Sentinel

A beatific dream pop outfit that invokes names like Cocteau Twins, the Joy Formidable, Ocean Blue, Frankie Rose, and My Bloody Valentine, Oakland, California’s Sentinel grew out of a recording project between guitarist Dennis Bestafka and bass player/vocalist Tarabud. Bestafka’s tour of duty as an Airborne Paratrooper put the project on hold until his return from Iraq in 2004, but as he and Tarabud had been collaborating musically through the mail during this period, it took little time for the pair to pick right back up, releasing The Singles, a collection of four-track recordings that were made during their separation. An EP, Sequels & Hunches, arrived in 2007, followed by flurry of singles. In 2015, Sentinel released the full-length studio album Points of Light. ~ James Christopher Monger