Amor de Tokyo: Vendrá a tu boca (Boreal Music, 2014)
“Hoy, dia 26 de Junio, Amor de Tokyo estrena una canción de adelanto de lo que será su tercer disco titulado “Lujo asiatico”.
La canción elegida es “Vendrá tu boca”, todo un Hit en potencia que ahora cuenta con un ambiente más “club” que la canción original, una magnífica versión llamada a ser la delicia veraniega del 2014.
Además Amor de Tokyo anuncia que el próximo 3 de Julio dejarán la canción en descarga gratuita a través de su página web durante un breve periodo de tiempo.
El disco que saldrá en su totalidad en Septiembre trae consigo 9 canciones ya editadas en sus anteriores trabajos pero revisadas en su totalidad, dotándolas de nuevas estructuras, nuevos elementos sonoros, llevando a cada canción a su punto más intenso, haciendo un gran trabajo de reinterpretación y atrevimiento consiguiendo que las canciones no paren de crecer y nos sorprendan a cada escucha” (Prensa)
Code Pie: Let me (Single, Flagless Records, 2014)
Nuevo single de Code Pie. Vienen desde Montreal, elaboran un Pop melódico, melancólico, sencillo y fácilmente digerible.
La Sera: Hour of the dawn (Hardly Art, 2014)
Energía y Movimiento
Últimamente me gusta mucho citar las propias palabras de los autores de los discos de los que suelo hablar. Para el tercer trabajo de La Sera, Katy Goodman dijo:
“I wanted the new La Sera record to sound like Lesley Gore fronting Black Flag (…) “I didn’t want it to be another record of me sad, alone in my room. I wanted to have fun playing music and writing songs with a band”
Dicho y hecho: Hour of the dawn es un disco divertido, animoso, ruidoso, guitarrero y enérgico. Un disco en el que, como dice Goodman, nadie espere encontrar ñoñerías ni lamentos. Sí mucha guitarra (Tod Wisenbaker), que por momentos nos recuerda a las producciones del Bowie más melancólico (Fall in place) que al Jangle vía Jonny Marr (Fall in place, Running wild, All my love is for you, Hour of the dawn). Y evidentemente, la huella del Pop de los noventa (Kiss the town away, Control, Losing to the dark, Storm´s end).
Un disco con el que Katy se ha quitado algo de la etiqueta de sensiblera con el que se la podría relacionar escuchando sus dos primeros álbumes, y que además aporta algo de lo que quizás adolecía en aquellos: cierta dosis de consistencia a la hora de elaborar los temas y darle un aspecto unitario a un disco que es, hasta el momento, el mejor de su carrera con La Sera.
“How fun it is when album opener “Losing to the Dark” strikes that aggressive pose, the guitars pinballing off the walls as Goodman snarls about a boy who doesn’t seem to need her until he’s too drunk to take care of himself. “What a shame it must be to have to be in love with me,” she sings, both heartbroken and spiteful. Not that she’s suddenly gone mean. Hour of the Dawn is largely made up of romantic songs carried to their open-hearted potential by Goodman’s high, floating voice. She’s in love with people and with memories, from summer’s promise to the town that used to be filled with her friends. An album that could be sad based on the lyric sheet is stuffed with delirious fret runs, muscular drum fills, sunny guitars soaked with reverb. Vivian Girls’ girl group harmonies were usually cloaked behind a curtain of feedback. Here, Goodman stands in front of the band, her voice shining like a lighthouse on the shore.
The Lesley Gore-fronting-Black Flag comparison is apt, since you could imagine the tougher directions the music would lean toward were Goodman’s instincts for melancholy and tenderness not there to soften the impact. The resulting sound is closer to Best Coast with more focus on the jamming. “Kiss This Town Away” leans into surf rock and a country singer’s sense of lament; the nimble picking of the title track builds to a triumphant outro even as she expresses unease about whether a new day will really bring something better. “10 Headed Goat Wizard” is straight-up Beatlesesque pop, like something you’d hear at the end of an episode of “Mad Men” and not even realize it was anachronistic.
The moments where she lets the band get heavier are interesting: “Control” chants like the flip side of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2” while “Storm’s End” groans like its title, which is possibly a “Game of Thrones” reference (which Goodman has talked about in interviews) but probably doesn’t need to be read into beyond that. (Or does it? Okay, it doesn’t.) That’s when Goodman takes steps toward establishing herself beyond what she’s known for, which is personable if not always easy to distinguish from itself. Hour of the Dawn sounds like a summer record, meant to be played when emotions are high and the sun is out. Most importantly, it shows what she’s capable of when the shine has worn off” (Pitchfork)
Duplodeck: Brisa (Pug Records, Single, 2014)
Huelga ser reiterativo, pero hay dos cuestiones que en TJB venimos advirtiendo desde hace tiempo: Una de ellas sería el renacer del Shoegaze y del Pop más guitarrero en estos últimos tiempos. La otra es que Brasil, además de tantas y tantas cosas, se está convirtiendo en centro neurálgico de este resurgir de este tipo de sonidos.
Duplodeck son una de las bandas más pilladas por el Noise, y Brisa es su último sencillo:
“The fourth issue brings duplodeck making a statement of their affection for 90’s guitar bands. Built on soothing riffs, dreamy voices and a lot of feedback, “Brisa” is a wall of noise that creates a sunset atmosphere. The track is part of their upcoming tape ‘Verões’, which will be issued by Pug Recs and distributed by @bleedinggold
Golden Glow: Beauty/Duty (Bleeding Gold Records, 2014)
“Golden Glow, the solo project of singer-songwriter Pierre Hall, is set to release a new 6-track EP, ‘Beauty / Duty’ on 27th January via Bleeding Gold Records, with a sound that echoes the laid-back, idyllic melodies of Real Estate and Wild Nothing.
After a series of releases on small boutique labels (Vollwert, Spanner, Holiday – the latter being the label run by U.S. surf-pop band The Drums) those demos became Golden Glow’s first album, ‘Tender Is The Night’ released on Bleeding Gold Records (Flowers, Songs for Walter, Just Handshakes) as well as Mush Records (Bibio, Daedelus, Aesop Rock) in June 2011.
Although low-key, the release garnered praise from a wide range of publications including support from the NME, The Guardian, Popmatters, and Rolling Stone France resulting in Pierre and his band made up of various members of Manchester’s music scene being invited to play a coveted slot at the prestigious Manchester International Festival as part of Dave Haslam’s True Faith Series. Other gigs and support slots followed with friends and contemporaries such as The Drums (the band were invited to support them at their debut album launch), Wild Nothing, Crystal Stilts, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Tim Burgess, Yuck and The Wave Pictures to name a few.
After some full band recording sessions with an outside producer, Pierre decided the sound was becoming almost too clinical and lost some of the magic that comes with the limitations of using more basic equipment. Pierre decided to abort the sessions and go back to the four-track, the result being the new 6-track EP, ‘Beauty / Duty’, influenced by Felt, New Order, Arthur Russell, Velvet Underground, The Cure, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Captured Tracks’ records”
The Bilinda Butchers: The Edo Method (Single, Orchid Tapes (US) Zoom Lens (US) Fastcut Records (JP), 2014)
The Bilinda Butchers me acaban de alegrar el día con su nuevo tema, anticipo de lo que será su primer larga duración: Heaven, que aparecerá el 15 de Julio: Edo Method es una canción tremenda de Shoegaze animoso y juguetón, con un riff de los que se adhieren con facilidad, han abandonado algo su habitual tono Dream-Pop por un Shoegaze-Fuzz realmente atractivo. Temazo!!
“The Bilinda Butchers are a dream pop group from San Francisco who take their name from Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine. Comprised of Michal, Ryan and Adam, the group writes songs that contrast idealistic nostalgia with romantic uncertainty and sorrow”
Male Gaze: Cliffs of madness (Mt.St.Mtn.Records, Single, 2014)
For now, the requirement of all updates concerning Male Gaze include mentions of the trio’s past affairs, which include The Mall, Blasted Canyons, and Mayyors. Catalysts of Northern California garage et al (seminal dukes, if you please), unite as a power trio for a new life that finds the three peeling back the bloody scuzz to reveal a buried affinity for pop tunes. Before the big reveal of a full length on Castle Face this summer, bask in the radiation of Male Gaze’s “Cliffs of Madness” a-side to a Mt. St. Mtn. 7”.
“Cliffs of Madness” careens down a narrow passage of the expected bleed of red lines, blasting with the hope of rendering ear plugs obsolete, and the catered service of appetizing pop sensibilities. Harsh reputations are upheld, but “Cliffs of Madness” sinks its teeth in around the moment Matt Jones drags out the refrain “one more time-aah-ime-ahh-mme-aah-ime”. Sure there’s a b-side in “Think Twice”, but Male Gaze are sneaking suggestive language into the songwriting on “Cliffs of Madness” that will have you lifting the needle back to the beginning of side a. – via IMPOSE MAGAZINE
Stanley Brinks & Freschard: Pizza Espresso (Wiaiwya Records, 2014)
“Having already released 2 of the best albums of 2014 (Gin on Fika Recordings, and Boom Biddy Boom on wiaiwya) STANLEY BRINKS & FRESCHARD are releasing PIZZA ESPRESSO – an album of duets, and a collaboration between both labels – at the end of August.
PIZZA ESPRESSO is an album of love songs about drinking and drinking songs about love. Picture Emmylou and Gram relocated to Berlin with a guitar, a pennywhistle and a washboard and writing ten gorgeous duets to be sung on lazy summer evenings.
FRESCHARD grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. Aged 18 she moved to Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called STANLEY BRINKS wrote a few songs for her to sing. Homeless in Paris, she saved up just enough money to get herself a ticket to New York. There she found an old electric guitar and started writing her own songs. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, “Alien Duck”. Her second album, “Click Click”, recorded in 2006, features electric guitar by STANLEY BRINKS. On her third album, she plays the drums herself. On her fourth “Shh…” she also plays the flute. For this year’s “Boom Biddy Boom” she plays the washboard too.
STANLEY BRINKS began performing as André Herman Düne in 1999, sharing lead vocals, guitar playing and songwriting with his brother David in the band Herman Düne. He has used many monikers for various side-projects, but since leaving Herman Düne in 2006, he has been known solely as STANLEY BRINKS.
Born in Paris, Stan has been living between New York, San Francisco, Malta and Berlin for about a decade, always on the move. He has recorded more than 100 albums.
STANLEY BRINKS & FRESCHARD will be playing this year’s GREEN MAN festival, and will be touring with the WAVE PICTURES as their backing band in August” (Wiaiwya)
Cosmen Adelaida: La Foto Fantasma (El Genio Equivocado, 2014)
Los madrileños Cosmen Adelaida acaban de publicar su segundo álbum. Un disco en que la música que fluye por estos doce cortes aborda sentimientos en primera persona, mucho lirismo a veces descarnado, incluso un cierto sentido del humor algo negro… La Foto Fantasma tiene algo de unitario pero también algo de diverso. Y me explico: si hay algo que en cierta manera epata en este disco es la variedad de géneros abordados: desde el Indie más guitarrero hasta el Kraut o el cancionero Galo de toda la vida.
Pero le da consistencia a su trabajo el hecho de la intemporalidad y lo instantáneo de sus canciones, ese “magnetismo” aludido por Jenesaispop. Sus influencias son diversas: personalmente me recuerdan mucho a Belle and Sebastian (La Fantasmaja, Familia/Trabajo), pero oyendo temas como Becerro de Oro o Dormancia, está claro que estos chicos tienen amplitud de miras y un objetivo amplio.
Buen segundo trabajo que les confirma como una de las opciones más interesantes y más personales del panorama Indie hispano.
“Visto ahora, ‘7 picos‘ parece, aparte del debut de Cosmen Adelaida, el bonito cierre de una trilogía en la que dos EPs previos eran las otras piezas. Máxime cuando ese álbum tenía una duración semejante y, además, mostraba facetas distintas del grupo, más reposadas e intrincadas, completando detalles de una imagen que no quedaba completa hasta entonces. Sumado al hecho de que Marcos Domínguez y Beatriz Page dejaran el grupo (sustituidos por Luis Fernández -Juventud Juché, Los Claveles- como bajista regular y Javi Betacam -Rusos Blancos, Templeton- como teclista en la grabación), tiene perfecto sentido, pues, que este ‘La foto fantasma’ tenga todo el aspecto de nuevo punto de partida.
Suena a eso porque recuperan la fabulosa efervescencia que nos enganchó al grupo en sus inicios con canciones como ‘Viernes’ y ‘A todo color’, que quedaba en un plano secundario en el volumen precedente. Y es que el kraut emocional a lo TAB de ‘Becerro de oro’ (teclados cortesía de Álex Marull, de Odio París) y el rock nuevaolero de ‘Familia / Trabajo’, adelantos que presentaban este lanzamiento, no eran espejismos. El pop-after-punk de ‘Copenhague’, esa especie de remake de ‘Al futuro’ de Astrud que es ‘Acampada arqueológica’ (¿’Al pasado’?), el noise planetero con toques 50s de ‘La Fantasmaja’ (gran título), el pop incisivo y poderoso de ‘Viento de invierno’ o el garage combativo de ‘Jo, qué noche’, inclinan la balanza de ‘La foto fantasma’ al lado de la agitación y la urgencia (la duración de todas ellas está por debajo de los tres minutos y, en algún caso, de los dos).
‘La foto fantasma’ es un disco vibrante pero también compensado, con un gran equilibrio en su secuenciación, como aquellos grandes discos de los que recuerdas todos esos temas rápidos y con gancho que te capturan de primeras, pero también los más elaborados, que cambian el ritmo y diversifican los registros del grupo. Sabiamente, su “lado ’7 picos’” irrumpe con medida en cortes tan magnéticos como ‘Dormancia’ (precioso oasis noir en el que Elisa canta con frialdad una historia personal, triste y bonita), ‘El mismo lugar’ (los coros de la batería y los teclados de Javier Carrasco dicen dulcemente “Beach House”), ‘El parque’ (estupenda en su papel de prólogo) o ‘Voces’ (dark pop con trasfondo rural).
No son intérpretes virtuosos ni compositores súper originales, pero no hay duda de que Cosmen Adelaida “lo tienen”. Y la clave está, sencillamente, en unas canciones tremendamente magnéticas, con un sonido compacto, fácil (en el buen sentido) y bien arreglado (la producción corrió a cargo de Carlos Hernández, responsable de algunos trabajos de Los Planetas y TAB), de una atemporalidad que alimenta su curiosa evolución: parte de la reconocida influencia de los primeros Planetas, pero genera su propio estilo mirando hacia el pasado, con la llamada Edad de Oro del Pop Español, la Movida y la Nueva Ola como referentes de los que sacar partido, encontrando detalles que retrotraen a Nacha Pop, los primeros Siniestro Total o La Mode, siempre con coherencia.
Otra gran virtud, al margen del buen puñado de éxitos potenciales, es que, como sus admirados Yo La Tengo, logran imprimir un sello perfectamente reconocible pese a no ceñirse a un solo estilo. A ello contribuyen, sin duda, el reparto vocal de Javier Egea y Nacho De La Hoz (voces discretas, pero correctas y acordes) y la mezcla de ambas con la de Elisa en los coros. Y, sobre todo, unas ingeniosas letras que saben transmitir, de forma directa y sencilla, la sensación de inquietud a la que alude su título: en sus propias palabras, “a veces, cuando en el pasado uno piensa en tiempos posteriores y estos días llegan, siente algo extraño, como si no viviera en el presente, sino que por un momento fuese un espectro de ese futuro que había concebido”. Pese a ser el segundo, ‘La foto fantasma’ es el disco de debut que yo siempre esperé de Cosmen Adelaida y no llega tarde: por su carácter atemporal y porque discos así siempre son necesarios en el pop nacional” (Jenesaispop)
Univers: L´estat natural (Famelic Records, 2014)
Shoegaze entonado en catalán y en inglés. Precioso nombre para una banda que no esconde sus influencias: Noise, Fuzz y Shoegaze animoso.
Shadow Folk: Season’s End b/w Here At Home (Poncho Records, 2014)
Shadow Folk son una banda neopsicodélica proveniente de Halifax, Canadá. En este Ep, han incluido tres cortes cada uno distinto al anterior: Season´s end es un corte que nos puede recordar a Mazzy Star. En Hey Ganemwya apuestan por un reverse en toda regla, tirando de psicodelia pura. Y para cerrar, la que considero que es la mejor de las tres: Here at home, un precioso corte digamos que a lo Ragga-Rock, que nos puede llevar a evocar por momentos a Of Montreal.
Disco de transición a la espera de nuevas entregas. Entretenido.
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The Eversons: Marriage (Lil´Chief Records, Single, 2013)
Los neozelandeses The Eversons nos ofrecen su peculiar visión del matrimonio. Por supuesto, en ella abunda el componente irónico y algo irónico. Grandes!!
The Sweets: Sister (Bleeding Gold Records, Single, 2014)
Hacía tiempo que no traía por aquí material editado por el sello californiano Bleeding Gold Records. Me gusta su estilo, su filosofía, su cariño por las ediciones que llevan a cabo. Con The Sweets inciden en esa filosofía que suelen emplear en la mayor parte de su catálogo: LoFi Pop y urgencias sonoras. Buen sencillo.
Interview: Slowness (Taken from: Clank for Breakfast)
Droney and atmospheric, rougher and more vulnerable ( from: Clank for Breakfast)
With their EP “Hopeless But Otherwise” (2011), a split vinyl single in 2012 with Dead Leaf Echo, and last year’s debut album “For Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full”, Slowness managed to seduce our ears and conquer our hearts easily. A couple days ago, the 2008 formed US band unleashed their second full-length menu: “How To Keep From Falling Off A Mountain”. Once more, Slowness celebrate a compelling, highly melodic shoegaze kisses drone pop journey. Before founders Geoffrey Scott (guitars, keys, vocals) and Julie Lynn (bass, vocals, keys) as well as Scott Putnam (drums) and Greg Dubrow (bass) head to Europe to play a couple shows, Geoffrey took the time for a chat.
How would you personally describe your musical journey from “For Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full” to the new album?
Geoffrey: To some degree the making of the two albums overlapped. We were demoing these new songs before we released “For Those Who Wish to See the Glass Half Full”. We didn’t tour that record so we got to work right away.
Were there certain goals you wanted to achieve when starting the songwriting process, like trying new sounds, instruments, ways of writing? Do you feel like with the release of this album you were able to get everything out you wanted? Or is there always that certain feeling of “I could do a little more”?
Geoffrey: The only thing we wanted to do was to make this record sound less polished and poppy than “The Glass”. We also wanted it to be more droney and atmospheric. And we wanted to get more people involved on the record. Greg Dubrow plays half the songs on bass, we had an additional drummer, and we had three additional guitarists. Overall, we had nine people play on this record. And we did it quickly, and didn’t overthink it, so it’s a bit rougher and more vulnerable than “The Glass”. Ryan (Lescure), from Blue Aurora, says it sounds more bluesy – which we didn’t intend at all. We always feel a little insecure when we put something out, but when we listened to the test pressing, we got close to calling off the release and going back into the studio, mainly because one song in particular didn’t come out the way we wanted it to. But eventually we let go and just moved forward with it, realizing that songs should become something different from what you originally intend.
Like “For Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full”, also this album’s been co-produced by Monte Vallier (Weekend, The Soft Moon), and mastered by Kramer (Low, Galaxie 500). Was this a given when you started with the album? How would you describe the work process with them?
Geoffrey: Yes, it was a given. Everything we’ve recorded has been done with both of them. They both have been so good to us. Their main focus is our music – not their own agenda or notoriety. They have superior ears and help us sound way better than we would without their involvement. The process with Monte has morphed a bit over time as we’ve become a little more self-sufficient recording the basics. We recorded most of this record ourselves with the help of two talented engineers. Monte’s forte, and what I think he enjoys most, is mixing. That’s where the songs take on real life, and when he’s done, we send them to Kramer for the extra shimmy.
You wrote and recorded the album in San Francisco and New York City. Did those two cities have any influence on the musical result? Or would the album be like it is when you would’ve been in say Tokyo, Paris, Moscow or Melbourne?
Geoffrey: Honestly, I don’t know. I do know, however, that being bicoastal right now lends a sense of urgency and excitement to the recording process, in that when I go back to San Francisco, or when Jules comes to New York, we have great friends in both places ready to play and record with us, which keeps things interesting and breathes life into the project. As for those other cities, I’d love to plant ourselves in one of them, or many others, and see how it would affect a recording. Hopefully someday we’ll be able to afford that luxury.
When you’re in the studio, does the ability or ease of playing them live ever factor in at all?
Geoffrey: We’re rarely ever prepared enough to record live. The most live recording we’ve ever done was for our EP. We were house sitting and had a huge living room to work in for about six weeks before we went into the studio. Apart from taking care of plants and animals, all we did was rehearse and write. We tried to record “For Those Who Wish to See the Glass Half Full” live, but it didn’t come out so great because we weren’t sufficiently prepared. And for the new record we did zero live recording. The current nature of the band right now – apart from the quartet we have going to Europe – is not really a band, per se, but rather a collective. The songs get written and arranged as they’re being demoed, and the demos turn into proper recordings and get edited into their final structure in a piecemeal fashion. I’m not sure it’s the best way to do things, but that’s just the way we work, for now.
How did the idea come up to entitle the record with “How To Keep From Falling Off A Mountain”? How does it relate to the lyrics/themes and cover art of the album?
Geoffrey: As always, there’s a list of ideas for titles, and you run them by the band and your friends to see which ones raise eyebrows. When we’d narrowed it down to two, I asked a friend of mine, who’s a writer, which one he liked best and this is what he chose, so that’s what we went with. The cover is a picture of our friend Christy (who plays drums on “Anon, part IV”). There was no real meaning or connection between the album title and the image, but I suppose if you were to crawl into that picture and have a drink or two, and talk about the times, or books, or movies, or music, or what have you, I’m sure she’d help you avoid falling off a mountain, let alone climbing one to begin with.
Can you tell us about how the idea came up for “Anon” (a requiem in four parts)?
Geoffrey: I’ve always wanted to do really long songs, or have songs bleed into one another, sort of like Pink Floyd, but more like early Spiritualized. The idea was simply that one side of the record would be one song. The four parts are connected musically and tell the story of someone in great need of change.
Do you need to be in a certain mood when writing on a song, or doesn’t it matter too much?
Geoffrey: I need to be at peace.
Since it’s not really easy to make a living based on being in a band, what are you guys doing as day jobs? Would you risk giving up your day jobs when the band would grow to a point where a certain amount of cash would enter your band accounts, or would you keep the day jobs for safety reasons?
Geoffrey: Everyone in the band works in education. I used to too but I dropped out, because I didn’t have the energy to do both. Now I scrape by. I’ve left a lot of jobs to pursue endeavors like this, and it creates a lot of risk. No one else in the band would leave their job because they all have certain responsibilities and because they’re smarter than that. As Americans, and at our age – we’re no spring chickens – it’s almost crazy to give up a job in this climate. It’s incredibly hard to get one again once you leave.
Alright, let’s hear it … what’s the best 3 albums released this year so far (and no, yours not included 😉 )?
Geoffrey: The new Brian Jonestown Massacre is the only thing I’ve heard that I love. And oh yes, I like the new War On Drugs record too. But honestly, I’m out of it when it comes to new music. I’m spending my time doing other things like watching movies and reading books, fighting to stave off the inevitable ADD.
So you’re about to head to Europe regarding live shows. I bet you’re pretty excited about that. What are your hopes and expectations?
Geoffrey: Julie booked this tour, pretty much single-handedly, and of course with some help from the bands we’re playing with. And we are doing all the so-called promotion ourselves. Apart from direct contacts we’ve made, we have no booker, no promoter, and no outside help, financial or otherwise. But that’s what “indie” means, right? So we’ll see how far this grassroots/DIY thing can take us. Ultimately, my hopes are that we’ll have some good shows, meet some good people, sell a few records along the way, be safe, and have fun.
Thank you, Geoffrey!
www.facebook.com/slownessmusic
Listen: www.slowness.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-keep-from-falling-off-a-mountain
Tomada del blog: Clank for Breakfast
Slowness: How to Keep from Falling off a Mountain (Blue Aurora, 2014)
Arrebato
Algo parecido a lo que sentía por momentos el protagonista de la genial película de Zulueta: Sentimientos a flor de piel. La música de Slowness nos sigue pareciendo de lo mejorcito que podemos encontrar en el panorama Indie actual.
Los californianos vuelven a sorprendernos en este segundo álbum de estudio. Vuelven a intentar dar un giro de tuerca a lo realizado con su majestuoso For those who wish to see the glass half full (2013).
Para How to keep from falling off a mountain, los californianos han vuelto a repetir colaboración con Monte Vallier (Weekend, The Soft Moon, Wax Idols) en tareas de producción junto con su guitarrista Geoffrey Scott, y el encargado de las mezclas ha sido Kramer (Low, Galaxie 500).
En un primer bloque del disco, Slowness retoman más o menos donde lo dejaron: la triada Mountain, Division e Illuminate abordan el Pop Psicodélico desde un punto de vista digamos que Shoegazy, pero sin dejar de lado en ningún momento el sonido Jangle (Mountain). Slowness declaran su admiración por los REM de Murmur o por los Feelies.
Division es un corte algo más convencional pero lleno de detalles, de voces perfectas, de paisajes Dream, de teclados atmosféricos… mientras que Illuminate es el Pop visto desde el prisma del Drone:
“I originally wanted to have a “drone band” but couldn’t get away from making Pop songs. So we prefer to think of ourselves as a Drone Pop band” (Geoff Scott)
Con Anon comienza el segundo bloque del álbum. Una parte en la que parece que Slowness quisiera dejar volar su imaginación, dejarse guiar por el espacio buscando el espíritu del Rock Progresivo, dejándose ir en un devenir de reiteraciones, de loops hipnóticos y de acordes mágicos. Un viaje en el que parece que la intensidad va decreciendo, para rematar, en la edición digital, con un compendio de las cuatro partes en las que se divide Anon, una especie de ópera Pop, de viaje interestelar al universo de Slowness.
Un disco sorprendente, que se aleja conscientemente de cualquier moda Pop (no les importa embarcarse en cortes de siete minutos), un trabajo en el que el grupo demuestra que no se quieren quedar quietos, que quieren continuar explorando su sonido. A Slowness les queda cuerda para rato…
Fou de Toi: Island (Single, 2014)
Si alguna vez creamos algo así como un arquetipo sobre el Pop escandinavo (máxime hace unos cuatro o cinco años), Fou de Toi continúan haciéndonos sentir esas sensaciones que vivimos en su momento:
“One day a couple of years ago I was fed up with writing all these melancholy songs. Usually it’s good to write them cause they help you deal with the mess that goes through your mind. But this time instead I thought like, why don’t write the happiest song and thereby try to picture yourself in that state of mind.
This song is simply about love and sunshine, no hate or clouds. The title popped up in my head when I had to name the project on my computer. I guess I just wanted to dream myself away or something. So, this is “Island”.”
Canciones sencillas, bellas, de estribillo adherente y de contenido melancólico…: Nordic Pop!!
The Death of Pop: Circles (Single, 2014)
The Death of Pop acaban de publicar este último sencillo, en el que los londinenses continúan ofreciéndonos su característica visión del Shoegaze, a través de cristales de aumento y cierto halo de deformidad psicodélica.
Linda Guilala: Xeristar (Elefant, 2014)
“No cabe duda que va a haber un antes y un después de “Xeristar” en la carrera de LINDA GUILALA. Puede que sea ese espacio de tiempo que se han tomado desde su anterior EP, en el que han estado produciendo en sus estudios Kaiju a grupos como AXOLOTES MEXICANOS, WHEN NALDA BECAME PUNK o LOS BONSÁIS, entre otros, y en el que han estado acompañando a Marco Maril como banda de directo de APENINO. Puede que sea la incorporación definitiva de Bruno Mosquera como guitarrista, que ha aportado ese muro de sonido que tanto andaban buscando Iván y Eva. Pero el caso es que estamos sin duda ante su mejor colección de canciones, seis composiciones, intensas, electrizantes, que van de lo furioso a lo narcótico, entre LOS PLANETAS, RIDE, CLINIC, MY BLOODY VALENTINE y los SPIRITUALIZED más espaciales y ultrasónicos.
De hecho, a su “Medication” nos evoca el título de este Mini-LP en 10” en vinilo transparente y en edición limitada, que hace referencia a un medicamento antidepresivo, un simbolismo evidente que saca a relucir su capacidad energética e hipervitaminada. Y para muestra un botón: “Chicas Guapas (Que Van A Trabajar En Moto)” es un trallazo en toda regla, con estribillo hiperpegadizo, pero con la fiereza de unos A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS bien armados, con unas programaciones que dotan más de contundencia si cabe al muro de ruido sustentado por una melodía irresistiblemente pop. “Lo Siento Mucho” tiene la energía primitiva y fresca de los PALE SAINTS y la efervescencia volátil de MY BLOODY VALENTINE, que se devanea entre la nocturnidad y la melancolía. “Verano” tiene eco de LOS PLANETAS, de aquellos que nos hacían temblar: en la letra y en la música, que nos recuerda a esa indomabilidad espontánea que jaleaba “Mi Hermana Pequeña”.
Si los hermanos Reid hubieran comenzado en esto de la música en el siglo XXI, habrían acabado firmando temas como “No Me Véis”. Contundencia en las guitarras, espíritu rock con ascendencias pop y mucho mucho ruido. “Haciendo Daño” es una de las canciones que mejor muestran el salto dado en este Mini-LP, el reflejo de las frustraciones y los desengaños a través de la dinámica, estrofas plácidas y melódicas que dan paso a estribillos explosivos y electrizantes. Y para darnos la razón “Sábados de Tormenta” además disfruta de ecos indie-pop y punk-pop, entre LUSH, THE PRIMITIVES y SHOP ASSISTANTS.
Una referencia grandiosa, que nos ha dejado alucinados y extasiados, que debería suponer un importante salto cualitativo para el grupo, y que no hace más que despertarnos unas enormes ganas de poder disfrutar de estas canciones en directo, con las orejas apropiadamente acolchadas” (Elefant)
Sam Page: The Slog in Uncertainty (2014)
Sam Page es algo así como lo que por aquí llamaríamos un Cantautor Electroacústico. Una especie de Matthew Sweet armado con buenos temas y con un buen bagaje instrumental. Suficiente para manufacturar discos como este The Slog in Uncertainty, un trabajo en el que (casi) se basta y se sobra para componer e interpretar estas ocho canciones que son algo así como la quintaesencia del Power-Pop vitaminado y altamente vitalista.
Una colección de canciones que, como he leído en algún medio:
“Over eight songs Sam goes for the indie rock jugular, taking on influences as diverse asGreen Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Says young Sam: “I was content with my academic career. But when that all crashed and burned, I pulled a “breaking bad” and began making rock like a fiend.” You have to love that. Follow your dream young padwan, follow your dream.
Standout track: Don’t You Want To Get Down, easygoing feelgood 90s-esque indie pop rock”
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