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Conduits

US - Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck / Sinnbus Records

The music scribes and bloggers that have already caught on to the band Conduits have all enjoyed bandying about the word “shoegaze” like a ball of yarn when talking about the band. It’s an understandable and easy shorthand for a group that prefers darker, dreamier sounds carried to the apex by a female vocalist who sounds haunted and enraptured. And it’s a descriptor that this Omaha-based sextet wouldn’t necessarily mind as they do list Jason Spaceman (Spiritualized, Spacemen 3), Beth Gibbons (Portishead), and Slowdive among their varied musical inspirations.

Truth be told, though, shoegaze only scratches the surface of what’s behind the music of Conduits. These aren’t affected youth staring at their guitar pedals and hoping that the audience in front of them would just go away. This is music that pulses and crackles with energy and incident. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s talk about how this all started.

Founders of the band JJ Idt and Nate Mickish were aiming for soundscapes that embraced drones, psychedelia, and a fervent rhythmic punch. And the more they played the more they heard a female voice filling in the empty spaces in these songs. Enter Jenna Morrison.

Best known for her work as a member of indie rockers Son Ambulance, Morrison brought that rare combination of attainability and remoteness (think: Gibbons, Hope Sandoval, Trish Keenan, Sandy Denny) to her vocal performances. It was the perfect element to help spark these already tempestuous creations into full-blown blazes.

The band – rounded out by bassist Mike Overfield, keyboardist Patrick Newbery, and drummer Roger Lewis – has taken off like a shot since those first demos. They’ve secured a number of amazing support slots in their hometown, sharing the stage with acts like The Hold Steady and The Appleseed Cast, as well as doing a short, well-received jaunt opening for Bright Eyes.

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#69 Conduits: The Wonder from Love Drunk on Vimeo.