About
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Velvet Sun is an ongoing project by singer/guitarist/drummer Scott Weinkle. Inspired by the Brian Eno and Phil Manzanara project Quiet Sun, the songs are a hybrid of crunch guitars, pop hooks, sonic distortion and celestial atmospheres.
Weinkle's new 4 song EP Empire continues the journey first travelled on the 2001 release Dreamhome. Never far from his roots in psychedelia, British invasion and New York noise, Weinkle, who wrote and performed much of Empire, downshifts from the incessant power of rock holding it in reserve, and then unleashing it to knock the cobwebs from our somnambulist trance..
A live version of Velvet Sun was formed after an invitation to the 1999 Independent Music Festival based on the release of Dreamhome. Weinkle was joined on that CD by drummer Tony Mann, bassist Dennis Ambrose and guitarist Kelsey Warren. For Empire, contributors were Eric Gould on keyboards and Marcel Salas on bass.
empire Reviews
"If dream pop is a term used to describe music that pushes the accessibility of pop music into more drifting and dreamlike places,
Wait feels as if it sits on firmer ground, perhaps at the point of the same spectrum when that genre coalesces into a more melodic and solid sound. It's a place where the best of both worlds still play out, the harmony of one washing up on the floating sonic shores of the other, but it has more in common with pop ethics than dream time aesthetics."
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"A new single release from Velvet Sun brings out a refreshing and bright pop-rock and indie vibe that blends these rock aesthetics with a smooth flow and an almost vast tonality that gives it a dream-like effect. "Wait" features guitar tones that remind me of an almost post-punk feel. I love that because they are lush and a bit full-bodied but still have a thinness to them at the same time. It's like they have a chorus-style effect that adds to the flow and dreamscape element of the track."
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"Velvet Sun is back after years of silence and their new single
Wait proves they still have something special to offer. Led by Scott Weinkle on vocals, guitars, and drums, alongside Eric Gould on keyboards and Marcel Salas on bass, the band blends nostalgic indie rock with dreamy shoegaze elements.
From the start, the song pulls you in with jangly guitars, smooth basslines, and layered keyboards that create a distinctive atmosphere. The song is polished and well-produced, making every instrument stand out. Scott's vocals add an emotional depth that fits perfectly with the song's themes of longing and fate. The lyrics feel personal yet universal, making it easy to connect with."
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"Velvet Sun's new single Wait, released March 7, is a perfect fusion of nostalgia and modernity. With a mix of ethereal guitars and influences from post-punk and shoegaze, the track offers a sonic experience that is both powerful and sublime.
Part of the EP Empire, the song explores romantic desire and destiny, with melancholic vocals and guitars that recall icons of the 90s. The production co-created by Ferny Coipel balances dreamlike atmospheres and pulsating beats, creating an introspective and engaging song."
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"Velvet Sun envelops you in explosive textures with Wait Velvet Sun arrives to give us a taste of what will be their next EP Empire, a playful soundtrack between alternative rock and indie that drenches us with distorted guitars and disturbing drums that is seasoned with a postpunk
throughout."
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dreamhome Reviews
"Newcomers Velvet Sun, fronted by Scott Weinkle, have created an old-fashioned rock album that has little to do with the fluff of modern pop."
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"Every song was an experiment," says Velvet Sun mastermind Scott Weinkle of DreamHome [Flotation]. "It was like going into a dark alley and discovering what was on the other side."
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"Scott Weinkle's Velvet Sun is a one-man band with backup. He conquers all in Dreamland, willing to bring about noises akin to scratching nails on a blackboard to convince us that songs can be redone into something completely new, as in Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Mirage" or Rogers and Hart's "Bewitched"."
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"NYC-based guitarist Scott Weinkle has garnered high praise for his recent CD Dreamhome. The album puts together a composite of British and American rock layered with a heavy dose of avant-rock."
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"Rock's more ethereal side gets the full treatment on Velvet Sun's Dreamhome CD. Predominantly the efforts of one-man-band Scott Weinkle, what we have here ranges from the very English sounding English Garden (fans of Jesus And Mary Chain should take note), to a haunting cover of Rogers and Hart's Bewitched, to an exceptional take on Siouxsie And The Banshees' Mirage."
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"Essentially a one-man band, Scott Weinkle uses simplistic rock formulas and basic sonic tricks to expand conventional rock in a fashion where the rock of the past can still hold relevance in the present. Dreamhome is an excellent example of the theory that basic predictable songs can be reinvented and essentially transformed into new and personal treatments of past styles."
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"Velvet Sun is the alias for Scott Weinkle, who sings and pretty much plays everything on this dynamic 12-sing 30-minute collection. Though taking their cue from the glamorous pop leanings of The Smiths, Gene, and Suede, Velvet Sun tend to be a tad more aggressive and upfront than their main influences."
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"Moody. Melancholic. My Bloody Valentine meets Morrissey. DREAMHOME inspires even the most converted ex-goths back to a time when the music acted as a transporter into another realm of the stratosphere."
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"Getting a lock on Velvet Sun is the difficult thing. One moment it's hard rock, the next it's a throwback to Spinal Tap, and then it's soothing and depressing a little later. But there is a definite genre to the band's new album, entitled Dreamhome"
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