Shoegaze can be a dirty word. Case in point: Pia...

Pia Fraus "Thank You Peter Parker"

Pia Fraus
Thank You Peter Parker

Shoegaze can be a dirty word. Case in point: Pia Fraus. Anyone feeling lazy enough could get by calling them shoegazers—I’ve certainly done it. But so much of their elegance (and they’ve got it by the ton) is stripped away by the word. Their mix of dreamy, often NOISY, layers of guitars, ghostly organs and synths, and the occasional touches or strings and horns make them so much more than a shoegaze band. And it puts them in a whole different class than what could be considered their contemporaries. Whatever you call them, any self-respecting fan of pop music of the noisy persuasion should be at least familiar with Pia Fraus by this point, and if you’re not—well you’re in luck.

Shelflife Records and Seksound will be releasing Silmi Island—a compilation spanning some of the band’s best material from 1998-2008—on limited edition LP/CD January 22nd! The comp features 13 rerecorded and remastered tracks as well as two bonus tracks on the CD (one being their beautiful cover of “Strawberry Wine”). Head over to Shelflife for more!