Dora Flood - Phoenix Rising - The Best Of Dora Flood (2007)

Dora Flood formed in 1983, and were originally called Belladonna, but following a name change inspired by the madam of a brothel in John Steinbeck's classic novel 'Cannery Row', this San Franciscan quintet changed have produced music which is a homage to classic British pop and psychedelic rock. In 1995, they released their debut EP on American Standard Recordings, entitled '1301', named after the strange place they lived in San Francisco, at 1301 Leavenworth. They continued performing around San Francisco and the Pacific Coast, and in 1999 they released their first full-length effort, 'Walk A Lightyear Mile', on Double Play Records. Touring in support of the record saw them playing in Europe, the continental United States, and Canada, despite the fact their tour manager ended up in jail. The band received widespread acclaim for 'Lost On Earth' in 2000, also on Double Play, and by 2002 the group had enhanced its vision and creativity with the sprawling-yet-lovable 'Welcome', an album with influences from the Beatles and the Stone Roses to even Velvet Crush. The fuzzed-out 'Highlands' followed in 2004 with 'We Live Now' landing three years later. Their final release was 'Dream Out Your Window', on their own Dora Flood Recordings in 2008, and then the band was no more. Over the course of their six LPs and one EP, Dora Flood has produced some of the most notable shoegazing dream pop to come out of the United States. Their last effort for Elephant Stone Records, 'We Live Now', is perhaps the group’s heaviest sounding release to date, with nods to late '60s and early '70s interstellar boogie rock spliced into the heady mix. With praise coming from discerning music magazines like The Big Takeover, Skyscraper, Losing Today and Ptolemaic Terrascope, it is no wonder that audiences left Dora Flood's shows feeling that they witnessed something of a secret, psychedelic phenomenon. For anyone unfamiliar with this well-kept secret, here is a collection of some of their best work, in order to ease you gently into the psyche-pop world of Dora Flood.  

Track listing

01 Welcome (from 'Welcome' 2002)
02 Phoenix Rising (from 'We Live Now' 2007)
03 Stargazing (from 'Highlands' 2004) 
04 Black Widow Walking (from 'Walk A Lightyear Mile' 1999) 
05 Lost On Earth (from 'Lost On Earth' 2000)
06 Eraser (from 'Welcome' 2002) 
07 Life's Ironic State (from 'Walk A Lightyear Mile' 1999)
08 Home (from 'Highlands' 2004) 
09 Wanderlust (from 'Lost On Earth' 2000)
10 Starflower (from 'Welcome' 2002)
11 Light (from 'We Live Now' 2007)
12 Down Again (from 'Welcome' 2002)
13 Love Is Brave (from 'Lost On Earth' 2000)
14 A Violent Pair (from 'Walk A Lightyear Mile' 1999)