Laziness: TJB April Compilation (2011)
Para este sábado, y rompiendo algo los hábitos del blog, os presento la recopilación mensual de TJB. Como casi siempre, para esta ocasión, he reunido varios cortes que los artistas han editado en estos últimos tiempos ofreciéndolas además para su descarga directa. Puedes descargarte la Mixtape pinchando en el enlace para disfrutar de ella. Contiene un poco de todo, como casi siempre: Folk, Pop, Shoegaze, Lo-Fi… Espero que os guste.
Laziness. TJB April 2011 Compilation (2011)
Tracklist:
01-Greg Gibbs – Wasted plans
02-Boca Chica – For Jacob with malaria
03-Filardo – A dog wearing glasses
04-Filardo – Banana cream picture frame
05-Daily Life – Spirit animal
06-Breathe Out – Ride the waves
07-Just Another Snake Cult – Hold my head up high
08-Beach! – Summertime
09-Motel Beds – Sunfried dreams
10-Tigres Leones – Termitas
11-Unouomedude – Frequency
12-Weird Era – Garage honeymoon
13-Moonbeams – Lazy
14-The Symbolick Jews – I´m so damn tired
Triptides: Tropical Dreams (2011)
Triptides, esos chicos de Indiana que ya aparecieron en TJB para dar buena cuenta de su disco de debut (Triptides, 2010), acaban de editar en el pequeño sello Beachtapes su último lanzamiento. Se trata de Tropical Dreams (2011), un disco que es el perfecto acompañante de aquel, en tanto que temática como musicalmente continúa con las líneas perfectamente atisbadas por el primero. Es decir: Retro-Pop a baja frecuencia, toques playeros y algo de Psicodelia. Ni más ni menos. Triptides no engañan a nadie ni van a descubrir la pólvora. Evidentemente, ni falta que les hace, porque sus canciones son suaves contoneos por una playa imaginaria que nos hace teletransportarnos automáticamente a los ambientes sesenteros de los que parece que Triptides no se hayan bajado nunca. Las portadas de sus trabajos contribuyen efectivamente a crear el ambiente deseado. Su música, grabada en sus propios domicilios y locales de ensayo, nos continúa pareciendo arrebatadora, y temas como Shadows o Beneath the sun son de esos que no te puedes quitar de la cabeza en una buena temporada. Quizás Shadows nos dure el resto del verano que se nos avecina…
Triptides – Tropical Dreams (2011)
“We’re incredibly excited to be able to bring you the latest release on the Beachtapes label this week from Indiana’s lo-fi garage surf pop wonderkids Triptides… To get your hands on a limited edition copy of the Tropical Dreams EP on shiny blue cassette or as a digital download, head over to the Triptides Bandcamp over here. In the meantime, check out spectacular retro sail boat pop gems, Shadows and Golden Light below… a truly fantastic new talent has arrived” (Beachtapes)
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The Bilinda Butchers: Left behind (Single, 2011)
The Bilinda Butchers son un dúo de San Francisco que factura un Dream-Pop de ensueño, que se acuna suavemente entre sintetizadores analógicos y brumas Shoegazers. Tienen un sonido limpio, hipnótico y absolutamente arrebatador. Están preparando un Ep de debut, y mientras tanto nos ofrecen este Left behind, un cruce entre las melodías de My Bloody Valentine y las voces de Steve Nicks, a quien por cierto, homenajean en uno de sus temas. Llevan hasta el extremo el concepto de Bedroom-Pop, pues todos sus sonidos están registrados en casa. Para no perdérselos.
The Bilinda Butchers – Left behind (Single, 2011)
“The bilinda butchers are two boys who make music together in their bedrooms. After dozing off together while listening to My Bloody Valentine one spring day, the pair awoke with the idea to form a group under the moniker of one of their idols. They set off in hopes of emulating the stylings of the these idols, but over time other influences began to mingle and eventually overtook their initial desires, leading them to a gentler and more sympathetic overall sound – a sound that they claim is best described as bedroom pop” (Facebook)
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La Sera: La Sera (2011)
El proyecto en solitario de la Vivian Girl Katy Goodman es algo así como la consecuencia lógica de la evolución de su banda matriz, es decir, un cierto desarrollo hacia un sonido más Spectoriano y una cierta melodización de su música. Oyendo a La Sera, uno tiene la sensación de estar ante uno de esos grupos que últimamente facturan un sonido con melodías sesenteras, ecos playeros y cierta despreocupación ante los arreglos en la producción de sus discos. Katy siempre ha sido la encargada de dar un toque digamos más edulcorado a los temas de las Chicas Vivian, y en este La Sera, era lógico que esa condición perdurara. Los temas del disco se mueven a medio camino entre el sonido de chicas de los sesenta (Never come around, Sleeptalking, I promise you, Left this world, Dove into love), el Indie de bajas revoluciones (Hold, Under the trees, Devils hearts grow old, Dove into love, Been here before). Todo ello aderezado con algunas gotitas Folkies (You´re going to cry), y de un aroma de Twee-Pop que impregna todo el álbum. Álbum, por cierto, que destila igualmente un regustillo de amateurismo que se impregna por todos los cortes. Personalmente nos encanta: amateurismo mezclado con la inocencia -aunque sea algo impostada- del álbum de debut, aunque en el caso de la Goodman no sea realmente tal, en tanto que ya tiene varios discos a sus espaldas, si bien con su nuevo proyecto La Sera está claro que se trata de un disco de debut. Disco que además alcanza la calificación de notable en nuestra estimación personal. Por cierto, los vídeo-clips que está realizando Katy le están quedando de lo más divertidos.
“Katy Goodman can usually be seen playing bass and adding syrupy harmonies to Vivian Girls’ spiky guitar songs. Her voice and melodic bass lines lend a sense of fragility to that band, so it’s no surprise to hear that carried over into her side project, La Sera. Here, Vivian Girls’ distorted guitar and haze is replaced by a bare sound, stripped to its core elements, while Goodman’s voice becomes central, sometimes double-tracked.
The opening jangle of “Beating Heart” builds with purpose, slow and precise as Goodman sings above clean guitar chimes. Honeyed vocal harmonies stream in, collecting these simple elements, giving the song an ebb and flow that recalls stately, more minimal guitar bands such as Galaxie 500. When a distorted guitar cuts in toward the end, it feels all the more powerful for the restraint surrounding it.
It’s this kind of heft that carries the first– and best– quarter of the album, where Goodman uses simplicity as an airy foundation for her lovelorn twee-pop songs. It’s a trick showcased well on “You’re Going to Cry”, with its weary lyric pitted against off-the-cuff acoustic guitar strums and sparse drumming. Something in her enunciation on the song, not allowing any syllable to fade away, sounds quite innocent and childlike, making for an interesting contrast with the seen-it-all-before theme of the verses.
There’s a subtle 1960s girl-group influence throughout, but there are also hints of the folk-pop of that era on “I Promise You”, as a sweet organ line props up the end of the song, sounding almost like a flute. These interesting moments, living in the space in the music, allow it to feel blithe and easy.
The carefreeness that lends La Sera’s better songs a sense of spontaneity shows up some of its weaker moments. “Left This World” feels thin and more like a foundation or fleeting idea than something fully formed. That song is typical of the latter half of the record and, despite being made up of very short songs, still feels like a slog. “Lift Off”, at one minute long doesn’t stick around long enough to command much attention, except to note the odd-sounding chorus harmony. This sort of brevity and emptiness makes the tail end of the album, already short at 26 minutes, feel throwaway and hasty. It’s hard not to feel, therefore, that this would have made a much better EP, losing some of the shapeless songs that drag down the momentum and charm of the record” (pitchfork.com)
The Boombox Hearts: Cover me (Single, 2011)
The Boombox Hearts son un grupo de Dinamarca que ya han pasado previamente por TJB para ofrecernos sus canciones. En esta ocasión, para celebrar que en breve aparecerá su Ep de debut, Montecarlo, la banda ha decidido regalarnos una versión de Bruce Springsteen, Cover me, en la que los daneses se recrean en los sonidos melancólicos e intimistas marca de la casa. La cover es bastante decente, y tiene un solo de trombón que la banda se empeña en resaltar, obra de Frederik Iversen. Puedes disfrutar del tema pinchando en el enlace.
The Boombox Hearts – Cover me (Single, 2011)
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Neufvoin: Drunken captain / Polar song (Single, 2011)
Un nuevo single de un grupo finlandés se asoma hoy a TJB. Se trata de Neufvoin, un grupo de inquietudes Shoegazers que facturan un rock de tintes épicos. Su último disco es un Ep titulado Fake Musket, del que se ha extraído este Drunken captain/Polar song, dos temas de cortes melancólicos en el que una cierta ansiedad domina en el sonido guitarrero del grupo. Sus melodías tienen ese punto de afectación a lo Glasvegas y un punto de cierta impaciencia. En palabras de su frontman, Anssi Neuvonen: Drunken captain “It’s a journey in the middle of the ocean of echoes. Huge drums and a twisting bassline guide the ship while the flag flaps high above us. Reflections of shoegaze here, glints of the 1990’s there and a fata morgana of Kevin Drew on the horizon“. Compruébalo tu mismo pinchando en el enlace donde puedes conseguir de forma legal el sencillo.
Neufvoin – Drunken captain/Polar song (Single, 2011)
Panophonic: End game (Ep, 2011)
Un nuevo Ep editado por Panophonic y Patetico Recordings. Se trata de End game, un disco en el que Tom Lugo (aka. Panophonic) navega a sus anchas por un mar de distorsiones, secuencias Dream-Pop y ritmos programados. En esta ocasión los temas son cantados, aunque el ambiente Shoegazer-futurista es semejante. Puedes oír el tema en su Bandcamp y comprarlo poniendo tú mismo el precio.
Panophonic – End game (Ep, 2011)
“Stellarscope’s leading man, Tommy Lugo, takes you on a voyage throughout the boundaries of space and time. His solo project evokes the sounds emanating from the stars. Blending pop song-writing, ethereal guitar soundscapes, bleeps, noises, samples, electronic beats, & floating vocals. He has recorded 11 full length albums since the winter of 2001.
He is also known in the underground circuit for the festivals, shows, tours, and constant work that he does to further scene in the Eastern US and abroad working with hundreds of bands since 1998 with his company Patetico Productions” (reverbnation.com)
Bandcamp / Descarga legal, name the price / Patetico Recordings
Panophonic: Space age transmissions (Ep, 2011)
De la mezcla entre la Electrónica, los ritmos programados y el Shoegaze sólo puede resultar algo positivo. Panophonic son algo así como los Dust Brothers del siglo XXI, con guitarras afiladas que se superponen a sus ritmos secuenciados. El ambiente que forman está cerca de algo así como un Chillwave-Electrónico o un Dream-Pop de guitarras. Por cierto, que Panophonic es el alias de Tom Lugo, cabeza visible de Patetico Recordings y líder de Stellarscope. Sea como fuere, su disco se acaba de editar este mes de Enero en Patetico Recordings, un netlabel especializado en sonidos cercanos al Shoegaze. El disco lo puedes oír en Stream y adquirirlo al precio que quieras pinchando en su Bandcamp. Yo les daría una oportunidad.
Panophonic – Space age transmissions (Ep, 2011)
Bandcamp / Descarga legal gratuita, Name the price / Patetico Recordings
Greg Gibbs: The Lights (2011)
Greg Gibbs es uno de esos cantautores que pululan por la escena musical norteamericana con sus guitarras y su corte de instrumentos electroacústicos a cuestas. Greg además, y aunque resulte extraño, es el dueño de una cadena de tiendas de comida rápida centralizada en la ciudad de Chicago. Su música nos llegó a TJB en medio de un aluvión de sonidos del que todavía no hemos salido y del que pido disculpas a sus autores, por si su música no ha aparecido aún en el blog. En breve todos aparecerán.
La música de Greg Gibbs nos emociona, y lo hace particularmente en días grises como el de hoy, uno de esos días de casa y peli. Uno de esos días en que reflexionamos más de la cuenta sobre nuestras vivencias. El sonido de Greg es absolutamente intimista, reflexivo, melancólico y lleno de sensibilidad. Grabado y ejecutado en su totalidad por el propio Greg, The Lights es una colección de veinte canciones recopiladas durante los dos últimos años que puedes compartir con cualquiera, descargarte y escuchar en la intimidad. El sonido del disco oscila entre las reflexiones electroacústicas (Time capsule, Wasted plans, Campus Raygun, Food tastes fine, Facing the tree, The nibbler) propias de Josh Rouse, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Lee o Postal Service; a las escenas más intimistas y acústicas (What I had in mind, 2 Come undone, Most guitars are made of trees, I don´t mind, The least I could do, Ultrasonic range, Orwellian soccer blues, The lights, Hand me down), más cercanas a gentes como Fleet Foxes o Fanfarlo. Todo ello ejecutado de manera sutil, precisa y absolutamente arrebatadora, sin ningún lugar al sobresalto sonoro ni a la estridencia de ningún tipo.
Puedes disfrutar del disco oyéndolo en stream desde su Soundcloud, donde por cierto fue nombrado artista del mes el pasado Enero y descargarlo igualmente desde allí.
Greg Gibbs – The Lights (2011)
“With a unique experimental pop sound, a combo of guitars, piano, drum machine and electronic keyboard, Greg Gibbs is a marvel at composing catchy pop songs. A quirky assortment of well-crafted pop songs, The Lights, sounds more authentic than most pop musicians performing today.
Hailing from Roswell, New Mexico, Gibbs has made his home and livelihood in Chicago. Owner of the Chicago Bagel Authority, named “one of Chicago’s serious sandwich shops,” according to Time Out Chicago – Gibbs plays double duty, lover of food, and writer of catchy experimental pop songs.
His self-released album The Lights was released early this January, and has been making a stir in the Chicago indie music scene. Recorded in his home office, the album has the charm of a clean, homemade sound. Gibb’s was even named Soundcloud’s “Artist of the Day,” this past February and his music has been featured on NPR.
Gibb’s unique sound begins in the album opener, “Time Capsule.” This electronic soundscape is complimented by a beautiful piano progression. It’s similar to the vulnerability captured by Postal Service. The blended vocals and electronic sways pull you into the natural wave of the song. This is followed by the building track, “Expectation.” Here the sounds prepare you for the rest of the quirky-infused songs on the album.
“Wasted Plans” is purely experimental electro-goodness. The guitar and blender-spun vocals harmonize in ways that will remind you of a sea hitting against the rocks. The electronic guitars do not sound out of place within the electronic tones.
“Slow Down,” is a ridiculously pretty ditty. It has all the charm of an Iron and Wine track. Gibbs voice truly shines as something to be treasured. It’s the perfect folk tone, vulnerable enough to inspire empathy but wise in its hardened age.
The album picks up the pace again with “What I Had in Mind.” This acoustic track seems to echo levels of self-examination. When the beats come in after the chorus you begin to sail away with the rhythms. “I feel that most things will turn out fine,” sings Gibbs. You almost believe him.
“I Don’t Mind” gives you a perfect walking clap beat. It’s perfect for a walk on a sunny day in your neighborhood. “I don’t mind but I should,” Gibbs echoes. You’ll find yourself feeling as if you’re straight out of a Zach Braff-directed movie. It’s a soundtrack, made for your own personal walks.
“Campus Raygun” is a lovely up and down, headbobbing extravaganza. The song is only 2:00 in length, and you wish it were much longer. It’s the most pop, radio-friendly track on the album, and it’s pleasing to every sense. You cannot be in a bad mood to this song. I found myself going back to it, and turning it on when I was having a bad day, and this song just picked me right off the floor” (staticmultimedia.com)
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The Fantasies: Stuck in my world (Single, 2011)
Si algo nos sorprende de cualquier banda de nuevo cuño es su capacidad para la sorpresa. Ésto se acrecienta aún más cuando la propia banda tiene la capacidad de autoinventarse y de redescubrirse con cada nuevo tema. Es lo que ha ocurrido con The Fantasies, el combo de Northampton, que nos ha epatado, tras la autoedición de dos singles previos (Meet the Fantasies y How The Fantasies stole Christmas), con sonidos absolutamente distintos a los anteriores. Si en aquellos se mostraba más bien como un grupo de samplers, sonidos retro y estribillos asequibles, en este Stuck in my world, The Fantasies se rebelan como un grupo de sonidos con presupuestos más noventeros, cercanos a los Pixies o incluso My Bloody Valentine. Ni que decir tiene que esta capacidad camaleónica nos tiene absolutamente arrebatados puesto que Stuck in my world es un temazo impresionante. Encima nos regalan sus singles: Que continúe la marcha!!
The Fantasies – Stuck in my world (Single, 2011)
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Hong Kong in the 60´s: You can take a heart but you cannot make it beat (Single, 2011)
Bajo este enigmático nombre se esconde una agrupación londinense que, fascinada por los sonidos de los sesenta, interpreta su música de forma mimosa, delicada y decididamente intimista. Utilizan sonidos de sintetizadores analógicos y una caterva de arreglos electrónicos anima toda su música. Si te gustan los High Lamas y el sonido de las películas de los sesenta, ésta es tu banda. Puedes descargar este single pinchando en el enlace. Su disco de debut, My Fantoms, lo puedes encontrar en su Bandcamp, por un módico precio.
Hong Kong in the 60´s – You can take a heart but you cannot make it beat (Single, 2011)
“Today’s new discovery? Hong Kong in the 60s. This London-based trio make music that is cuddly, analogue, soothing and shimmering. On their debut LP, My Fantoms, they have woven together a beautiful and quietly understated collection of feather-light ballads delicately imbued with gently rolling melodies, twinkling ambiance and vintage Casio keyboards. Lead vocalist, Mei Yau Kan, offers quiet, precious vocals on most tracks, but her companions, Christopher Greenberg and Tim Scullion also effortlessly contribute contented contributions to the album’s vocals (including on the title track), and all three contribute keyboards and guitar on the album. Download My Fantoms from the Hong Kong in the 60s Bandcamp“ (turntablekitchen.com)
Official page / Bandcamp / Download You can take a heart but you cannot make it beat
Streak and The Raven: Federation (Ep, 2011)
Streak and The Raven son un combo finlandés que han querido compartir con TJB su sonido, a medio camino entre el Rock más épico y un cierto goticismo rayano a los ochenta. Su música, intrincada y ejecutada en el disco prácticamente en directo, está llena de referencias al Pop que se facturaba en el Reino Unido en la década de Margaret Thatcher. Su sonido oscuro (The federation begins) no está exento de buenos momentos melódicos (The Federation March) o decididamente intimistas (Stones and berries)
Streak and The Raven – Federation (Ep, 2011)
“Hailing from Finland, this nascent band came into existence two years ago, with their instruments in hand and straps slung over their shoulders. They created their own vortex in the time and space continuum by conveying music that illustrates the everyday with its peaks and valleys – in essence, panorama pop. After a few dates at major festivals during last summer, the band would return to the studio in December to compose and record their new EP, “The Federation,” which they mostly recorded live. Hopefully you will also notice the warmth of the sessions comes through in their songs despite the biting cold of the past winter. This time they dropped some of the guitars and devoted themselves to vocal harmonies and oscillators.
The title, “The Federation,” does indeed convey the idea of unity that embodies something significant. The music is not as strict as the names are but when considered it is imagined that one is trying to eradicate memories from a lost time, it is almost as if there is an idea of floating that needs to be passed through the songs, an idea of what it might be like to be a Raven, perhaps. The first track is “The Federation Begins”, as for a beginning this definitely is one: I see it as there being an essence of a journey that is near and with its approach there is a raven that has come to lead them. “The Federation March” is like a marching song, and most seemingly it is almost dangerously painful. Painful in the context that there is something important to be conducted, there is imagery of one traveling with strangers who are focused on the same concentration. And finally there is a feeling of relief and a lack of tension which was indeed needed for the final track; “Stones and Berries” gives vision of being alone with only a single heartbeat resounding in the open air… somewhere in a forest maybe. As an artist, I figure it is a wonderful thing to float through the visceral creations of one’s mind and this band might be one of the best that I have heard thus far this year, in terms of the way that I am inspired to paint things that fly everywhere.
One listen to Streak and the Raven and I was instantly hooked. Like a fish caught fast in a net, Streak and the Raven caught my attention. I so suggest that if you would like to float off into a parallel universe of illustrated backgrounds and a constant heartbeat of drumming, you should then take a moment to introduce yourself to Streak and the Raven’s “The Federation” EP” (slowdivemusicblog.blogspot.com)
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The Beatles: At the Beeb, Vol.5
El quinto volumen de las cintas grabadas en la Radio Pública Británica por los Fab4 se abren con una gratísima sorpresa, ya que se trata de uno de los temas que la banda interpretaba en su etapa de bolos maratonianos en las noches de Hamburgo: I´m gonna sit down and cry over you, un animoso tema en el que los de Liverpool se dejaban la piel literalmente en su interpretación. Este segundo volumen está preñado, además, de numerosas versiones, al igual que en todos los discos. Como sabéis, el repertorio de cualquier grupo Beat forzosamente tenía que nutrirse de números del mejor Rythm´n´Blues, Rock´n´Roll, Rockabilly y algún que otro Standard de la época. En este disco destacan, por ejemplo, las covers de Kansas city, Crying, waitin, hoping, The Honeymoon song, Long tall Sally, To know her is to love her, Searching, I got a woman, Words of love, Glad all over, Slow down o Da doo run run. Es decir, todo un repertorio preñado de temazos que en vivo funcionaban a la perfección. Por supuesto, añádele a todo ésto el repertorio emergente de todos los éxitos de los primeros tiempos de The Beatles. Este volumen quinto está compuesto por tres apariciones radiofónicas en el programa Pop Go The Beatles, de los días 6, 13 y 20 de Agosto de 1963. Por cierto, durante los programas, podrás escuchar igualmente en vivo a The Hollies y a los The Swinging Blue Jeans.
Headed for the ditch: A tribute to Neil Young (2011)
El blog Universal Electricity acaba de publicar un disco recopilatorio de homenaje a Neil Young. En él se dan cita varios grupos actuales que rinden pleitesía y tributo a uno de los grandes gurús de la música popular norteamericana, que además tiene el aliciente de seguir en activo. La mezcla de grupos es un tanto heterogénea, y las versiones son variopintas. Os dejo el tracklist, el enlace y una versión de The Byrds que aparece en su último disco, el homónimo The Byrds, de 1973, y que se merecería aparecer.
Headed for the ditch – A tribute to Neil Young (2011)
Turntable Kitchen April Mix (2011)
Continuando con nuestra “programación” especial para estos dos días de fiesta, hoy os presento el recopilatorio que Turntable Kitchen, portal musical del que ya hemos hablado por aquí en varias ocasiones, ha preparado para aderezar este mes primaveral. En él aparecen jugosas novedades de lo que ha ido apareciendo en estas últimas semanas. Pincha el enlace para poder disfrutar del Mixtape.
Turntable Kitchen April Mix (2011)
“2011 has been a surprisingly good year for music fans so far. We’ve already had a great new Radiohead album and an album by Fleet Foxes that is arguably a masterpiece. The Weeknd came out of nowhere and gave us a free downloadable mixtape that I suspect will grace many Top Albums of 2011 list come year end. Albums by Mirah & Thao, James Blake, tUnE-yArDs, The Motel Beds, Steffaloo, and Loch Lomond have been delightful surprises. And to top it all off we’ve received great EPs by We Are Trees, Rockie Fresh, Typhoon and Work Drugs. So yeah, it’s been a damn good year so far, and we are only a quarter of the way through. I’ve included many of those artists on this mixtape and/or the March mixtape (in fact Steffaloo appears twice and her photography has been selected as the album art) in addition to a whole host of other great finds that I’ve stumbled upon this year. For a fun drinking game – try taking a shot every time someone says “gangsta” while listening to this mix. You’ll never make it through “We Can’t All Be Hipsters” with anything resembling sobriety” (turntablekitchen.com)
The Symbolick Jews: God is you, my brothers my sisters (2010)
The Symbolick Jews editaron otro larga duración a finales del año pasado. En TJB nos hacemos hoy eco de God is you, my brothers my sisters (2010). Tengo que deciros igualmente que gracias a el grupo liderado por Adam Healton y Brian Davy, en TJB conseguimos en Agosto del año pasado el tope de visitas a un post desde que el blog está activo, así que nobleza obliga, y aunque tarde, nos hacemos eco del último disco grande de los Jews.
Hay que decir que desde una primera escucha, en el disco advertimos una cierta evolución hacia una relativa racionalidad en sú música. TSJ no son aquí esa banda un tanto caótica y en los temas encontramos un cierto esfuerzo de producción que antes quizás no aparecía. Partiendo de presupuestos Lo-Fi, The Symbolick Jews se han esforzado por presentar una colección de canciones coherente en la que una cierta desidia y una inercia un tanto perezosa se aprecia durante todo el disco, que comienza de forma sobresaliente con I´m so damn tired y He got a job, un tema que acompañan con un vídeo absolutamente irreverente y provocador. A partir de aquí, el Lo-Fi predomina, aunque también podemos encontrarnos con ciertos ramalazos psicodélicos (Floating down a river, P-ast life) o directamente experimentales (A rare hope, Peace be with you). Según reza en su Facebook, su estilo es Confusion-Rock, y desde luego, no pueden tener más razón en su razonamiento, puesto que la diversidad, el caos y una cierta confusión son las principales señas de identidad del grupo. Puedes oír y descargar su disco desde su Bandcamp.
The Symbolick Jews – God is you, my brothers my sisters (2011)
“God Is You begins with a bang, as lazily crashing waves of guitar provide context for a wailing singer who is “so fucking tired”. This is no hazy, bleary-eyed dirge, a la The Beatles’ “I’m So Tired”, but rather the sound of a band waking up, making coffee, plugging in and preparing to rock. The Jews then proceed to launch into a Dadaist/Krautrock workout in the hypnotic “He Got a Job” (which spurned the band’s very first music video, in which everyone pees on each other).
The Symbolick Jews are the paranoid, babbling voices in your head…and this time there are more voices than ever. Frontman Adam Healton shares vocal duties with at least 5 others, which seems to take a bit of pressure off of him, and because of this the whole band sounds like it’s having a lot more fun. In fact, this is their first album that really seems like a true communal effort.
Other noteworthy tracks include “I’m Lucky”, which is a fuzzy, blissed out guitar-driven song about being grateful to wake up next to that special someone, and “I Got To You”, which quite possibly is the band’s catchiest song to date, with “lead” singer Adam’s unique voice blending wonderfully with one of three female singers scattered on this LP. If you’re more into the avant-garde, Symbolick Jews have got you covered with the brief, unclassifiable freakouts “Sly’s Salad Bar”, “A Rare Hope”, and in typically-lengthy album closer fashion, the crazy 14 minute epic “Peace Be With You”.
God Is You certainly rewards repeated listenings, as drummer/producer Brian Davy has seen to it that each track is a dense forest of sound, populated with subtle electronics mixed just low enough so as to make listening with headphones a real treat. My hat goes off to Adam, Brian and the rest of the Symbolick Jews…whoever they are this time around. They’ve crafted a loose-yet-focused masterpiece that few other bands could convincingly pull off. The Symbolick Jews are a wild beast with a heart of gold, and here’s hoping they’ll never be tamed” (theinformedconformist.blogspot.com)
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Copiloto: Se lo tengo que decir (Videoclip-Single, 2011)
This Year´s Model: No miracles (Single, 2011) (from We walk like ghosts, 2011)
This Year´s Model son una de esas bandas nórdicas que transmiten ese buen rollo Pop desde la primera vez que los escuchas. Estos suecos nos enviaron amablemente su single de adelanto de su último disco, We walk like ghosts. El tema se titula No miracles, y es un animoso tema preñado de positividad y de energía. Armados con sus Rickenbackers, This Year´s Model tienen una propuesta sonora semejante por ejemplo a Acid House Kings o a The Drums, por poneros algún ejemplo, o para ser más extremos, al tipo de quien toman el nombre estos suecos, el gran Elvis Costello. Os podéis pasar por su página y descargaros el tema del que hablamos y de camino encargarles su último disco.
This Year´s Model – No miracles (Single, 2011)
“We Walk Like Ghosts is the second album by Swedish guitar pop group This Year’s Model, following their debut The Clock Strikes Ten (2007). Like its predecessor, We Walk Like Ghosts is filled with jangly guitars and strong melodies. This time however, in keeping with its ghostly theme, a certain sense of melancholy is felt throughout the album – the scorned lover’s complaint in ‘The Librarian’ and the wistful tale of impeding danger in ‘A Whisper
Around The Town’ are just two examples.
The group also incorporated supernatural sounds into the songs – like the ghostly melody of ‘The Spectre Begins’ or the strangely haunting drumming in ‘It Spells’ where the snare’s actually played with the fingers on the reverse side. The album was produced by This Year’s Model in the harsh and cold winter of 2009/10 when it just wouldn’t stop snowing. It was then mastered by Chris von Rautenkranz at Soundgarden, father of the legendary Hamburger Schule” (anost.net)
Boca Chica: For Jacob with malaria (Ep, 2011)
La nueva referencia del netlabel EardrumsPop está dedicada a Boca Chica, una agrupación de Pyttsburgh, Pennsylvania, liderados por Hallie Pritts, su compositora y solista. Los chicos facturan algo así como una especie de Folk minimalista con rasgos de Twee-Pop. Sus canciones están a medio camino entre la melancolía, el surrealismo y la oscuridad. La mejor del lote es For Jacob with malaria, un precioso tema de trazos folkies que cabalga a medio camino entre Camera Obscura y Mojave 3. Como todas las referencias de EardrumsPop, la puedes encontrar en línea pinchando en la página oficial del sello.
Boca Chica – For Jacob with malaria (Ep, 2011)
“Boca Chica is an orchestral twang pop band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Led by songwriter Hallie Prits, their songs are dark, catchy, and combine somewhat surreal lyrics and instrumentations with bar band appeal. Drawing influences from classic country stars, Boca Chica filters those twangy tendencies through a modern indie pop lens.
Boca Chica is a band that thrives on collaboration and with this new EardrumsPop release they take it to a new level. Not only do these songs benefit from internal band collaboration, but each song represents a melding of minds– be it with a writer like Jacob Liechty on »For Jacob with Malaria«, another band like Lohio on »Afternoon Tea«, or with another songwriter like Nik Westman on »You’re the Blues«.
Boca Chica pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a »band«, having had more than 40 different members since their inception and their current lineup includes Hallie Pritts, Susanna Meyer, J.Vega, Ricky Moslen, James Hart, and Kraig Decker” (eardrumspop.com)
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Mouse Grey: The echo in my mind (Ep, 2011)
Mouse Grey son un trío de californianos. Bueno, mejor dicho, lo que antiguamente se conocía como un Power-Trio. Unos tipos obsesionados con el sonido del Grunge de los noventa, las guitarras encallecidas, los ritmos poderosos y la contundencia sonora. Al menos éso es lo que nos han hecho llegar en este Ep de tres temas que gentilmente nos han enviado a nuestro correo. Ellos tienen como sus referencias más cercanas a gentes como Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains o Tamaryn. Compruébalo por ti mismo y saca tus conclusiones.
Mouse Grey – The echo in my mind (Ep, 2011)
“Similar to mainstream artists Silversun Pickups, the band trumpets its early Smashing Pumpkins influences through a megaphone, but there is much more going on here. Unlike Pickups’ spit-shined modern rock, Mouse Grey’s approach on this record is familiar but authentic, retaining a raw, unrefined garage sound that demands a tape deck. Fuzzed-up, guitar-driven louds and dreamy melodic quiets abound.
The slightly dirty strumming and slow, overdriven, shoegazer string bends on “Gone Away” sound like Pavement and My Bloody Valentine’s lost collaboration. This and the almost Zeppelin-esque heavy metal attack of “Dissonance,” the beautiful simplicity of the single-key piano melody on “These Times,” and the phasey, psychedelic drone of the album closer, “The Ascendance,” all make this worth a listen or two.”
Mouse Grey is currently performing throughout Ventura County and has been featured numerous times as a top rated gig by both the VCReporter and Ventura County Star. The band is currently slated to open for Peter Murphy of Bauhaus on March 11th, 2011 at the Majestic Ventura Theatre.
Mouse Grey’s newest release, ‘The Echo In My Mind’ EP marks the first release in a series of limited edition vinyl only EP’s that will eventually be packaged together as a full length release in 2012. ‘The Echo In My Mind’ is set to be released in April 2011 via Catch Hell Records.
Mouse Grey is Christopher Yanez (guitar, vocals), José Palomares (bass guitar) and Alex Jolly (drums)” (Facebook page)
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