Heavy Water Experiments | Heavy Water Experiments | CD Baby

LA-based Heavy Water Experiments passionately resists the tendency of modern bands to revive sounds of bygone eras. While admittedly taking influence from 60 s and 70 s genres such as psychedelic and progressive rock, this is a group who strives to break new ground according to an avant-garde or art rock sensibility. One of the ways HWE achieves this is through unique instrumentation, such as the use of an 8-string bass along with a regular 4-string bass, keyboards, and drums. However, the band never relies on this approach as a marketing gimmick since it also incorporates electric and acoustic guitars in the usual way.
The sound of the band is eclectic and can range from a dark, heavy quality to a mellower, acoustic-oriented vibe. Certain tracks might seem to fit well in the stoner rock category, for example, while others could be deemed indie rock or some other current genre. In the past, the band has used marriage characterizations such as Pink Sabbath, Doorphine, and Radio Queens of the Stone Head. These are intended to underscore the notion that HWE neither sounds like one particular band nor like any specific combination of bands. Accordingly, HWE has been compared to a vast number of past-to-present artists, and yet there has never been a tendency toward one or even a few in particular.
So far, HWE has enjoyed a laudable degree of progress while still remaining independent. To date, the band has toured the US and the UK (twice) as well as performing a handful of shows in Holland and Belgium. Locally, the band has played a wide range of venues from Spaceland, The House of Blues, and The Viper Room to more acoustic-oriented venues like The Hotel Café, which culminated in being chosen as one of Amoeba Records local picks. The band s debut release has received over 50 enthusiastic reviews internationally, and the album has been accumulating steady international momentum through underground radio airplay and live interviews from DJ s in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia. Tracks from the album have also appeared on popular American TV shows such as Friday Night Lights, and the band s promo poster appeared on various sets for an entire season of The OC. The band has also self-organized two underground music festivals in the neighboring Mojave Desert with many notable LA bands performing.
The band is fronted by singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and producer David Melbye an LA native whose past bands/projects include Ludivine. Fuzz Beloved, and Zanzibar. His creative/artistic partner Roberto Salguero, originally from El Salvidor, plays drums and percussion.
INTERNATIONAL PRINT and ON-LINE ALBUM REVIEWS:
UK album review (March 2009)
Classic Rock Magazine (www.classicrockmagazine.com)
"Picture CSN&Y (or possibly Midlake) mixed with Queens of the Stone Age. Yep, this duo is unusual, to say the least. The LA pair describe themselves as avant-psychedelic merchants, but we prefer the term 'mellifluous stoner rock.' Holy shit--it's a brand-new prog-rock sub-genre!"
Germany album review (February 2009)
Heavy Hardes (www.heavyhardes.de)
Here, a magnificent and extremely independent sound between heavily digestible pop and drug-induced desert rock is celebrated.
Germany album review (February 2009)
Progressive Newsletter (www.progressive-newsletter.de)
The album s dark atmosphere is the right soundtrack for a long ride through endless deserts.
Canada album review (January 2009)
Gnosis (www.gnosis2000.net)
Funny task to pin down an appropriate tag for these freaks (stated positively, that is)! (Softly) stony post-grunge-psych-rock? Proggy-space-pop with haunting vocal harmonies? A surprisingly effective mix of vintage and modern sounds? All of the above? Well, why not, after all?!
US album review (January 2009)
Sea of Tranquility (www.seaoftranquility.org)
It is to be hoped that Heavy Water Experiments will be around long enough to deliver a follow-up to this excellent debut album. The only reason that it won't feature in my Top 25 for 2008 is that I'd already sent my list.
UK album review (January 2009)
Mood Swings (www.mswings.com)
It is the sort of music that seems to wrap itself around and envelopes you So we are talking psychedelic rather than progressive rock. And yet, at times I can imagine their music being received as indie pop I'm on board for the full ride through its fuzzy bass-laden soundscape.
Serbia album review (January 2009)
Barikada (www.barikada.com)
This self-titled album is one of most enjoyable products released in 2008, if we are speaking about releases with psychedelic approach.
US album review (January 2009)
Glide Magazine (www.glidemagazine.com)
Heavy Water Experiments feel heavy without being heavy. They deal more in ambient soundscapes than big guitar and keyboard flourishes, making for psychedelic trips that get well insid