Hear You – WAXAHATCHEE: Out in the storm (Merge, 2017)

El cuarto disco de estudio de Katie Crutchfield se titula Out in the storm (Merge, 2017). Un disco reflexivo, lírico y contemplativo. Un álbum que Katie ha sacado adelante con la ayuda de John Agnello, quien la convenció de grabar el álbum prácticamente en directo con su banda. Ello le otorga un sentido mucho más cercano a su sonido y la sensación de encontrarnos casi cara a cara con la banda.
Sus canciones son construcciones sencillas en su mayor parte, y se mueven a gusto entre las ondas del Folk moderno y el Indie de guitarras. Personalmente, me gusta más cuando pisa el acelerador: 8 Ball, Silver, Brass beam, Hear you, No question…

“Out in the Storm, Katie Crutchfield’s fourth album as Waxahatchee and the follow-up to her Merge debut Ivy Tripp, is the blazing result of a woman reawakened. Her most autobiographical and honest album to date, Out in the Storm is a self-reflective anchor in the story of both her songwriting and her life.
The album was tracked at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia with John Agnello, a producer, recording engineer, and mixer known for working with some of the most iconic musicians of the last 25 years, including Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. Agnello and Crutchfield worked together for most of December 2016, along with the band: sister Allison Crutchfield on keyboards and percussion, Katherine Simonetti on bass, and Ashley Arnwine on drums; Katie Harkin, touring guitarist with Sleater-Kinney, also contributed lead guitar. At Agnello’s suggestion, the group recorded most of the music live to enhance their unity in a way that gives the album a fuller sound compared to past releases, resulting in one of Waxahatchee’s most guitar-driven releases to date” (Merge Recordings)

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Talking – WEYES BLOOD – Everybody´s Talking/A certain kind (7″, Mexican Summer, 2017)

“Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery for the Wilde at heart, but for the Weyes mind it’s a natural note in the songbook of life. For the first recorded Weyes Blood music since her 2016 breakthrough album Front Row Seat To Earth, Natalie Mering shares A Certain Kind b/w Everybody’s Talkin’, a double a-side 7” of cover songs close to her home but recognizable under any roof with a hearing heart at its hearth.
From her DIY days self-releasing CDRs through her ascent as a defining voice of a new folk tradition, Natalie Mering has always possessed a proclivity for exceptional taste. Whether influenced by her bloodline of musicians or the cast of curious coastal characters she encountered while exploring life and sound, Mering always took special care to acknowledge the artists that shaped her music in live Weyes Blood performances.
A mainstay of Weyes Blood’s early years on stage, Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” as imagined by Harry Nilsson for the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack is finally memorialized on A Certain Kind b/w Everybody’s Talkin’. As a native Californian transplanted to the east coast, Mering identified with Neil and Nilsson’s forlorn feeling of east coast isolation and longing for days in the rays. “I’m going where the sun keeps shining. Through the pouring rain. Going where the weather suits my clothes.”

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Rescue – ALLAH-LAS: The earth won´t hold me (From “Covers#1”, Mexican Summer; Nov. 2017)

 

“Following their 2016 album Calico Review, Allah-Las return with Covers #1, the first in a series of EPs exploring tunes near and new to the band. For the debut EP in the series, the band offers renditions of George Harrison’s “Fish On The Sand,” Kathy Heideman’s “The Earth Won’t Hold Me”, 90s LA cult band Further’s “JO Eleven”, and Television’s “Hard On Love,” an unreleased song from the band’s Marquee Moon recording sessions.
Allah-Las recorded Covers #1 at the Pump House in Topanga Canyon while working on material for their next full-length release. The selections are comprised of old faves and newly discovered tracks that became ubiquitous sounds in the studio between album takes. The EP will be released on Mexican Summer on Nov 3, 2017″

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BIRKINS: Fundido a negro (Vídeo-Single, El Genio Equivocado, 2017)

La desaparición del “The” en su nombre ya anunciaba que, aunque la influencia del pop británico siguiera presente, era improbable que les escucháramos cantando en inglés en este nuevo trabajo. Y así será: “Aquí hay dragones” está cantado en castellano y, en menor medida, francés, algo que casi abanderan como seña de identidad y hecho diferencial junto a la influencia de la chanson. A este cambio de idioma se sumaba también un giro más oscuro y afilado en su sonido anunciado desde el sello en el que vienen siendo editados, El Genio Equivocado. Y aunque dicho giro era bien visible en “Chantal (o como dar de lado a una canción)“, primer adelanto lanzado allá por julio, recula un poco en este nuevo tema que estrenamos hoy, titulado “Fundido a negro”.
El adelanto viene acompañado de un videoclip dirigido por José Lozano, entre otras cosas miembro de Murciano Total, que explica en sus propias palabras la idea general: “Cuando me propusieron hacer el vídeo, y al escuchar la canción, me vinieron a la cabeza todas aquellas películas de catástrofes que estaban de moda en mi juventud, en las que siempre había una pareja en la que alguno de ellos era el héroe de la película. Así que me pareció bien situar a esos amantes en un contexto catastrófico, en el que bailan para olvidar todo lo que les pueda ocurrir” (Mondo Sonoro)

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Calidez Glacial – GLACIERS: Living right (Meritorio Records, 2017)

Jangle-Pop desde Australia.

“Tras unos años difundiendo algunas maquetas por Internet han llegado a su punto de cocción presentando once canciones de pop señorial tan cercano a la candidez de unos Pastels o de cosas de Sarah Records —imposible no recordar el tran-tran de Sea Urchins, por ejemplo— como al empaque de Go-Betweens, en la línea de otras bandas recientes procedentes de las antípodas como Twerps o lo magníficos Prophet Hens. Habrá que ver cómo evolucionan, claro, pero este primer capítulo les muestra sobrios y certeros, con guitarras muy bien puestas, esa desazón al cantar tan seductora como típica de aquella zona y ese punto de elaboración justito para no perder el encantador toque amateur” (Ruta 66)

“Living Right is about the things people do in their 20s; getting jobs, making and losing friends, dealing with responsibility and generally just trying to get by. With Glaciers developing a tighter pop focus over the last four years, Living Right comprises eleven catchy songs about navigating your way through life”

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Fuzzy Checo – DIV I DED: Transformation (2017)

Vienen de la República Checa y se han conseguido hacer un huequecito entre la gran cantidad de grupos que facturan sonidos semejantes. Su sonido tiene un poquito de Fuzzy, un poquito de Rrriot Girls, un poquito de Dream, algún detallito Shoegazer, se animan incluso con la electrónica y tienen algunas canciones irresistibles: Wasted, Glittering island, Transformation u Open the door son para derretirse.

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Sugar – BEACH FOSSILS: Somersault (Bayonet Records, 2017)

Con el título de uno de los cortes de Somersault titulamos el post sobre este último trabajo de BEACH FOSSILS: Somersault (Bayonet, 2017). Un título (salto mortal, voltereta), que no tiene mucho de cierto, pues la propuesta musical de los neoyorquinos no ha variado sustancialmente desde sus comienzos. Y ello nos congratula, pues su sonido continúa tan fresco como en sus inicios, añadiéndole, eso sí, ligeros toques de producción, arreglos de cuerdas, algunos metales que le dan al conjunto una coherencia mayor a la par que un más que interesante visión.
Somersault es una estupenda continuación a la ya interesante trayectoria del trío, que continúa, básicamente, en la estela del Jangle / Surf iniciada en 2010 con el glorioso álbum homónimo de preciosa portada de madera.

“The sleepy-eyed longing of the band’s breakthrough self-titled debut are a distant memory. In its stead are frequent surprises. The confident lead track and first single “This Year” recalls Real Estate’s jangle and infuses it with a driving rhythm section, and when the strings cue to punctuate its outro, Payseur’s vision sounds more ambitious than ever. The orchestration is a recurring feature on the record, accentuating the backing vocals of Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell on “Tangerine” and turning the mid-tempo “Saint Ivy” into the most nuanced composition that Payseur has ever recorded. Its coda marries a weepy George Harrison-like guitar solo with string swells, as Beach Fossils traverse the chasm between its previous brand of dream pop and the retro AM radio vibes that Jonathan Rado, one of the record’s engineers, is known for producing.
“Wanna believe in America, but it’s somewhere I can’t find,” Payseur sings on “Saint Ivy,” which is as directly political as the record gets. But reality bubbles up subtly as Payseur casually mines his personal life and relationships for stories. There’s something real in how the country’s hardships are inescapable in 2017: Even when Payseur wants to focus on friendships or temporary escapism, he looks down at the concrete to see “A.C.A.B” (All Cops Are Bastards) in the song “Down the Line.” The encroaching claustrophobia of the world is reflected in the record’s more unusual moments, like a Cities Aviv-led spoken-word diversion on the introspective “Rise” or the rudderless harpsichord of “Closer Everywhere.”
Still, Payseur has written some of his best songs to date here. WhenSomersault reaches its unfettered climax, the five-minute-plus tension-releasing eruption of “Be Nothing,” it’s clear that the project has overcome its greatest burden” (Pitchfork)

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BARK PSYCHOSIS: Hex (Reissue, FIRE RECORDS, 2017)

Fire Records se ha especializado en los últimos tiempos en la reedición de álbumes capitales en la historia del Pop de las últimas décadas. 
El aclamado debut de Bark Psychosis: Hex, es su último lanzamiento.

The recent release of Jeanette Leech’s book ‘Fearless: The Making Of Post-Rock’ (Jawbone Press) celebrates post-rock and its origins. Finding new inspiration, bands were beginning to experiment with techniques as the digital age took over.
A case study in her new book, Bark Psychosis were one of the most innovative bands of their time and as legend has it, saw the first use of the term ‘post-rock’ by music critic Simon Reynolds.
Following several singles and EPs, the avant-garde soundscapes built around drones and samples of 21-minute stand-out track ‘Scum’ arrived just two years before their seminal debut ‘Hex’ (1994). Frustrated by the mainstream, ‘Scum’ was a huge statement that set them apart from the beginning.
Bark Psychosis’ sound was born out of their improvisations at makeshift studio within St John’s Church in Stratford. Taking a year to complete‘Hex’ left the band on the brink of collapse and by the time of its release they had dissolved.
Hailed as a masterpiece, it’s “mysterious, haunting, and breathtakingly visionary” (Allmusic). Breaking down their songs and rebuilding them in the studio brought distinguishing ambient soundscapes and an atmospheric experimental sound. Last year Fact Magazinedeservedly gave the album further recognition with it claiming top spot in their ’30 Best Post-Rock Albums Of All Time’.
Following ‘Hex’and the disintegration of the band, Graham Sutton went on to create seminal Drum ‘n’ Bass as Boymerang and hugely acclaimed production work for the likes of These New Puritans, British Sea Power, Silver Apples, Jarvis Cocker and East India Youth. He revived Bark Psychosis at the turn of the millennium, eventually releasing another album, the equally extraordinary ‘///Codename: Dustsucker’

Country para todos – LEGENDS OF COUNTRY: Anything but country (Single, 2017)

Un repasito por la historia del Country de las últimas décadas de la mano de Jof Owen, ya sabes, la mitad creativa de The Boy Least Likely To que se transforma en LEGENDS OF COUNTRY  para editar canciones como ésta.

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Melted – WURLD SERIES: Air Goofy (Melted Ice Cream, 2017)

Un trallazo de emociones DIY  y guitarras aristadas, grabadas con una sencilla Tascam 424 MkIII. Emociones a flor de piel, auténticos temas epatantes y un sonido que es un tiro. Todo un descubrimiento…

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Reverence – ROBYN GIBSON: 5D (Single, 2017)

 

Creo que oyendo esta versión sobran las palabras. Sólo se me ocurren algunas como Excelencia, respeto, amor… o reverencia.

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Love Control – VIDEO AGE: Living alone (Inflated Records, 2017)

Video Age son un dúo de New Orleans especializados en una suerte de Pop a lo DIY, con ciertos aderezos de sintetizadores y arreglos ochenteros. Buen descubrimiento para amantes del Indie de guitarras.

“Video Age is Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli. On Living Alone, the New Orleans-based duo combines classic guitar-driven pop with synthetic sounds to create upbeat music with gritty undertones. Much of the record was conceptualized last summer while Farbe was living alone in a sparse neighborhood by the train tracks…
“It was a beautiful shell of a house with no insulation, missing windowpanes, and rain always leaking in,” said the lead singer and guitarist. “Being alone for that long you start to see yourself clearly. But I never felt completely alone because the walls were so thin.” (Inflated Records)

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Recalling – GUGGI DATA: Pop/Rock (Luxury, 2017)

Pequeña sorpresa oculta en el correo. Un disco sencillo, de concepción Indie/Pop clásica, estructuras para nada complejas pero lleno de emociones, optimismo y Pop saltarín. Muy al gusto de ese Pop escandinavo que nos inundó durante el comienzo de los dos mil. ¡Anda! ¡ Pero si Guggi Data es el guitarrista de Makthaverskan y de Westkust… !

“It’s like Makthaverskan are dividing and multiplying! Guggi Data makes a giddy, headlong form of indie-pop” (Stereogum)

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Insobornables – HALF JAPANESE: Hear the lions roar (Fire, 2017)

Insobornables a cualquier tipo de sometimiento crítico o musical. Algo así como los grandes outsiders del Indie-Pop de los últimos treinta años. HALF JAPANESE son tan aristados como auténticos. A estas alturas de la película juegan siempre en casa, y hacen lo que les parece. Nadie les va a pedir virtuosismo ni construcciones más o menos standards, así que la banda de los hermanos FAIR se concentra en darle una vuelta de tuerca más a su visión del Pop, acaso de la forma más ácida posible.

” Hear the Lions Roar reveals that he and his latest edition ofHalf Japanese are still a weird but glorious force to be reckoned with. Where they were once proudly inept, Half Japanese now sound elemental but emphatic, a scrappy rock & roll band that can get an audience up on their feet, even if this group is still not interested in flashy solos or the conventions of commercial pop music. And while many of these tracks feel homemade, Fair and his bandmates obviously rehearsed this music before hitting the studio, and the songs are tuneful rather than just serving as a framework for Jad‘s various lyrical rants. As for Jad, after losing interest in horror movies for a few years, his preoccupation has returned on Hear the Lions Roar, and his tale of “zombie hippies” in “The Preventers” sounds like a flick worth seeing on a Saturday night, while “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and the werewolf tale “It Never Stops” further suggest Fair ought to consider pitching his ideas to some low-budget producer with a vision. (Hey, if Sharknado can get financed, why not this stuff?) But it’s the tunes in which Fair and company celebrate the joys of living and the powers of belief (such as “Wherever We Are Led” and “On the Right Track”), and even the possibilities of love (“It’s Our Time”), that really bring Hear the Lions Roar to life. And why not? On Hear the Lions Roar, Half Japanese demonstrate that after nearly 40 years of music-making, they’re still creating some of the most engaging recordings of their lives, and that’s truly something to believe in” (All Music)

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Post-Adolescencia – BLEACHED: Can you deal (Ep, Dead Oceans, 2017)

Fuzzy post-adolescente y rabia guitarrera para este cuarteto de Los Ángeles que facturó esta primavera este Ep rabioso de cuatro temas urgentes cargados de distorsión.

“Los Angeles-based sister duo Jennifer and Jessie Clavin knew things were going to be different for their band Bleached’s sophomore LP Welcome The Worms. Not only had they managed to charm world renowned producer Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Elton John) to join them and their bassist Micayla Grace in the studio, but the sisters had been crawling out of their own personal dramas. While emotionally spinning, they dove head first into music.
In the studio, Chiccarelli and co-producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, YACHT) helped the band perfect their fervent songs into fearlessly big pop melodies. They drew inspiration from the iconic hits of everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Heart to Roy Ayers. The result is an ambitious rock record with a new found pop refinement that somehow still feels like the Shangri-Las on speed, driven forward in a wind of pot and petals, a wall of guitars in the back seat.
After touring extensively worldwide and finding success with their hit single “Wednesday Night Melody”, Bleached is back with four new blazing tracks on their Can You Deal? EP. Fueled by the experiences they’ve had as women in their calling for music, Can You Deal? takes on the complexities of issues female musicians encounter in an industry dominated by men. With this fire in their bellies, they connected with Alex Newport (Bloc Party, Mars Volta) to produce the EP. With their singularly triumphant mix of sunny melodies, thrashing guitars and lyrics highlighting the darker sides of life, Bleached continues to demand your attention” (Press)

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TOUR
Sept 2 Garrick Centre Winnipeg, MB *
Sept 3 Louis Pub Saskatoon, SK *
Sept 5 Union Hall Edmonton, AB *
Sept 6 Marquee Calgary, AB *
Sept 8 Vogue Theater Vancouver, BC *
Sept 9 The Showbox @ The Market Seattle, Wa *
Sept 10 Wonder Ballroom Portland, Or *
Sept 12 Ace of Spades Sacramento, Ca *
Sept 13 Regency Ballroom San Francisco, Ca *
Sept 14 The Fonda Theater Los Angeles, Ca *
Sept 15 Glasshouse Pomona, Ca *
Sept 16 The Observatory North Park San Diego, Ca *
Sept 17 Van Buren Phoenix, Az *
Sept 19 Sunshine Theater Albuquerque, Nm *
Sept 21 Tricky Falls El Paso, Tx *
Sept 22 Paper Tiger San Antonio, Tx *
Sept 23 Granada Theater Dallas, Tx *
Sept 24 White Oak Music Hall Houston, Tx *

Energy-Gaze – SNOWBALL II: Flashes of Quincy (Doughnut Records, 2017)

Mezclan la complejidad musical del Shoegaze primigenio de Ride con las guitarras y la energía y el Power-Pop de los Posies de los noventa. Todo un hallazgo…

“Songs about breaking your ankle on halfpipes, drinking chai tea and heartbreak; must be the nineties!? Or is it ‘Flashes of Quincy’ by Long Beach based power pop band Snowball II? An album that combines the more rock-influenced shoegaze sounds of bands like Ride and the heavy strum and meddling of a genre one can only identify as a specific type of garage power pop. Throw into these musical nods to a by-gone era the lyrical recipes that shot many alternative bands to the top of charts around the world; such as skating, girls and being generally awkward about things. It’s a smart and satisfying album because it injects an originality into a time period and sound (power pop) that make it sound as fresh as ever; you can see the influence, but it’s mostly covered by originality and creatively diverse songs, ideas and sounds” (The Primal Music Blog)

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Aurora – LAMAGAIA: Lamagaia (2017)

Desarrollos e improvisaciones dentro de un amplio marco que abarcaría el Shoegaze, el Space-Rock y algunos vientos jazzísticos.

“Sophomore full length from Sweden psychsters features 35 minutes of brain-crushing, throbbing deliciousness split across two sidelong tracks. ‘Aurora’ pummels forth like that proverbial train that kept a-rollin’ down the line, awash with fuzz-frying, dive-bombing guitar, stutter-stepping drums, and head-throbbing basslines. … ‘Paronama Vju’, a veritable somnambulistic trudge through the Milky Way on a cloud of stardust. … It’s like a Quicksilver-meets-Grateful Dead jam…on steroids. Just sit back and enjoy the trip” (It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine)

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