Ringo Deathstarr

Austin, TX's Ringo Deathstarr are doing a good job of making themselves inescapable. After dropping their excellent debut, Colour Trip, last March, then bundling together a bunch of EPs and singles as Sparkler in the fall, we get the Shadow EP, four songs showcasing their growing fame and willingness to push beyond the My Bloody Valentine-esque shoegaze forming the basis of their sound. The title track, features …And you will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's Jason Reece's trademark howl, screaming "Don't fade out" over some beautiful swirling guitars. "New Way" is a minute-and-18 seconds of childish rants while a pounding beat drives the tune and "Prisms" finds the band at their most ambient. But the surprise is "Just You," an Angelo Badalamenti cover from the television show Twin Peaks. They turn the '50s-style song into a gorgeous, fuzzed-up power ballad. According to a press release, these tracks will appear on the band's forthcoming second record. Based on these selections, the album is unlikely to dissuade comparisons to the Creation Records catalogue, but the band are increasingly up for experimenting within their self-made box while honing their pop hooks.