet plays super dense, super fuzzy, super atmospheric shoegaze that you've not heard this good since the Jesus & Mary Chain, I'm certain. Wash upon wash of distorted guitar, layer upon layer of moody, mellow, and under spoken female vocals, with a rather primitive and sparse drumming style to keep everything in order and terribly catchy. The four-piece uses heavily layered guitar, bass, and noise melodies and bass lines to accentuate swooning melodies and heart-wrenching riffs… This is truly neo-shoegaze, the way I see it, and cannot be missed." – Bibabidi, 8/8/07
"Yes, it really is that good. It is quite possibly one of the best shoegaze related albums to come out this year like all those reviews have been saying… The song writing is just absolutely top notch and the band has pressed all the right buttons when it comes to adding textures and volume to their sound… Really everything about this album is just done so well. Their sound comes together so naturally, as if shoegaze had never left in the first place and that it was most prominent form of music on earth. With a debut this strong, it's fun to think at just how possibly amazing their follow up could be." – Built on a Weak Spot, 8/3/07
"(Sun Come Undone's)… thick wall of noise, whirlingly intoxicating minimalist melodies, enormous layers of tension and tenderly whispered lyrics. Compare this band's lushness to that of Rauer, and warmth to Curve. In each case they measure up beautifully." – Bloom Magazine (Germany), 7/25/07
"Thrushes found a great connection between a mellow shoegaze and fascinating accessible songwriting... Thrushes are heroes of echo & reverbs, harmony and dissonance melted together. Total charm, fresh … almost sublime." – Komakino Fanzine (Italy), 7/20/07
"Thrushes play the soft-loud card quite well on 'Sun Come Undone'… The record's fine on first listen, but like any good hazy rock album, you want to spend time with it to get to know its finer points, which this has in spades. And while it's easy to get lost in the band's sea of fuzz and frenzy, don't lose perspective of the emotion packed into these songs, such as 'Aidan Quinn' …or on the rejoiceful 'Wake Up'. There are other winners such as 'Flying,' 'Heartbeats' and 'Ghost Train,' a song with minimal lyrics but guitar feedback heat that should melt the walls of any place they happen to play. Rating: «««1/2 – The Pittsburgh Daily News, 7/11/07
"The shoegaze sweethearts known as Thrushes come to us from the faraway wilds of Baltimore. Their debut album, 'Sun Come Undone', has been circling on selective stereos from Brooklyn to Beijing since Spring… White noise in sheets, like sparks from cut metal, rain down…" – The Merry Swankster, 7/3/07
"Best Regional CDs of 2007 - The First Half. There is nothing that I would change about the debut album from Baltimore's Thrushes. It has walls of sound, perfectly situated quiet moments and beautiful vocals. I keep hearing that their new material is even better, so this truly appears to be just the beginning. Regardless, this is a true statement and it's one of the best CDs of 2007." – Instrumental Analysis, 7/2/07
"Very few dream/noise pop bands are capable of striking this delicate balance of saccarine and gloom…, but Baltimore 4-piece The Thrushes juggle the precarious elements with a deft hand. All of the staples of quality shoegaze can be found on their debut record, Sun Come Undone, but weaved in between the feedback and distortion is a sweetness that sets the band's sound apart… The Thrushes pull this off masterfully, as their nods to the past serve only as starting points from which they spin their own brand of sweetened shoegaze. Sun Come Undone is a strong first release from a talented band that's doing everything right. I recommend this record." Rating: 8/10 – Superstartastic, 7/2/07
"It's said that a new wave of shoegaze is coming, and if so, the Baltimore-based Thrushes are the first ones riding it. Their debut CD, 'Sun Come Undone', is a showcase of all the classic shoegaze elements, from texture created through the use of distorted, reverb-heavy guitar tracks, to the dreamlike quality of the harmonies between vocals and atmospheric sound, but updated with a modern rock twist." Rating: 4 of 5 – Off The Record Magazine, 6/25/07
"… so beautiful, the best voice you have heard this year. This album is so magical and charming that it takes you to their world and you feel as if you cannot get out from it. This album was chosen as one of the top ten list." – The Little Strawberry Planet, 6/17/07 (China)
"If I had an album of the week this would be it." – Burning World, 6/7/07 (UK)
"Thrushes are shoegaze, dream rock Perfection, note the capital P. This is pretty much the epitome of the album I've been wanting to listen to for a long time now, but I just didn't know it until I heard it… I'm just going to say it: this is definitely going on my list of best albums of 2007. I hesitate to make so bold a statement, yet I cannot deny how much I am loving this band. The music that Thrushes makes is so good you just cannot resist, even if you have to enjoy it in private and never speak of it again." – The Sky Was Candy, 6/5/07 (Canada)
"A new genre has officially been coined. It's called 'Dream Rock', and you won't quite understand it until you listen to this week's Badical Find, a band called Thrushes from Baltimore. Drenched in reverb, these guys push the 'talent knob' to the limit with their swirling guitar riffs, goddess-like melodies, and crashing drums." – Badical Beats, 6/4/07
"The band's spirited, if brief, set included such 'Sun Come Undone' standouts as "Ghost Train," "Wake Up," and "Aidan Quinn." An outing that could have been compromised by the venue's muddied mix was offset by a band that, cliché notwithstanding, is clearly greater than the sum of its parts… And therein lies their charm: This is an ensemble whose members are in absolute creative lockstep with one another. Following their performance, the band retired to the upstairs bar where they continued to exude the energy they had created onstage. There they sat in a small hometown club seemingly indifferent to the bigger and better things that 'Sun Come Undone' portends." – Urbanite Magazine, 6/1/07
"… this could be one of the greatest and biggest bands you will hear this year.What is it like to listen to the Thrushes? To fall in love at first hearing and to have to go back and play them again immediately. To feel that the Jesus and Mary Chain, and the best shoegazing records you ever heard -Ride's Nowehere, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Lush's Spooky, brought together with the wonder of Mogwai's 'Mogwai Fear Satan' in the space of four minute songs. Not only is this a band to fall in love to, they're a band to fall in love with. To rave about, and not care if people sneer at you for it. They would have been granted a Peel session if only he were still alive." – 17 Seconds, 5/29/07 (UK)
"This Baltimore group combines the best of shoegaze influences like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine with the more contemporary sounds of Asobi Seksu, coming up with a sound that fits like your favorite jeans." – Exitfare, 5/25/07
"Ultimately, it's as a collective that Thrushes are best heard. They are a group, not a band. They are in harmony and it's the totality of the sound that really makes it, like all their champions of the past, from Cocteau Twins to The Jesus and Mary Chain. It all counts and combines in this addictive. But, importantly, this isn't music just looking backwards, to a time that can't be reclaimed or recycled to celebrate itself. This is music of the 'now'. It reaches out, longingly, to embrace all who pass by. Whispering words and guitars that more than weep. So I say this - take their hand and they will give you their sound, their souls. All you need give in return is your time, attention and everlasting love." – And Before The First Kiss, 5/24/07 (UK)
"I was immediately entranced by their wonderful blend of noise pop and dream/shoegaze rock. The foursome have really put together a masterpiece on their debut album Sun Come Undone (Birdnote Records). Anna Conner provides the beautiful vocals that weave on and around the shimmering reverb drenched music. Each song paints an emotional canvas of sound, one that draws you in and won't let you go until the very end. I highly recommend you pick up this album, it has made it to my top ten list of 2007, it's that good!" – Mars Needs Guitars, 5/19/07
"Listening to Thrushes is like being beaten to death by a clown with candyfloss or sucking on a barbed wire barley sugar. Their intense, feedback drenched beauty smothers you in a blanket of emotional, surging rhythms and candy-coated harmonies. Half an hour alone in a darkened room with Thrushes is like a Phil Spector shooting party hosted by The Jesus and Mary Chain (check out 'Heartbeats' which is this generations 'Just Like Honey') and My Bloody Valentine. It's an experience you can compare to getting drenched by a mini Tsunami while watching clouds scud by on a hot summers day… blissful noise that reminds this Devil a little of late 80s Brit Psychsters The Telescopes if they'd grown up listening to The Raveonettes." – The Devil Has The Best Tuna, 5/12/07 (UK)
"This is a debut album of grand proportions that feels like it has been soaking up for years in seasoned musicians with half a dozen albums under their belt. It's chock-full of confidence, charisma, and oh so lovely reverb and resounding walls of delicately crafted noise… For fans of Stars, Asobi Seksu, and Broken Social Scene, this album by Thrushes will get you through the night and makes it worth waking up for in the morning." Overall Rating: A – The Milk Carton, 5/7/07
"Thrushes Claim Sonicbids Spotlight. Baltimore four-piece Thrushes are the winners of this week's CMJ Sonicbids Spotlight. The self-described post-punk indie shoegaze band has been consistently attracting attention since the March 13 release of their full-length debut album 'Sun Come Undone'." – CMJ, 4/27/07
"If you haven't heard Thrushes yet you should. One of the hottest shoegazing outfits right now. Thrushes played one of our nights last Saturday at Lit Lounge in NYC. Lit has notoriously bad sound, on stage and out in crowd, ask anyone, and they totally killed it. They were super tight and sound amazing. Buy the record and say you listened to them when..." – Loveless Music Group, 4/22/07
"'Sun Come Undone' [is] a fine record for fans of shoegaze and indie rock in general...Opens with the lovely "Aidan Quinn," a Delgados-like track whose understated opening of rolling drums and sustained guitar chords eventually opens onto some noisy, distorted backing guitar work that fills the room. The guitars here and on the other tracks have a rich, full sound without being overdone. The next track, "Heartbeats," reminds us how far we've come since the early days of the genre...starts like Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," [but] its production quality is light years ahead. While the album does have its share of up tempo, energetic moments, some of the more captivating passages happen when the band shows its restraint...Vocalist/guitarist Anna Conner sings melodies that both fit with and compete with the subtleties of the music backing her. Bassist Rachel Tracy's high notes work really well with Casey Harvey's drawn-out, subdued guitar work." – Delusions of Adequacy, 4/20/07
"'Sun Come Undone' from Thrushes is the CD that is currently on repeat in my car - gorgeous vocals wrapped up in lushful instrumentation, completely consumed with hope. Highly highly recommended!" – 5 Acts, 4/17/07
"Luscious and saccharine, Thrushes' sound replicates the 'wall of sound' like it's a full-time job." Rating: 4/5 – SEN Baltimore Magazine, 4/11/07
"Thrushes really are taking no prisoners here, the song infused with rage and emotion, it assaults the ears with fervour, begging for attention." – Oh Inverted World (UK), 4/7/07
"This week the blogs went nuts for Thrushes' shoegazer-in-a-prom-dress track 'Heartbeats.' Anyone who has fond memories of 4AD will be all over this. 'Heartbeats' is simple and stunning." – Idolator, 4/6/07
"There's a reason these guys have been burning up the elbo.ws charts lately; they're damn good" – Shameless Complacency, 4/5/07
"… songs bursting with energy and undeniable passion." – Obscure Sound, 4/5/07
"You want in two words? Beautiful noise. Think of Sonic Youth in a rather good mood." – Here Comes the Flood (The Netherlands), 4/3/07
"…it's that excitement which makes Thrushes and 'Heartbeats' so incredible. Listening to it… renews any faith in music I ever had; faith that there are still kids who spent high school with 'Psychocandy' superglued into their Walkmans; faith that there's still room for black-and-white photographs of corners and suitcases worthy of Lou Reed; and, really, faith that these sort of musical references can still be made with the knowledge that it can be appreciated." – Punchdrunk History 4/2/07
"Carving out a niche between gothic pop and shoegazing indie rock, Thrushes paint beautiful tapestries of post-rock anthems and severely catchy pop hooks." – Smother Magazine (Editor's Pick), 4/1/07
"Man, this record really makes me want to listen to it over and over again.. A completely breathtaking first effort." Rating: 8/10 – Olympus Mons, 4/1/07
"It's albums like 'Sun Come Undone' from Baltimore-bred Thrushes, that make it worth opening the mailbox every day. 'Sun Come Undone' is an excellent debut" – Music for Ants, 3/30/07
"Thrushes have the dreamy squall of reverb down pat." – Baltimore City Paper (live review), 3/30/07
"One of the week's most criminally overlooked new albums, 'Sun Come Undone', is a reverb-drenched wash of classic shoegaze memories and laser-guided melodies. The boy/girl/boy/girl quartet has produced one of the most sublime and satisfying long-players of the year." – Read Mezzanine, 3/13/07
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"The wave of noise crests and crashes throughout the record. The result is angry, haunting, determined, ecstatic, and confused—it's David Lynch on a record." Rating: 7/10 – Beatbots.com, 3/13/07
"Think Mogwai fronted by Mary Timony, with Phil Spector at the mixing desk … an admirable attempt to amp up the levels of Thrushes' signature oceanic wall-of-sound." – Baltimore City Paper, 3/7/07
"…a highly accomplished debut record which should be heard by those that have an affinity for this dreamy droney sound." – Lost Music (UK), 3/1/07
"For Thrushes, the beauty is in the details." – Covert Curiosity, 2/24/07
"If you are looking for music that has the past in mind while looking forward, this might be the perfect place to start. It gets high recommendations." – Milk Milk Lemonade, 2/12/07