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The Illusion of Unlimited Choice

by Sciflyer

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    100 Rainbow Splatter vinyl LP (mail order only). Pressed at Gotta Groove Records.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Illusion of Unlimited Choice via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 100 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Genre: Rock, Shoegaze.

    There had been a few reunion gigs since 2014 featuring original members from various mid-2000s lineups including Roger Chandler (2001-2004) and Scott Eberhardt (2006-2008) but different times and priorities demanded a different configuration. That new lineup finally solidified when Sciflyer’s head space cadet Steven Kennedy’s longtime friends Sophia Campbell on bass joined in 2016 and Sonya Trejo on drums (2018) ...both former members of LSD & The Search for God.

    Now with a new female rhythm section and new album The Illusion of Unlimited Choice, Sciflyer is stronger than ever. Sonically, still very pretty. Prettier in fact, and with depth and resonance not previously expressed. Definitely heavier and harder too. We're in new territory here: A Spacemen 3 / Loop-doing-Telescopes-style pop reimagined by The Meat Puppets place, with Jim Reid singing in a lower register. The trademark hazy vocals are more present than ever and are still haunting. I like this record more each time I listen to it. I'm very grateful to Dan Sostrom, Clairecords for sending Steven to Darla.

    Steven Kennedy jokes that Sciflyer couldn’t get arrested in the SF Bay Area back in their mid-2000’s heyday, but with a decade plus in the rear view, the recent shoegaze revival no one saw coming and the exponential growth of social media, that has changed. Apparently some had actually been listening to their two Clairecords releases (2003 and 2005) and liking them... a lot. And so their reputation and legend grew while they were out of commission.

    Their official return began with Clairerecords' 2014 posthumous release They Only Believe In The Moon, an album completed in 2007 but never released due to the band’s demise in 2008. This was followed in 2015 by an EP of other previously unreleased tracks that stuck in the ears of KEXP djs and listeners. In 2016 an expanded reissue of their critically acclaimed Age of Lovely Intimate Things (Clairecords, 2005) was released on Ben Vendetta's Elephant Stone label.

    Sciflyer has managed to avoid Swervedriver comparisons even though they borrowed a Swervie song title for their name, because as Kennedy explains, “We’re not a fraction as talented”, though some might disagree. They’ve created a sound uniquely their own while still paying homage to their heroes Swervedriver, Loop, Ride, Telescopes, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., Meat Puppets and very, very early REM.

    A not very friendly critic once wrote, “We get it...they like Verve and Swervedriver... they should’ve called themselves Vervedriver”. A too narrow interpretation perhaps, but the band says thank you nonetheless...

    The title of the new album comes from a concept that Kennedy learned early on (8th grade) from the Swami in The Monkees’ only feature film, Head, “Where there is clarity, there is no choice and where there is choice, there is misery.” How appropriate for today’s on-demand everything, where just choosing what to watch on Netflix can be a longer exercise than the actual watching.

    1. Los Angeles
    2. Hypnotized
    3. Fantasy Springs
    4. Space & Time
    5. Projectionist
    6. Goddess
    7. Moonset

    Total run time: 35:23

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Illusion of Unlimited Choice via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 400 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $22 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Genre: Rock, Shoegaze.

    There had been a few reunion gigs since 2014 featuring original members from various mid-2000s lineups including Roger Chandler (2001-2004) and Scott Eberhardt (2006-2008) but different times and priorities demanded a different configuration. That new lineup finally solidified when Sciflyer’s head space cadet Steven Kennedy’s longtime friends Sophia Campbell on bass joined in 2016 and Sonya Trejo on drums (2018) ...both former members of LSD & The Search for God.

    Now with a new female rhythm section and new album The Illusion of Unlimited Choice, Sciflyer is stronger than ever. Sonically, still very pretty. Prettier in fact, and with depth and resonance not previously expressed. Definitely heavier and harder too. We're in new territory here: A Spacemen 3 / Loop-doing-Telescopes-style pop reimagined by The Meat Puppets place, with Jim Reid singing in a lower register. The trademark hazy vocals are more present than ever and are still haunting. I like this record more each time I listen to it. I'm very grateful to Dan Sostrom, Clairecords for sending Steven to Darla.

    Steven Kennedy jokes that Sciflyer couldn’t get arrested in the SF Bay Area back in their mid-2000’s heyday, but with a decade plus in the rear view, the recent shoegaze revival no one saw coming and the exponential growth of social media, that has changed. Apparently some had actually been listening to their two Clairecords releases (2003 and 2005) and liking them... a lot. And so their reputation and legend grew while they were out of commission.

    Their official return began with Clairerecords' 2014 posthumous release They Only Believe In The Moon, an album completed in 2007 but never released due to the band’s demise in 2008. This was followed in 2015 by an EP of other previously unreleased tracks that stuck in the ears of KEXP djs and listeners. In 2016 an expanded reissue of their critically acclaimed Age of Lovely Intimate Things (Clairecords, 2005) was released on Ben Vendetta's Elephant Stone label.

    Sciflyer has managed to avoid Swervedriver comparisons even though they borrowed a Swervie song title for their name, because as Kennedy explains, “We’re not a fraction as talented”, though some might disagree. They’ve created a sound uniquely their own while still paying homage to their heroes Swervedriver, Loop, Ride, Telescopes, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., Meat Puppets and very, very early REM.

    A not very friendly critic once wrote, “We get it...they like Verve and Swervedriver... they should’ve called themselves Vervedriver”. A too narrow interpretation perhaps, but the band says thank you nonetheless...

    The title of the new album comes from a concept that Kennedy learned early on (8th grade) from the Swami in The Monkees’ only feature film, Head, “Where there is clarity, there is no choice and where there is choice, there is misery.” How appropriate for today’s on-demand everything, where just choosing what to watch on Netflix can be a longer exercise than the actual watching.

    1. Los Angeles
    2. Hypnotized
    3. Fantasy Springs
    4. Space & Time
    5. Projectionist
    6. Goddess
    7. Moonset

    Total run time: 35:23

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Illusion of Unlimited Choice via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 500 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

1.
Los Angeles 03:29
Could've gone to Los Angeles…but I don't really wanna take that on…doesn't fit me…no misunderstanding this…and I don't really wanna take that on…just forget me…in the land of Los Angeles, it feels like starring in a darkened dream…here's a teaser…and I think ya can handle this…'cuz your life was never really like it seemed…like a fever… Could've gone to Los Angeles…but I don't really wanna take that on…love the weather…and it's not like we planned all this…but I don't really wanna take that on…it's forever... Oh man, in Los Angeles it's a devil's bargain with a monkey's paw…get the deal, man…way down in Los Angeles, the ride isn't over 'til you hit the wall…just isn't real, man…
2.
Hypnotized 04:30
I had been hypnotized…was seeing spirals in her eyes…and the conviction on her face, it used to stay with me for days…sleepwalking under wires…I had been hypnotized…I had been mesmerized…but I just didn't realize…she had my mind all in a daze…and set my thoughts all out of phase…sleep-talking all the while…I had been mesmerized…I could've sworn I'd seen an angel…I had been hypnotized…and staring off into the sky…but it's the burden of my age…I'm tearing out another page…sleepwalking, I'm so tired…not gonna trip this time…I could've sworn I'd seen an angel…I wanted to believe I'd seen an angel...
3.
You always overplay your hand…stay in too long and you lose…the house always wins and you don't understand the lay of the land…keep a close eye on those friends…cards behind their backs, you know it's true…the bets will go around and the bluffs will never end…'cuz everyone pretends…and the odds never bend…we should've kept on just passing through…everything we saw was nearly dead…but it glistened in the sun and reflected in the moon…should've known it was doom…now I'm all outta luck and so are you…the roll you think you're on ain't gonna last…'cuz the tables always turn and you won't know it 'til they do…you think your dreams will all come true…no, you don't have a clue…
4.
Space & Time 04:55
You say you want space…but you can't breathe in space…it's a place that will tear you apart…you say you want time…but time is a crime…it's the end of the line well before you can start…way out in space…no, you can't scream in space…no one hears ya…it seems you've decided the stars have collided and gone…your missile's misguided, I don't know what flight path you're on…you say you want more…then walk through that door…like you wanna explore down the darkest black hole…way out in space…in the vacuum of space…it's a place unbelievably cold…but you think you can face the disaster of space…don't believe ya…you're leaving my system, you're thinking you're Voyager One…in a critical spin and I'm crashing right into the sun…'cuz you're way out in space…and you can't see in space…it's a place that will tear you apart…you say you want time…but that's just a line…it's a sign that we're way off the chart…way out in space…no, you can't scream in space…no one hears ya…so I'll see you in space…no, I won't bleed in space…as I'm watching you tear out my heart…yeah, I'll see you in space…
5.
This play is shutting down…this play is shutting down today…the name is all around…and we all know to stay away…the lights are going down…the lights are going down again…the movie's just about to start…you're not gonna like the way it ends…the curtain's coming down…the curtain's coming down on you…your starring role is over now…with nothing but a bad review…a stilted script of ever so…you always knew what lines to say…but no one's ever yours to know…so that's a wrap, call it a day…I never knew who you were…or what you are…be what you are…you are dead to me now…this day is falling down…this day is falling down on me…the movie's almost over now…it's not the kind you'd pay to see…you think you're moving on and on…and I say you're only going down…take that one any way you want…and I'll fade to black without a sound... Intro clip from "Joker", ©2019 Warner Bros.
6.
Goddess 07:10
Let me tell you about her, she’s a strange kind of girl…she made me look at myself…take a look at myself…I’ll just say what I know, she’s a strange kind of show…she made me question myself…I couldn't answer myself...I’ll just say what I am, I’m a strange kind of man…don't take me out to the ballgame…it don’t concern me at all…hard to say where we are...around a strange kind of star…they used to worship the sun, man…back when the angels came down…I could tell you about her, she’s a strange kind of girl…she made me look at myself…I took a look at myself…I’ll just say what I know, she had a strange kind of glow, then I remembered myself…I had forgotten myself…I’ll just say what I am, I’m a strange kind of man...but can you follow me now? do you follow me now? ...hard to say where we are, it’s like a strange kind of car…and the driver’s gone crazy…yeah the driver’s gone mad...and we fall until time slows down and we’re all in the know…yeah we fall until time winds down and we’re all in the now…I’ll just say what I am, I’m a strange kind of man...but do you follow me now? don't you follow me now! ...hard to say what we are, we’re like a strange kind of scar…but can you follow me down, man? will you follow me down?
7.
moonset 01:30

credits

released June 5, 2020

steven kennedy - Fender and Squier Jazzmasters, Squier Jagmaster, ARP Odyssey, several pedals, most vocals

sophia campbell - Gretsch Electromatic bass, some other vocals

sonya trejo - Fibes Crystalite drums, Paiste and Zildjian cymbals

"moonset" is with Kim Oberly and Scott Christy.


Recorded by Jeremy Nunes and Steven Kennedy at Area 52, July - November 2019, except "moonset". Mixed for headphones.

All songs ©2020 sciflyer

Cover art: "Congratulations, You Caught The Bouquet" by Mighty Joe Castro.

Darla Records
2107 Camino Cantera
Vista, CA 92084

www.darla.com

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Sciflyer Alameda, California

Current lineup, 2018:

Steven Kennedy - guitar, pedals, vocal

Sophia Campbell - bass, vocal

Sonya Trejo - drums and cymbals

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