Rancho Relaxo: Happy Friday experiment (2012)

Con ese nombre que nos evoca ineludiblemente a uno de los antiguos capítulos de The Simpsons, Rancho Relaxo, la banda Shoegazer noruega, acaba de editar un nuevo disco, este Happy Friday experiment (2012). Un álbum que continúa en la senda explorada por sus anteriores entregas, algunas ya reseñadas en TJB. La música de Rancho Relaxo es un remanso de paz Shoegazer que descansa apaciguadamente entre los sonidos de The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, Sonic Youth o The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Es decir, sobre algunos de los pilares fundamentales del Shoegaze y del Noise-Pop. Es lógico, por tanto, que su sonido, sea eminentemente guitarrero, con muchas capas de distorsión y de ruido, que, sin embargo, no ocultan una esencia de melodías absolutamente pegajosas. El desarrollo de los temas es cadencioso y parsimonioso, y la duración de sus discos te puede resultar algo exasperante si no estás muy familiarizado con el género o eres más bien de mensajes cortos y al pie.
En cualquier caso, este Happy Friday experiment (2012), como decíamos, continúa su algo dispersa discografía y les lleva a firmar temas memorables como Ghandi is my gun (tremendo «contrasentido» en un tema apabullante de esencia BJM), My heart my mind, Make you mine, Dead and gone o la imperial I want you.
Un álbum absolutamente recomendable para amantes del género y para musicólogos en general que disfruten con la distorsión y las buenas melodías envueltas en algodones psicodélicos y esencias lisérgicas.

Rancho Relaxo – Happy Friday experiment (2012) 

«Rancho Relaxo was formed back in 2003, when Inge Kjetil Sandvik Malmedal bought an old 70s Crumar organ from his neighbor, and with
his electric guitar and a 4-track tape machine, he started to make music. Then Martin Schram, a longtime 
friend, joined in on the organ and they started to tape hours and hours of improvised music.
The music was a mix between the noise of Sonic Youth, melodies of Jesus and Mary chain and the drone of
Spacemen 3. Droning guitar, monolithic organ and sometimes howling vocals; the style came naturally.
Soon Khalil Olsen, another long time friend of the band joined in on drums.
They played in different cellars and barns on the west coast of Norway.
The music developed as Inge Kjetil started to write and arrange songs for the band, and Martin switched 
from organ to bass guitar. The new songs approach was now more as Byrds-like harmonies, jangly guitars, tambourines, sitar and shoegaze vibes mixed with a good dose of neo-psychedelia.
With 12 strings, lots of reverb, trippy melodies and some occasional fuzz freak-outs, they crafted 
their new sound.
As the songs evolved they got a second guitar player. Ole Kristian Malmedal, who is Martins younger
brother, joined in.
In 2007 they released «Look at the Wall», the bands first «real» full-lenght album.
During the year it took to create «Look at the Wall», they moved out of the cold, drafty cellars and barns,
and into a room at a local gun range. However, after a dispute with the redneck landlord, they were kicked out.
Then, they moved into an abandoned house owned by a relative, and freedom was upon them in this house…simply
known as the Tilla house.
With the freedom of Tilla, they got busy and recorded three new, full-length albums that were released in 2009 (Facebook)»

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