Memoryhouse consists of Canadians Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion. The band had a minor hit with their piano-driven live cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “When You Sleep” for Yours Truly in 2011. They capitalized on their success with that cover and the well-regarded EP, The Years, by signing to indie heavyweight Sub Pop Records. When their follow-up full length, Slideshow Effect didn’t garner as much attention, the band unceremoniously parted ways with their label and went out on their own.
The next LP was a labor of love called Soft Hate which brought some more uptempo songs to what had previously been a mostly slowcore catalogue. Despite having some of their most accessible songs, Soft Hate didn’t generate the kind of buzz the band had experienced at their outset.
Soft Hate produced several videos featuring Nouvion, from which Abeele was conspicuously absent. I asked Nouvion about the missing Abeele, and she simply replied, “Evan who?”
“Dream Shake” features Nouvion’s deadpan vocals, lovely in the same way as a blank stare from Aubrey Plaza into the camera in Parks and Rec. Fuzz bass gives some drive and force to the production and when the song accelerates to the chorus, it’s invigorating.
Memoryhouse – Dream Shake (YouTube)
Memoryhouse was supposed to record a studio version of “When You Sleep” in NYC with James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins fame. A car accident on the way to the studio prevented that and was perhaps an inauspicious sign for the band.
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