Stellar Winds

We have been keeping tabs on the band Stellar Winds since their beautiful and impressive debut EP Nights At The Nest back in the summer of 2012.They have continued to turn out music that is meant to let you be alone with your thoughts as their mellow sounds wash over you. The duo of Justin Turner and Steve Neal have become a songwriting force. The combination of large piano sound and acoustic guitar has caused more and more fans to take notice and jump on the bandwagon.

Stellar Winds now is about to release their true debut album. The full length record Hands Of Time is set for its birth into the world on January 14th. Indie Band Guru was luckily enough to get an advanced listen to the 15 tracks this week and color me impressed. The opener “I Remember” shows off a little more energy than past records while still staying warm and cozy. The band turns to a more soulful sound on “What You Have”. The growth of Stellar Winds is on display here. The piano driven “Dream Memory” keeps it simple while telling a story of thoughts and hopes mixed with past experiences. An exotic vibe is felt on the bouncy “Restless”. This is a little more experimental than usual for the group and shows their bravery to blaze new trails for their audiences to enjoy. The album closes with the very pretty “Time”. The song builds and builds reminiscent of a track by The Fray or One Republic. This one would work well on a film score during the heartfelt moment where the movie resolves. Hands Of Time is quite the collection of songs that shows how Stellar Winds has grown and developed into a band that is ready for a mainstream listen. Keep up with the boys at get into their mind at: https://www.facebook.com/StellarWindsMusic - Indie Band Guru

When a band that we gave a favorable review in the past gets back to us it raises some apprehension. More often than I can count the follow up record has been a letdown of sorts. Many bands rush to put out new music too quickly and don’t really have the material for a second album yet. Think about it; usually a debut album is a collection of songs that have been written over a long time, some collecting dust for years until the opportunity to record an album came up. Then with today’s hectic rushing society, the fans want a new album immediately so as to not let the band be forgotten about. This is not an easy task. Luckily for us, Stellar Winds have broken this mold and have released more great music for their catalog within a year.

Last summer, when we first introduced them to you, the duo had just put out their 7 song EP Nights At The Nest. The low key record was perfect for those quiet nights alone. When you have something good, stick with it, and that is just what they have done. Earlier this summer Stellar Winds put out the 9 song LP It’s Not Long Before The Sun. Each song continues in the melancholy theme with slight touches of excitement to keep the attention of any listener. On the opener ‘So Far Lost’ the grainy guitar and vocal mix brought memories of Elliot Smith to my mind. This is storytelling songwriting at its best. ‘Birds Over Water’ is a beautiful song with a tender melody enhanced by the sweet voice of Justin Turner as his yearn for a relaxing time is felt. The standout song in my opinion is ‘Like You’. It has a more radio friendly feel closer to Thom Yorke of Radiohead. The pieces of the song fit together perfectly as no one part jumps out at you but the full impact of the song is felt in one fully developed soundscape. This continues throughout the full 35 minutes of the album and you will find yourself in a much more relaxed place when you reach the end.

We are glad to see that the boys of Stellar Winds are back and plead for you to go get a listen of the album for yourself at: https://soundcloud.com/stellarwinds/sets/greenlp

Keep up with their progress at: www.stellarwindsmusic.tumblr.com
- Indie Band Guru