ABOUT
Solilians
"... a dream laden , slow motion drone that
stretches out like a mirage fuelled ride through
a burning desert...like lost horizons to the soul
mixed with haunted vocals and a rich musical
atmosphere that takes you deep within the
mysteries, the sound pure and lingering long
in your memory, psychedelic and very beautiful. "
- Simon Lewis, Terrascope
"...a soul-purifying inner peace-producing
pleasure." - Mark Suppanz, The Big Takeover
Solilians hazy drone rock is made by:
Neptune Sweet - Vocals, Stylus
Benjamin Malkin - Bass, Keyboards
Gabriel Walsh - Guitar, Synth, Producer
Mike Margulis - Drums
Sharon Malkin - Vocals, Omnichord
Solilians space drone dreams are the interstellar journeys of mystic seekers, mantra minimalism for the next generation. Benjamin Malkin's slow motion ambient dub prisms of klezmer melody refract Sharon Malkin's Mediterranean Hebrew beauty; while Gabriel Walsh's psychedelic sci-fi edge dances with Neptune Sweet's otherworldly cosmic majesty. Think Stereolab slowed down to Stars Of The Lid. The four were joined by low rock drummer Mike Margulis in 2019, evolving into their present day hazy drone rock, and releasing a split 7-inch with the band Skyjelly on the iconic I Heart Noise Record Label.
Solilians beginning can be traced to the 7-inch soundtrack of The Binah Comics, a super-powers tale sans violence, about a woman sick of all the insanity and nuclear posturing surrounding her homeland. A collaboration between Benjamin's writing and the great illustrator Ian Densford, The Binah Comics proved successful and Malkin put together his dream team of some of today’s best space rock minds to create ambient reflections of the comics. Neptune Sweet (Electric Djinn), J. Cep (Soundpool; The Stargazer Lilies), and Gabriel Walsh (Earthly Frames, Timesbold) joined Malkin (So L’il) for the Binah’s Dream 7-inch, a sublime creepy affair.
After the 7-inch, Long Island and Maryland-based Solilians coalesced into a real band. Sharon Malkin joined the line-up, replacing J. Cep who left to focus on his band, The Stargazer Lilies. (Sharon, Benjamin, and Neptune were all previously in So L'il, a NYC band who between 2001 and 2012 released four full-lengths, two EPs, and a split 7-inch with Timesbold.) Solilians debut full-length Shin arrived in 2017 on Goodbye Better, and featured many friends from multi-media label Goodbye Better's extended family, including DJ/Producer Merc Yes of MRC Riddims (and formerly of shoegaze legends All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors); avant-jazz & klezmer trombonist Dan Blacksberg of Hasidic doom metal band Deveykus; and the butterfly bowed guitar of J. Cep.
“THE hazy take on low rock” - Petridisch / Fish Prints