laying down …something…in big sur ca for the next disc….

….entitled, “teleport beach,” most likely

we have a soundcloud now

hey there’s a soundcloud we made.  the soundcloud is here, and on it you can hear, for example, subclouds like odds and sods from “lost forever” and some other stuff etc.

“i am mattron” from “yes we are the shrouded strangers”

not sure if this’ll work, but here’s a jam from the out-of-print debut “yes we are the shrouded strangers,” recorded in harrisonburg, va, courtesey of frozen foods music

it’s a loose concept album and “matt-tron” is, like, the bad guy or whatever.

Eastern Surf Magazine gives “lost forever” a 9/10!

“The Shrouded Strangers portray the realistic lives of platonic male romance, van life, and, most importantly, the wonderful world of boogieboard wipeouts and Myrtle Beach/Virginia Beach babes soundtracked by eight-track recordings.

“Featherbed” keeps up this razzling drunk boardwalk beach vibe, and the video only adds to this song’s power, a mini-surf flick mixing some iconic old footage with every down-and-out booger you’ve ever people-watched…

“Lost Forever’s songs swing low like a sweet chariot but have more of a dirty Russian techno theme going then a Southern freedom cry. One exception is “Days Of Glass,” which made me want to beer myself.”  More here.

Gotabackbeat dubs “lost forever” the “best psych-rock record” of the year (2012)

“I now take great pleasure in sharing the best psych-rock album I’ve heard this year.   I’ve been listening to Lost Forever since early this morning – while working, while writing this, while seeing to my four cats’ incessant demands.

And while lines such as “Don’t look at the pink lightning/If you want to fly forever” contain advice that could be invaluable (or at least seem so at the time) during an intensive acid trip, the really beguiling thing here is Carlson and Scutari’s creative mix of passion with electronics, sound effects, etc.

As an entirety, Lost Forever is absorbing and hypnotic – it works as a full album experience.”  More here.

an unreleased “lost forever” jam called “apple with the burning skin”

here’s an outtake from the “Lost Forever” sessions, called “apple with the burning skin.”

t’was laid down in the “Man-Cabin” in Guerneville. it didn’t make the record because, well, it was just too radio-friendly we figured…

AllMusic calls the strangers “precise” and “slightly unstable” !

“…and from there the slight off-on feeling of Lost Forever makes its way forward, a mix of the precise and the slightly unstable. (Calling a song “How the Dead Butter Their Bread” could almost be asking for it, given the song’s generally peppy whimsy in its first half — though hearing it collapse away into an open-ended feedback wooze is another beast. )

Then there’s “Black Tie White Atlas Shrugged,” which might or might not be the only Ayn Rand/David Bowie referencing song** if not necessarily tribute out there.  Sometimes the mix of extremes is within the same song: “(Don’t Look at The) Pink Lightning” starts like a breezy enough acoustic-led singalong before twisting into a bright, exultant combination of drones and a much slower pace.

The instrumental “Pyramid Points” does a good job at summing up the slightly blasted/slightly dreamy musical aesthetic of the band in two minutes, soft gaze-focused guitars shifting into a chiming melody….” more here.

**It is!!!