Walden Dos: Más allá hay monstruos (Ep, 2013)

El tercer trabajo discográfico de los madrileños Walden Dos nos ha traído algunos cambios. El primero de ellos, y más evidente, es la marcha de uno de sus miembros. El segundo y consecuente es una lógica evolución en su sonido:
“Este hecho obligó a modificar dinámicas de trabajo y estructuras de los temas, haciendo que las canciones adopten un barniz sutilmente más electrónico y que se apoyen en la tecnología para construir rotundos muros de sonido e hipnóticas secuencias de largo desarrollo que no dejan indiferente. La evolución del grupo en este trabajo le aleja, sin olvidarlas, de las estructuras melódicas del pop para consolidarse en un sonido más cercano al post punk o al shoegaze“
Ésto es particularmente cierto. Walden Dos son una banda que no tiene prisa en acercarse a un tema. Juegan con las canciones, las expanden y las desarrollan hasta el extremo. Efectivamente, además, en este Ep, W2, en su constante evolución y cambio, han asimilado también sutiles matices electrónicos, que aparecen en la producción de un disco exquisito. Un cierto giro que les acerca a territorios más Pop incluso, además de sus clásicos sonidos Kraut-Rock y Post-Punk.
Puedes disfrutar de Más allá hay monstruos desde su Bandcamp, donde además puedes descargarlo, embeberlo en tu web o en tu Facebook.

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“Walden dos busca tener que seguir buscando. Contentos en el inconformismo, deseamos no alcanzar los objetivos para seguiralimentando alguna nueva canción. Contra nuestro caprichoso destino. Con un enfoque distante. Intentamos destilar canciones gota a gota. Hasta el fin de los tiempos. Sonido en permanente cambio. Somos Walden Dos y estamos en construcción. Y pretendemos estarlo siempre” (Bandcamp)

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La Niña Hilo: Orange light (Single, 2013)

“Orange light es uno de los temas que formara parte de su nuevo trabajo que se editara a finales del mes de abril del presente 2013.
Después de casi un año trabajando en album, grabado y mezclado de nuevo entre los estudios del propio grupo y  Montreal Studios a cargo de Hans Krüger, y tras la publicacion en el 2011 de lo que fue su EP de debut “ PROLOGO” el trabajo será editado por el sello “ La calandria discos “ y aunque todavia no tiene titulo oficial, constará de 8 temas en los que la banda demuestra todo su potencial y que seguramente dejará sorprendido a más de uno” (Press)
Próximos conciertos:
-25 Abril: Sala Boite, Madrid
-18 Mayo: Festival Gradual, +Sidonie

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Paul Zinnard: Listen everybody (Vídeo-Single, 2012)

El Folk-Rock de Paul Zinnard, a medio camino entre Dylan, Young o Steve Wynn. Cortesía de Two Mad Records.

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A Thousand Fuegos: No up no down (Single, 2012); The treachery of things (2012)

A Thousand Fuegos son una banda austriaca que también trabaja con Seayou Records y que desde Austria nos envían sus sonidos, claramente influenciados por la electrónica más suave y por el Electropop marcado por los sintes, los beats y los loops. Siempre contando una historia, A Thousand Fuegos nos ofrecen su álbum desde el Bandcamp de Seayou, a precio de risa.
“The Treachery Of Things is a concept album. Beats, loops and spacey synths lay the foundation for the lyrical examination of the “Treachery Of Things”: the notion that we can never grasp the true identity of the things around us so that we have to set them free. A Thousand Fuegos is a wall of sound experience, not as in ‘overwhelming noise’ but as in delicately interweaved textures that urge to discover something new with each and every listen” (Press)

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Tame Impala: Lonerism (2012)

Problemas de crecimiento

Intentar decir algo nuevo del segundo disco de Tame Impala, el cuasi unipersonal proyecto de Kevin Parker, es casi más que una obviedad, algo redundante. No obstante, me gustaría ofreceros mi personal punto de vista sobre Lonerism, este “sophomore album”, como dirían los anglosajones.
No es un disco que en absoluto me desagrade, huelga decirlo: sus huellas sonoras son evidentemente de mi agrado (Psicodelia, Rock Sinfónico, Rock Progresivo…) y muchas de ellas son agua de las que bebemos constantemente bien para inspirarnos bien por puro placer.
Lo que sí que me epata profundamente es que a Parker se le ha ido la mano descaradamente con la idea de superarse a sí mismo, y a aquel primer álbum de Tame Impala: Innerspeaker (2010). Evidentemente, el intento es más que loable; sería absurdo no esperar una evolución de un grupo como éste, máxime cuando su líder es un personaje altamente creativo. Lo que no entiendo tanto es esa obsesión por abigarrar sus temas, por dotarles de capas y capas de teclados, de arreglos, de distorsiones inesperadas, florituras, algunas (a mí entender, y sé que seré criticado) superfluas. Una cosa es clara: ningún tema suena demasiado parecido al anterior, y desde luego, el esfuerzo creativo y sonoro es tremendo. Pero considero que las canciones no tienen el poso de las de su anterior entrega, que se erigía como un auténtico disco de Pop-Psicodélico. Lonerism peca algo de intentar ser una magna ópera Pop de rasgos Psicodélicos, y por qué no decirlo, cierta megalomanía. Parker, desde luego, ha echado mano de su colección de discos y encontraría los vinilos de gentes The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Todd Rundgren, Robert Fripp, Led Zeppelin, Mercury Rev u Olivia Tremor Control.
Como dije anteriormente, seguro que la mayoría de vosotros no estaréis de acuerdo con mis apreciaciones y consideraréis a Lonerism como uno de los mejores discos de 2012. No estaréis desencaminados. Lonerism es un grandísimo disco, pero el gigante le ha crecido demasiado y demasiado rápidamente a Kevin.

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“If their debut was any indication, Tame Impala‘s second full-length, Lonerism, will once again be compared to albums from the late 1960s and early 70s. But if their intent was to make a record that sounds like it came from that era, they’ve failed and ended up with something more fascinating. Sure, there’s merit to the countless groups and scenes that seek out the right tube amps and compressors and microphones in order to create flawless period pieces. They’re often called “revivalists,” even though the actual term is wasted on them. Are they really breathing new life into this form by keeping it cryogenically frozen in ideas nearly a half-century old? Tame Impala prove far more exciting because, by maximizing the use of the available technology, they tap into the progressive and experimental spirit of psychedelic rock, and not just the sound.
Tame Impala did something similar on 2010′s Innerspeaker, and they might be open to “Same Impala”-type jokes if the expanse of psychedelic rock were something you’d be expected to move on from after one record. Lonerism does make the kind of tune-ups that typically generate a lot of second LP plaudits: It’s leaner, more propulsive, more confident, and less beholden to its influences. But Lonerism’s genius manifests itself in Tame Impala’s ability to figure out a way to integrate the concepts of electronic music-making without resorting to ripping off the breakbeat/Beatles template of “Setting Sun”.
Leader Kevin Parker doesn’t sound like an electronic producer, he just thinks like one. He sees his songs as blank canvases rather than boxed-in verse/chorus structures while emphasizing fluidity, constant motion, and textural evolution. You could spend the entirety of opener “Be Above It” letting your ears luxuriate in the diversity of tactile sensations– the subliminal whisper of the title becomes a rhythm track, a barreling drum break is severely tweaked to sound like an oncoming rush of bison, a flanged guitar wobbles like neon Jello, and Parker’s laconic, slightly echoed vocals pulls the whole thing together. Lonerism could go anywhere from that point, which is confirmed by the majestic song that follows, “Endors Toi”. Follow the regal path of the lead synth or tilt your ears towards the righteously loud drum rolls that sound like masterfully chopped Bonham/Moon samples. I’m reminded of Radiohead’s stated goal on “Airbag”, which was to recreate Endtroducing….. in real time, or what DJ Shadow himself has been trying to do ever since in terms of merging the rarest vinyl grooves with your stony older brother’s record collection.
Those are the first two songs on Lonerism, and it’s bold to lead off with seven minutes of mostly instrumentals. Yet for all of the sonic trickery, Tame Impala are anchored by the righteous aspects of classic rock. They’re throwbacks in the sense that they operate from a pre-punk perspective where each musician has the chops and confidence to be capable of soloing, and the singer and the drummer were cranked loud as hell. Yes, Parker does sound like John Lennon. Many athletes pattern their golf swings after Tiger Woods, their batting stance on Barry Bonds, or stick out their tongue while taking a jump shot like Michael Jordan. It means little if you don’t have the skills to connect and perform.
More important is how Parker writes melodies that are instantly memorable, that rise and fall with beautiful simplicity and give what are fairly basic and relatable sentiments heft. Lonerism lacks a chorus that instantly pops like “Solitude Is Bliss”, which is an issue only if you think the best melodies necessarily need to appear in the middle of the song. You’d be hard-pressed to find hooks as catchy as the verses during the run that spans “Music to Walk Home By” through “Elephant”, and while none initially stands out as the kind of hit that might push Tame Impala to bigger festival stages, the cumulative effect means Lonerism might.
So, the above is all well and good for the people who might use Lonerism to EQ their hi-fis. Does it make you feel anything? On Innerspeaker, Parker sang, “You will never come close to how I feel,” so what’s the emotional component to Lonerism? Though Parker’s lyrics are plainspoken and occasionally a little elusive, Tame Impala’s two records are called Innerspeaker and Lonerism, some of their songs go by titles like “Solitude Is Bliss”, “Why Won’t They Talk to Me?”, “Island Walking”, and “Mind Mischief”. You get the idea of where Parker’s head is at, or more to the point, that Parker’s head is where he’s at.
That’s a fairly common concern in this realm. You think about most of the technophile, prog-rock opuses of recent decades and most sound like spiritual heirs of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, or Black Sabbath; records like Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Kid A, and The Moon & Antarctica tell the listener that their state of being is forced upon them, by shadowy governments, by heartless technology, by an uncaring god. It justifies the headphones-bound quarantine. What distinguishes Tame Impala is how they are able to explore the emotional difference between being alone and being isolated. Jayson Greene described Parker’s voice vividly as “like someone trapped John Lennon’s vocal take from ‘A Day in the Life’ in a jar and taught it to sing new songs.” In terms of a mentality, to me it’s more along the lines of “I’m Only Sleeping”, embodying and advocating a wakeful and passive state of psychedelia.
Lonerism derives much of its philosophical and musical pleasure from this interaction of micro and macro. Tame Impala stack vocal and guitar harmonies on the loveably hungover “Mind Mischief”, and then Parker and co-producer Dave Fridmann take control of the mixing consoles and shake the whole thing up like a snowglobe. A similarly fun trick happens on“Apocalypse Dreams”, which builds the momentum of a bouncy Northern Soul groove up to a peak before the mix abruptly cuts off and spits them back into a panoramic, HD jam.All these rich sounds serve as an alternate take on anticipating technological encroachment, that humanity and technology aren’t necessarily at war. You feel small while listening to Lonerism, but in a way that makes you appreciate how man, machine, and Mother Nature can harmonize. Lonerism is portable and joyous in an unforced way, a soundtrack for the times when you’re walking downtown and look up at a collection of skyscrapers, or driving through a mountain pass on an interstate or even looking at a Ferris wheel next to an ocean thinking, “Holy shit, how did this all get here?”  (pitchfork.com)

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The Dimes: The king can drink the harbour dry (2012)

No hace mucho me llegaba al mail una notificación de la cuenta de Twitter en la que se me indicaba que “The Dimes te está siguiendo”. Reconozco que tengo una cuenta de Twitter a la que prácticamente no le presto atención (sus ciento cuarenta caracteres me resultan una ridícula abreviatura de cualquier reflexión más o menos profunda que quiera realizar), pero suelo prestar atención a estos avisos porque de vez en cuando aparecen seguidores con páginas interesantes o sencillamente son bandas, como The Dimes, a los que desconocía, y a los que hay que prestar atención.
Son The Dimes una agrupación que gira en torno al Folk, tanto de inspiración clásica (Dylan, Young), como contemporánea (Fleet Foxes, New Pornographers…). Algo semejante a lo que comentaba en el post anterior referente a Viva Joaquin. Evidentemente, el bagaje de The Dimes es superior, y su música está llena de detalles, de guiños, de calidez sentimental y sonora. Muchos de sus temas son algo así como el susurro de Teenage Fanclub ejecutado con acústicas y arropado con la sábana Folkie.
Su último disco es este The king can drink the harbour dry. Se editó el año pasado, pero como dije antes, merece la pena echarles un oído a esta banda de Portland, máxime cuando ofrecen su música en Bandcamp a cambio de la voluntad de los oyentes.

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“I love the Dimes. Those guys are doing some cool stuff.” – Quentin Tarantino 

“A sonic postcard to historic Boston, their record more than stands on its own as a great pop album, and Save Me Clara is it’s shining jewel. All history classes should be this sweetly catchy and appealing!” – NPR

“The Dimes have done what most bands dream off, creating an alternate universe of warm pop music with a sunny vibe that will keep toes tapping and plaster a sunny smile on every listeners face.” -Allmusic.com

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Soren Well: Honey on fire (Demo, 2011)

 

Soren Well son una agrupación de Brooklyn, esa nueva cuna de la música de los años dos mil, que, sin embargo, no tienen mucho que ver con la mayoría de los sonidos que de allí vamos conociendo. Lo suyo es más bien el Shoegaze más asequible, ese de estribillos animosos y melodías de esas que se pegan a la primera. Me da que la banda tiene mucho de Hype, en tanto que muchos de sus dejes son fusilamientos en toda regla de gentes como Slowdive, Ride o Kasabian, pero ciertamente Honey on fire es un tema tremendo, con un estribillo que es puro pegamento y con una base rítmica impresionante. Podéis descargarlo gratuitamente desde su Bandcamp.

Soren Well – Honey on fire (Demo, 2011)

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HolyPage Records

Hace tiempo me llegaron a mi bandeja de entrada algunos correos de Christian Filardo, un artista inquieto y de tendencias digamos que “multimedia” en los que me hablaba de sus proyectos de música electrónica y en particular de Vladee Divacc, su último proyecto. Christian Filardo se ha embarcado en crear un sello discográfico en el que todas las portadas de los artistas serán obra suya, amén de dirigir vídeos o elaborar música. Su ámbito de influencia: todo el mundo. ¿Por qué? Porque el sello sólo existe en internet, y cualquier interesado sólo tiene que ponerse en contacto con Christian. El netlabel se llama HolyPage Records, y os dejo el enlace porque podréis encontrar algunas referencias interesantes. La podéis encontrar también en la columna de la derecha.

HolyPage Records – Link

HolyPage Bandcamp – Link

Air Waves: Lightning / An interview

Nos hacemos eco hoy de un mail que ayer mismo nos enviaron los responsables del blog QuitMumbling, un proyecto de vídeo-blog/portal multimedia con un montón de contenidos de interes. Además de para hacernos llegar su página -que hemos agregado a nuestra lista de favoritos inmediatamente-, nos remitieron al vídeo que han grabado con Air Waves, el grupo de Nicole Schneit que apareció en TJB este mes de Enero. Les han grabado una entrevista muy amena, donde hablan de sus orígenes y de sus objetivos como grupo; y una actuación en un set cuasi-acústico del tema Lightning. Os dejo con los vídeos y con los enlaces a la página.

http://quitmumbling.com

http://quitmumbling.com/2011/03/qmtv-air-waves-lightning-with-interview/

http://www.youtube.com/quitmumbling

Juliana Hatfield: Una entrevista / An interview

Juliana Hatfield’s work ethic continues to amaze her loyal fans and those just discovering her. Since her Berklee years in 1986, Juliana has played in three touring bands: Blake Babies, The Lemonheads & Some Girls. Each one received significant mainstream and underground exposure, not to mention consistent critical acclaim. The same can be said of her solo-work, which she continues to this day. According to my count, Juliana Hatfield has written and recorded 179 songs. This doesn’t include  soundtracks, maxi-singles, songs from the the much sought-after but never released album God’s Foot, and the many songs she’s released via her website. She’s played the role of producer, engineer, cover designer, and now runs her own label, Ye Olde Records. On her most recent album, Peace & Love, she not only produced and engineered it all, but played every single damned instrument to boot.  In late 2008, she tacked another line on an already impressive resume by publishing a 336 page memoir.

 Sounds Good Ink recently interviewed Juliana over the phone. Aside from a couple minor distractions from her dog (she was speaking from her Cambridge apartment), Ms. Hatfield spoke in detail of a wide range of topics, from her hatred of mp3s to her love of good books. Though wide in it’s range, this interview is still just a peek into the life and mind of one of the hardest working talents in the last 20+ years of pop/rock history.

You’ve written and/or recorded a lot of songs. These include songs for Blake Babies & Some Girls, songs for soundtracks, etc. Then there are all those songs you released on your website, using that whole Radiohead-esque “name your price” strategy…I did it before Radiohead did it. I think I was the first one who did it. Say what you want [chuckles]. Well, maybe not the first, but I never heard of anyone doing it before. I did this at least five years ago or something, maybe even six.

How did you decide to do this? It might have been my manager’s idea. I call him my manager, but he’s really one of my best friends. He’s kind of agenius. He wrote a sort of manifesto about the honor system and put it out on my website. He’s always coming up with these ideas. It was kind of an experiment. We wanted to try something new. I had so many unreleased songs and they were sitting around. We just figured, “Why don’t I just put them out there?” At least let people hear them. And if they wanna, you know, be generous and give money to the cause, let them do that too.

Was it worth it? Well, I mean, I’m not doing it anymore. It’s something that I would do in between legitimate albums as a way to keep letting people hear stuff, and also to generate a little bit of income. But, mostly just to give people something to listen to…I mean, so many people are taking music for free; taking music that they’re supposed to pay for. People leaking albums before their release date and sharing them. Which is shady, and can potentially come away from the artist. I’m not stating any position here, I’m just saying that  people are leaking albums before their release date and sharing them, and that goes on…that’s widespread, obviously. I think that people do this and they feel empowered. “We’re taking the power away from the evil record companies.” But what they may not realize is that not all artists are affiliated with record companies, [so] they’re actually taking money away from the artist. But, when people find unreleased music and they download it, they feel like they are in the position of power. I think when you offer them the choice to donate you give them the music and you say, “You can pay for this or not. Give what you can afford or not, or maybe do it at a later date. Here you go.” I think that also makes them feel a little bit empowered that they have the choice. That can make them feel good about themselves. My fans are so cool; they want to pay for music. They know the income is going directly to me and they want to support my future music, and whatever they pay me goes directly back into making more songs and recording albums.

For your newest album, Peace & Love, are you focusing on a particular medium? Digital? CD? Vinyl? Also, will the market be mostly internet or music stores? As of now there are no plans for vinyl, but that’s something I might do for the winter, possibly. I really, just generally, am not focusing on either. I’m just sort of making it available digitally and also CD form. I know there are a lot of people who still want CDs and they can buy directly from me, from my website. People know that I run my own record company. And they know when they buy a CD through my website that it’s all going through me and to me. And that’s a big part of the sales for me. But then, you know, I’m also distributing them in mostlyindependent record stores this time. Last time I had a large distributor who was putting the CD in all kinds of stores. Borders and things like that. But this time I’m going through mostly independent record stores. Fewer and fewer people are buying CDs. The CD sections in the big stores are shrinking; they’re just getting smaller and smaller. They are squeezing out people like me. The CD sections have shrunk, even in the past year or two.

Right. It is accurate to assume that CDs are on their way out. But they do still sell. They do. It depends on what you’re looking to sell. To me, whenever I sell one CD, it’s exciting for me. I’m not aiming at one goal. I was surprised at how many CDs my indie distributor wanted. I thought it would be a lot fewer, but I was pleasantly surprised at the total number of CDs that the indie stores are buying for the first shipment.

 Do you have nostalgic connection to CDs? Do you want them to stay?  Well, at this point I don’t really care because I hardly ever listen to music anymore. I know that it’s stupid to get attached to any technology these days because it’s gonna be obsolete. With the internet there will always be ways to find things. You know, you can find vinyl, you can find CDs, you can find cassettes if you want. With cassettes, we’ve learned that they don’t age very well. I love cassettes. I was still putting all my mixes onto cassette even up until the early 2000s. I always thought the cassette mix sounded better than CDs. When CDs came out I thought they sounded like crap. And now, I think MP3s sound like crap and MP3s make CDs sound better. So, it’s like, I think that technology is going in the direction of crappier and crappier sounding files. I’ve never downloaded an album because I think digital, downloaded music sounds like crap. I just don’t buy it, unless I really, really need to hear something. I can’t get behind it. I think it’s simpler to have a CD. You get this bunch of songs in a certain order, and it’s very compact and it’s simple. But when they are all mixed together in cyberspace then it’s too complicated to me. I just want to hear an album from start to finish.

Do you own an iPod? No, I don’t. I never have. I’ve listened to other people’s and they sound like crap. And I don’t like the little buds in your ears. I know you can use different ones, but…I’m not into the iPod. It’s not something that appeals to me at any level.

Have you noticed that the people who are considered revolutionaries in sound usually go backwards? Like Steve Albini….I mean, there are people that go forward. But who are they? Do they matter? I mean, the people using the latest technology…who are they and do I care? The technology is not what matters. And the people who are celebrating the very latest technology, are they writing good songs? Can they make do with very little? Cause, who knows? When the electricity goes out then what are you gonna do? When your hard drive crashes then what are you gonna do? I’m just always preparing for things to break down and things to get lost in cyberspace.

What about social networking sites? You’ve had a tight following for quite a while and have always had something of a punk aesthetic, as far as meeting people face to face and having some sort of community vibe. Have those sites had any good impact for you?  I ask because I know some very good, yet unknown musicians whose music careers were  benefited greatly by social networking sites.

 

I think so. I mean, I started my record label in 2004. I think that was the first time I set up a Myspace. I don’t even know if I had a website before then. So I kind of had to utilize the internet in order to get the word out; and it definitely helped me. Then, a couple of years ago, I started to make a point to interact with people directly. I started writing this blog where I’d write about a song a week. Just talking about a song every week that was mine. I’d ask people to get involved. So I kind of started interacting and I think people liked that a lot. Then I started selling CDs directly through my website. I think people really like it when artists have a lot of accessibility. Where you are on the same level with your fans…when they are not even fans anymore, they just become people. They are people out there interacting with you, and you are just a person. And then I started Twittering. I got into it for a while…and then I recently quit Twitter and Facebook. It just started to overwhelm me. It just became a distraction. You start twittering with people, then you’re getting in all these arguments, then you’re talking back to people, then you get in fights, and the whole thing just becomes too negative and distracting from the work. So I don’t do anymore, and I hardly deal with Myspace at all. All of the interaction becomes a big distraction from the work, which is the most important thing. I’ve decided that I need to cut off a little bit of the access to the people that I was giving them because it was intruding into my life and into my work. And I really think a lot of people are doing that.  A lot of people are quitting Twitter and they’re just realizing, “Shit, I’m just getting into these debates with people that are totally pointless.” People don’t need to know what I think about everything. They don’t need to know what I’m doing. All they need to know is when my album’s coming out and that I’m grateful for their support.

I mean, you wrote a book… I wrote a goddamn book, isn’t that enough for you people? (laughs) No, I’m just kidding. And I started up another blog on my website in which I write about whatever I feel like. People can read that and know what’s going on.

Ok, these next questions are things that I’ve been curious about for a while. Do you write really quickly? You’ve got all kinds of albums, and you’re also on several soundtracks. I mean, do you just get up early, write-write-write-write-write? Sometimes it takes a really long time to write a song. Especially the lyrics. They are the hardest parts. The music comes a little bit faster.

You can hum a melody a lot quicker than pen a lyric. Yeah-yeah-yeah. Exactly. Or, you know, sometimes it takes time to work out the music to a bridge or something. But the lyrics definitely take me the longest. I’m not one of those people who can just spit them out when I’m improvising.

Did writing the book come naturally? Have you been writing prose or anything of that nature for a while? I actually wanted to be a writer before I wanted to be a musician. I mean, from a very early age I was writing prose and I was also singing and playing piano. At first I wanted to be a writer. But then, when I started playing guitar, I completely gave up the other writing. I did not develop my writing skills over the whole time I was making records, until I started writing this book. I feel like I have potential as a writer, but I really need to focus on it and develop it because I’ve put it on the back burner for so long. I’m actually working on another book now. I want to be a writer when I grow up. I really do.

What’s the future book that you are working on about?  It’s another non-fiction book about a certain thing that happened to me, a certain period in my life. It’s more specific to a certain period of time than the last time was. In the future I want to start writing fiction.

Have you fooled around with fiction writing at all? Not much. Not a lot. But I’ve always wanted to.

Who are some of the fiction authors you’ve been reading lately? You know, a great book that I read was Under the Skin by Michel Faber.  I really like William Gaddis; I think he’s great. I just read this really harrowing memoir about a woman who had serious anorexia. It’s called, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher. She ended up at about 52 pounds; the worst anorexia I’ve ever heard of. She also wrote another book about her extreme mental illness called Madness. They are both pretty interesting.

Now, you mentioned that you don’t listen to music much anymore. Did you just have enough of it at one point? I just got a little burnt out. It was just music-music-music-music for so many years. I kind of hit a wall. The older you get, the faster time goes by. And, if I have some free time, I want to read or watch a film or write. There’re things I want to do, and I don’t have time for music anymore. I can only listen to music when I’m working on something else. Like, if I’m painting, that’s when I’ll put on a record. When I’m at home I can’t sit still and just listen to music. I’m too restless.

But you’re still getting the music out there, though. I mean, you have over a 20 year long music career and are still at it.  It’s incredible. I feel so lucky that people even care still. But, I also feel like I’ve improved a lot over the years. I’ve been working on it. it’s not like I was fully formed at the beginning. I had to work on it for 20 years. Attain some mastery over it.

And you do have a loyal following. Also, I think most fans of music have at least heard of you or heard a few of your songs. Yeah, it’s a weird thing. They know my name more than they know my music or my face.

For more info on Juliana Hatfield, and to pick up her newest album Peace & Love, check out: www.julianahatfield.com. (From / Entrevista tomada de soundsgoodink.com)

 

Pavement: Westing (by musket and sextant), (1993), Big Cat

Después de la publicación de Slanted and Enchanted (1992), se editó este álbum en el que se recopilaban tres Ep´s previos a la edición del disco de debut de Pavement:  Slay Tracks (1933-1969), Demolition Plot J-7 y Perfect sound forever, una remezcla de Summer baby, algunas caras-B y algún que otro tema aparecido en compilaciones. El disco lo firmaron Stephen Malkmus y Scott Kannberg -Spiral Stairs-, junto con Gary Young, quien fuera su primer batería y dueño de los estudios Louder than you think. Recordemos que Pavement se formó como una especie de proyecto de grupo de estudio en el que los dos creadores serían Malkmus y Kannberg y se irían enviando las cintas mutuamente. Posteriormente, la cosa cuajó y el plan inicial se convirtió en la banda que lideró el movimiento que se conocería como Lo-Fi en los noventa, junto con gentes como Sebadoh o Guided by Voices. La cuestión es que en Westing (by musket and sextant) podemos encontrar el germen del sonido de una de las mejores bandas que surgieron en una de las décadas más prolíficas de la historia del Pop. Su sonido era una especie de mezcla entre Sonic Youth y The Fall, sus letras iban de la ironía y el sarcasmo al hermetismo más críptico. El disco tiene un sonido descarnado y poco producido, y las canciones tienen el aspecto de ser más retazos o esbozos que temas conclusos: ni más ni menos que lo que sería la impronta inicial de la banda y el concepto básico del Lo-Fi. Se inicia con la rabiosa You´re killing me , y a partir de aquí, veintidos temas más que mezclan el Noise con el Pop, el Rock y el Proto-Punk (Box elder, She believes, Price yeah!, Heckler spray, From now on, Debris slide, Baptiss blacktick...) Un disco un tanto áspero en el que podemos descubrir cuál fue la evolución del sonido Pavement desde sus comienzos más tempraneros.

Pavement: Westing (By musket and sextant)

“Imagine a world in which Sonic Youth aren’t smug, the Fall don’t think they’re literary, Tommy James has had it with playing to the kiddies and Iggy Pop hits all the notes. Now imagine they’re all one band. That band is Pavement, whose Slanted and Enchanted (1992) exploded their fan base from know-it-all cultsters to mainstream Next Big Thingers. Westing gathers material from their four previous releases, all EPs, and throws in the bonus tracks “My Radio” (from the compilation disc Chemical Imbalance) and “My First Mine” (once a flexidisc in the pages of the fanzine Ablaze!). This timely document not only tracks the greatness of the outfit – always comprised of Steve Malkmus (“SM,” of Stockton, Calif.) and Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg and accessorized with various others – for those riding the Slanted wave, but it may be superior to that much-touted record, depending on whether your taste runs to fuzzed-out anthems like “Forklift” or the increasingly Pooh Sticks-like Pavement of “Summer Babe,” by which time the band’s sound is stripped down, cleaned up and beginning to show signs of self-consciousness. The material is so shoddily recorded, it dares you to run screaming from the room, but you’ll stay for the incontrovertible pop hooks, nerve-twanging guitars, lyrics that range from ironic to incomprehensible and supremely sensible attitude.No band better understands that pop music makes for a pleasant afternoon but a rather silly obsession, and Pavement churn out three-minute garage pop with an offhand grace that belies their skill. Westing is like a bombed-out landscape of pop history, and Pavement stroll through it without tears, kicking aside the occasional bottle and talking loud over the roar of demolition cranes, noting that it may be ugly, but it’s still good fun” (rollingstone.com)

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The JangleBox: 2º Aniversario / 2nd Anniversary

The JangleBox cumple hoy dos añitos!!

Dos años de comentar y compartir música, películas, vídeos o canciones. Como habréis podido comprobar, nos hemos mudado a WordPress, por causas completamente ajenas a The JangleBox. Desde nuestra anterior plataforma han dado inicio a una caza de brujas indiscriminada que acabó con nuestro antiguo blog y con el de muchos otros compañeros/as blogueros/as, pero The JangleBox va a continuar aquí o en cualquier otra plataforma, ya que nuestro amor por la música y las ganas de compartir nuestros comentarios con vosotros así nos lo pide. No nos extenderemos más en el tema, pero sólo deciros que el blog inició su andadura en WordPress este martes 23 con más de 150 visitas sin ni siquiera habernos despedido ni avisar de nuestra nueva dirección. Gracias a todos los que lo leéis y a todos aquellos autores de blogs que gentilmente nos enlazan. Por cierto, Blogger, el blog lo había exportado a WordPress íntegro, así que no perdimos ni una sola entrada: Que os den!!

Saludos desde The JangleBox!!

Propósitos de Año Nuevo / New Year´s Proposals

Hola de nuevo!! Como prometí hace una semana, The JangleBox se tomaba un respiro para volver este día 8 de Enero. ¿Con nuevos propósitos para este año? Bueno sí, algunos. Antes de nada, deciros que el blog no cambiará su línea de opinión lo más mínimo. ¿Qué quiere decir esto? Que continuaremos dando cuenta de los discos que nos parezcan más acertados o adecuados según nuestro gusto personal; ya sabéis: Indie-Pop en su más amplia expresión, Pop, Noise, Dream, Shoegaze, Folk, Rock… etiquetas que tan sólo pueden servir para ayudarnos a encuadrar a los artistas o bandas de los que hablemos; buena música hecha con buen gusto en definitiva. Otros blogs ya tienen espacio para otras músicas de las que, básicamente por cuestión de tiempo, que no de espacio, no podemos atender. Recordaos que nuestra dedicación al Blog es absolutamente desinteresada y que el equipo que lo forma es una sola persona, por lo que es del todo imposible dar cuenta de la marea de novedades que a diario nos encontramos intentando ofrecer una opinión formada del disco, por lo que estamos siempre abiertos a cualquier tipo de colaboración o a incluir links de descarga gratuita de Sellos Discográficos a los que os interese aparecer en este espacio. Para cualquier duda o sugerencia, no dudéis en contactar conmigo mediante e-mail: john.riley2@hotmail.com.
Para este nuevo año me he propuesto dar cuenta del mayor número de discos que mis obligaciones me dejen atender, ya sabéis, una media de tres o cuatro discos de novedades por semana, más las consabidas secciones del blog: El Retro-Visor, Universo MySpace, Cover´s Game… más las que se me puedan ir ocurriendo con el tiempo. Intentaré ofreceros posts sobre discos que en su mayoría ya habréis podido encontrar (sin reseñar) en otros espacios para descarga, ya que el objetivo de The JangleBox no es ser un contenedor de links de descarga, sino más bien una revista de opiniones, personales e intransferibles sobre la música que a mí me gusta. Es posible que este curso algunas de las opiniones las tome de otros blogs o espacios, pero sabed que ello será debido a la falta de tiempo. En cualquier caso, siempre que ésto ocurra, se citarán las fuentes originales, como ya ocurre en la mayoría de nuestros posts. Por cierto, y en relación al tema, os diré que todos los posts sobre novedades están acompañados de un link de descarga que descubriréis pinchando en la portada (digo ésto porque he notado que muchos de los lectores no lo lleváis a cabo). Igualmente intentaré cambiar la plantilla del blog haciéndolo coincidir con el segundo aniversario del nacimiento de The JangleBox, siempre que mis limitados conocimientos me lo permitan, aunque soy de la opinión de que lo importante es el contenido más que el continente. Os agradezco a todos los que leeis el blog vuestra lectura, atención y dedicación y os animo a que colaboréis conmigo en la realización del blog. Cualquier opinión será tenida en cuenta.
So… Ladies and gentlemen, we´re floating in the space!!

Feliz Año 2010!! / Happy New Year 2010!!

Fallece Antonio Vega

Ayer martes 12 de mayo de 2009 nos abandonaba Antonio Vega, el eterno solista de Nacha Pop, el chico triste y solitario como se le conoció durante mucho tiempo. Lo cierto es que hace ya años, demasiados años que no me acercaba a un disco de Antonio en solitario, ni falta que hacía, porque he de deciros que su huella con Nacha Pop permanece aún en mí casi tan imborrable como al comienzo de descubrirlos. Las letras de Antonio siempre tuvieron ese halo entre enigmáticas y nostálgicas, entre oscuras y surrealistas, entre amorosas y entrañables. Descanse en paz.

The JangleBox cumple 1 Año !!

Pues sí amigos, en estos días se cumple un año que comenzamos con el Blog, y esperamos continuar realizándolo mucho tiempo más. Gracias a todos por vuestras visitas, lecturas y apoyo !!

VV.AA.: Dark was the night (2009), 4AD

En estos días hemos estado ausentes por motivos laborales, y por ello os dejo programado este post con el compilatorio editado por 4AD: Dark was the night está producido producido por Aaron y Bryce Dessner en forma de doble Cd. El motivo es benéfico: Red Hot Organization, una organización que lucha contra el sida. El álbum contiene 32 temas exclusivos y grabados para este disco. Algunos de los artistas que intervienen son: Andrew Bird, Antony, Arcade Fire, Beach House, Beirut, Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez, Cat Power, The Decemberists, Kevin Drew, Feist, Ben Gibbard, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, My Morning Jacket, The National, The New Pornographers, Conor Oberst, Gillian Welch, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, o Yo La Tengo. Como se trata de un disco con fines benéficos, me limito sólo a informaros del mismo y colocar el sitio para comprarlo.

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Tres links

 GNARLS BARKLEY: The odd couple, Atlantic (2008)

 

Segundo disco para el dúo formado por el rapero Cee-Lo Green y el productor Danger Mouse, en el que se vuelven a las raíces más soul. Puedes descargar el álbum pinchando en su portada.

PAUL WELLER: 22 Dreams, Yep Roc (2008)

Noveno álbum para el veterano músico británico que en esta ocasión se hace acompañar de músicos como Graham Coxon (Blur), Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene), o Aziz Ibrahim (Stone Roses). Puedes descargar el disco pinchando en su portada.

PATTI SMITH & KEVIN SHIELDS: The coral sea, Pask (2008)


Álbum basado en un poema sobre el fotógrafo Roblert Mapplethorpe, amigo de la Smith
Puedes oír/descargar el disco pinchando en su portada.

Nuevos lanzamientos

-Weezer: Weezer (The Red Album)
Producido por Rick Rubin, Jacknife Lee y ellos mismos, dicen que el disco suena indefectiblemente a Weezer. El primer single se llamará ´Pork and Beans´.
-Ladytron: Velocifero
Nuevo álbum y cuarto de la banda, trascendiendo los límites del electro-pop.
-The Chevelles: Barbarella girl God.
Nuevo disco para el combo australiano que no ha perdido la frescura de sus primeros tiempos. El garaje-pop es una buena etiqueta para su música, pero realmente no atrapa la diversidad de influencias y de elementos que destilan sus canciones, navegando entre la new wave, la psicodelia y el power pop durante todo el tiempo.
-Futureheads: This is not the world

Nuevos lanzamientos

Aquí tenéis dos nuevos discos que aparecerán en breve:

-Spiritualized: Songs in A & E

Etiqueta: Spaceman

Sexto álbum de estudio compuesto por 18 temas parcialmente inspirados por la hospitalización de Jason.

-Supergrass: Diamond Hoo Ha

Etiqueta: Astralwerks

Grabado en Berlín, en los estudios Hansa y producido por Nick Launay. Cuentan que el disco captura la energía y el entusiasmo de los primeros tiempos y los riffs aguerridos y rockeros. las canciones fueron compuestas el verano pasado durante sus giras como teloneros de The Artic Monkeys.