Twee Delices – THE JUST JOANS: Has anybody seen my boy (Single, Fika, 2018); You might be smiling now (Fika, 2017)

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THE JUST JOANS son un combo de Motherwell que funciona en el Pop desde hace un tiempo, concretamente desde sus comienzos más deliciosamente Twee hace justo una década, cuando les descubrimos gracias al contacto con una independiente como WeePop!
El caso es que los escoceses continúan firmes en sus convicciones más deliciosamente Pop, con un apego a ese regusto delicado y agradablemente amable.

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CELÉSTICA: Rondas en mi cabeza (Single, 2018)

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“Rondas en mi cabeza” es el último de los cuatro sencillos que Celéstica ha planeado publicar durante 2018. También es la canción más intimista y desnuda de todas las publicadas en este ciclo, que arrancó a principios de año con “Berlín”, continuó vía “Jugando con el tiempo” e hizo escala en la obra del gigante (¿?) Battiato a través de una exultante versión de “Yo quiero verte danzar”.
Grabado y mezclada por el grupo y masterizada en Vacuum Mastering por Javier Roldón, cuenta con la colaboración de César de Mosteyrín, guitarrista de Monocero. La portada es obra de la artista gráfica especializada en collage Amparo Pérez Villar” (Prensa)

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A guide from Dunedin – THE CHILLS: Snow Bound (Fire Recordings, 2018)

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“The latest postcard from The Chills’ epic journey is an album about“consolidation, re-grouping, acceptance and mortality,” claims the chief Chill.“Hopefully a kind of Carole King ‘Tapestry’ for ageing punks.” 
Wow! Are rock bands allowed to grow old gracefully and assess the world’s and their shortcomings in the process? Is it possible to swerve the obvious and make something that’s bittersweet in tone but harmonious on the ear? Of course it is.
On ‘Snow Bound’ lost heroes are lamented, relationships are re-evaluated, atonement is sought, mortality is mulled over and fake news is undercut. It’s serious stuff, the thoughts of a dysfunctional 50-something wrestling with maturity and discovering that their post-punk DIY beliefs still have a real voice that resonates between the fans of their early years and which can now pass down to the next generation. 
Casting our minds back The Guardian mused, “They sound almost like the musical embodiment of autumn,” when confronted with ‘Silver Bullets’. Three years on, ‘Snow Bound’ nestles heartily in its own winter of discontent. And all this with a humalong melodic verve, Phillipps’ gift for the tempered dalliance of verse and chorus and those gorgeous euphoric organ fills. Lead tracks ‘Complex’ and ‘Lord Of All I Survey’ recall R.E.M, Go-Betweens and Guided By Voices” (Press)

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Synths and Shoulder Pads – WILD NOTHING: Indigo (Captured Tracks, 2018)

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Está claro que el sonido de WILD NOTHING poco tiene ya que ver con el de sus inicios, allá por 2010, cuando ya nos hacíamos eco de su debut en TJB. Indigo es un disco decididamente Retro80, limpio, cristalino, con sonoridades que evocan por momentos lo peorcito y lo más empalagoso de la década de las hombreras y los sintes. A mi entender, bastante prescindible.

“After making the epically lush Life of Pause, which was recorded in three studios with different producers and collaborators, Wild Nothing‘s Jack Tatum wanted to do something different on the band’s next record. For 2018’s Indigo, he first made detailed demos, then took a small band into the studio and spent four days recording the songs live. These recordings were then built up by Tatumand producer Jorge Elbrecht as the duo added new parts and reused sounds from the original demos. The result is an album that’s just as ’80s-influenced as the last record, but much less fussy and more direct. Tatum hasn’t forsaken glossy production and gleaming sounds — everything here is clean enough to eat off of — and the songs are slicker than anything in the Wild Nothing catalog. In fact, they are slicker than anything in the Howard Jones or Prefab Sprout catalogs — two artists Tatumclearly reveres. This detailed, sweat-free approach could have sounded lifeless in the wrong hands, but the team here is lucky to have a typically strong set of songs to work with, and they don’t swamp the melodies in overcooked cheese. The saxes are kept on a low boil, the synths are minimal, andTatum‘s vocals are kept low in the mix as he sings calmly about heartache. The melodies and songs are strong enough that they could have withstood some less adept production; tracks like the swooning pop dream “Oscillation,” the lovely “Letting Go,” and the very hooky “Through Windows” would have shone like diamonds no matter what. Those are examples of how good Wild Nothingsound when doing uptempo pop; the ballads Tatum delivers are just as strong. The production really has a chance to come across on the slower, more measured songs like “Partners in Motion” and “Shallow Water.” The layered synths and guitars form a soft launching pad for Tatum‘s heartfelt vocals and rich harmonies. The balance of tempos and sounds makes for a well-rounded listen and it’s a step in the right direction after Life of Pause, which took the Wild Nothing sound right to the edge of overdoing it. Despite its slickness, this is a smaller album, built around real emotions and more scalable sounds, but its impact isn’t felt any less. Indigo is another block in the impressive body of work Tatum has built over the decade, and it’s some of the best retro ’80s (but not stuck in the past) music anyone is making in the 2010s” (AllMusic)

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El Mundo Today – THE SMITTENS: City Rock Dove (Fika Recordings, 2018)

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“The Smittens are a 6-piece indiepop band that make upbeat and introspective tunes, tinged with vulnerability and optimism. While sonically the elements of multi-layered harmonies, countermelodies and ba-ba-ba singalong hooks still play a large part in The Smittens’ approach to songwriting, as each of the 4 main songwriters has grown, the overall perspective of the songs seems a bit moodier, and more serious. They’ve long since left behind the label of being a ‘cute’ or ‘twee’ band since their debut album 15 years ago.
City Rock Dove is instead an album of transition, ennui and nihilism; honing in on personal politics and gender queerness. The album contends with the turbulent changes of modern America serving only to cement the status quo – and it’s not just the outside world that’s changing either: The Smittens are also singing about the changes in themselves and taking a hard look inside. Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor) returned to mix the new album, having been instrumental in helping develop the richer textures first seen on 2016’s Love Record Breaker EP.
The album opens with the coming-out anthem Three States, Dana’s very personal tale of change. His vocals for the song were recorded over 2 years during the course of his gender transition. It’s a window into vulnerability, fear, determination and growth: there’s beauty in complexity. Gender and sexuality are behind Cats for Cats, taking a gay dating app cliche (“masc. for masc.”) as the opening refrain, and contemplating being 40, in a long term relationship and how freedom of experimentation always comes with its own costs.
Infinity Pools is a homage to Spanish tontipop, and also inspired by Max’s longstanding love of tropicália. It’s a heady mix of pretentious experimentation and the most basic, simple, silly, absurdly infectious pop.
Missy takes the lead on album closer Prince of Sweden, a love letter to Scandinavia. “I love Cole Porter’s song “You’re the Top” because it’s a rolling list of things that are the best-of-the-best and being the Prince of Sweden seemed like it could be one of those… at least as good as being compared to cellophane. No political innuendo intended.”
The band is friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that. Max Andrucki, Missy Bly, Colin Clary, Dana Kaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create catchy, harmony-driven pop anthems and queer love songs—always brilliantly lyrical, and often brazenly political. They’re based in Burlington, Vermont and in New York City. City Rock Dove is their 6th studio album, and third release with Fika Recordings” (Press)

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Yesterday and Today – CLEARANCE: At your leisure (Topshelf Records, 2018)

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Cuando conocimos a CLEARANCE eran aún una banda de esas divertidas, con un deje Pavementiano más que evidente, y una ilusión más que palpable. At your leisure (Topshelf Records, 2018) es su segundo trabajo en largo, y es la confirmación de su sonido. Una banda que, si sin asumir demasiados riesgos, ha conseguido sonar fresca, asentada, con una base del College Rock y el Rock Alternativo del los noventa, a los que puntualmente les añade gotitas de Power-Pop y de Jangle-Pop para darle ese aire cándido, a lo que se le añaden las irónicas y ocurrentes letras de su líder, Mike Bellis.

“With At Your Leisure, Chicago indie rock outfit Clearance shake off much of the lingering ’90s-influenced slackery of their 2015 debut in favor of a leaner sound that bears traces of classic Flying Nun Kiwi pop, ’80s college rock, and post-punk. As solid as their early singles and LP were, the looming specter of Pavement remained a cross to bear, and with the band’s subsequent exorcism of it (for the most part), they’ve turned a significant corner on this sophomore set. Led by singer/guitaristMike Bellis, along with fellow guitarist Kevin Fairbairn, bassist Greg Obis, and drummer Arthur Velez, the quartet imbue their riffy, jangling guitar pop with an innately Midwestern flavor even as they’re channeling bits of the Clean or the Kinks. Produced in Chicago by scene staple Dave Vettraino (the Hecks), who, among other bands, has also recorded Clearance‘s rehearsal space bunkmates, NE-HI,At Your Leisure also marks the group’s label debut for West Coast indie Topshelf Records. Early highlight “Destination Wedding” marries the best of old and new Clearance with a bit of the swing and woozy bends of their first LP and an elegant chorus that could have come from a Robyn Hitchcockrecord. “Rumored Sequel” (a cheeky phrase that also gets a subliminally scribbled nod on the album’s cover) has a breezy yet detached summer bent, while the excellent “Haven’t You Got the Time?” has a distinctly British power pop feel. With better-crafted songs and a greater sense of confidence,Clearance have grown by leaps and bounds with this one” (All Music)

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Guitars Palette – KRISTIN HERSH: Possible Dust Clouds (Fire Records, 2018)

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“A blown-out, gothic grunge palette – halfway between Giant Sand and Mary Margaret O’Hara” (Guardian)

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2018 ALBUM LAUNCH
25^th Oct: Rough Trade East, London, UK
30th Oct: Rough Trade NYC, US
 
“LIVE AND LOUD” TOUR 2019

9th Feb: Minifestival de Musica Independent de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
8^th Mar: Engine Rooms, Southampton, UK
9^th Mar: West End Centre, Aldershot, UK
10^th Mar: Bush Hall, London, UK
12^th Mar: Bush Hall, London UK
13^th Mar: Sub89, Reading, UK
15^th Mar: Holywell Music Room, Oxford UK
16^th Mar: Philharmonic, Liverpool, UK
17^th Mar: Cluny, Newcastle, UK
18^th Mar: Perth Theatre, Perth, UK
19^th Mar: Mono, Glasgow, UK
20^th Mar: Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, UK
21^st Mar: Left Bank, Leeds, UK
22^nd Mar: St Phillips Church, Salford, UK
23^rd Mar: Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, UK
24^th Mar: Glee Club, Nottingham, UK
26^th Mar: Tramshed, Cardiff, UK
27^th Mar: Phoenix, Exeter, UK
28^th Mar: The Fleece, Bristol, UK
29^th Mar: Arts Centre, Colchester, UK
30^th Mar: St Paul’s, Worthing, UK
31^st Mar: Quarterhouse, Folkestone, UK
1^st April: Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich, UK

Depeche Mode: Never Let Me Down Again (Rhythm Scholar Perpetual Euphoria Video Mix, 2018)

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El último artefacto sonoro del remezclador de Chicago Rhythm Scholar está basado en un original de Depeche Mode. Aquí se ahonda algo más en su espíritu tecno.

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Cambios sutiles – BEACH HOUSE: 7 (Bella Union, 2018)

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Sutiles los cambios experimentados en el sonido de la banda desde sus últimos trabajos. Sin abandonar la exquisitez Dream-Pop de sus anteriores entregas, BEACH HOUSE se adentra en un nuevo universo, algo más experimental, más etéreo y cercano a la Indietrónica cargada de sintes que a sus sonidos primigenios. Para ello, han contado con la colaboración de Sonic Boom, uno de los gurús de la neopsicodelia desde hace ya tiempo.

“While Beach House‘s sound has always focused on hypnotic melodies and Victoria Legrand‘s rich vocals — and likely always will — they’ve found different ways to explore this potent combination on each album. Legrand and Alex Scally delivered some of their most dramatic experiments on 2015’sDepression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars, which presented a surprising amount of sides to their music even as they stripped it down to the basics. If possible, they’re even more committed to change on their aptly named seventh album. To make 7, Beach House opted to work with Sonic Boominstead of longtime producer Chris Coady; brought their live drummer James Barone into the studio; and recorded songs as soon as they were done writing them instead of waiting to record all of them at once. This creative liberation resonates on every track, whether Scally and Legrand build up the instrumentation or pare it back, touch on their familiar sounds or invent new ones. 7‘s sequencing spotlights just how wide its range is, juxtaposing songs that sound wildly different, but equally likeBeach House. The galactic whoosh of “Dark Spring” — a key example of Boom‘s influence — sounds all the more vast next to “Pay No Mind,” the band’s warmest, most down-to-earth love song yet. Similarly, “L’Inconnue”‘s blissful call-and-response contrasts nicely with the edgy “Drunk in LA,” where the beats and synths evoke rain-slicked streets and city lights. Then there are the songs that feel completely new: with its warping synths and enigmatic vibe, “Lemon Glow” gives the Beach House mystique a sci-fi update, while the sleek “Black Car” incorporates hints of dance and R&B without sounding like the duo is chasing trends. “Dive” is another standout, shifting from rainy-day contemplation to speeding down the road with the windows down in a way that’s seamless and exhilarating. Elsewhere, Legrand uses 7‘s eclectic sounds as an opportunity to experiment with different lyrical perspectives that add depth to the album’s dreamy surfaces, as on “Girl of the Year,” where its cavernous sweetness echoes its tale of a young woman famous for self-destruction. Throughout 7,Beach House feel more concerned with capturing moments fully rather than conforming to notions of what a cohesive album is. That these songs sound like they came from different albums is ultimately more refreshing than disorienting, and the excitement that courses through each track is palpable.Scally and Legrand could have only made 7 at this point in their career — not only do they have the skill to change things up, but the wisdom to know how and when to do so” (All Music)

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Sugar fullness – HATCHIE: Sugar & Spice (Ep, Heavenly, 2018)

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Bonitas, dulces, resultonas, molonas, epatantes… Las canciones de este Ep son muy chulas, pero demasiado deudoras de sus influencias, quizás demasiado evidentes a veces. HATCHIE es una de las últimas sensaciones del Indie más major.

“Things have been looking pretty sunny in Hariette Pilbeam’s world lately. The Brisbane, Australia native—who records as Hatchie—struck gold last year with her debut single, “Try,” a delicious dream pop song that earned her a record deal with Double Double Whammy and praise in high places (Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie is a noted fan). There is an ease to her music; the three singles she’s released so far waft like a balmy breeze. Her newest release, “Sugar & Spice,” serves up a sweet take on the inevitable rough patches in relationships.
Plenty of songs have been written about loving someone as their affections wane. Many are somber in tone, some are livid; Pilbeam’s approach is something else entirely. “You don’t call me baby anymore,” she complains, but in a honeyed, unperturbed voice. She revels in a billowy backdrop of fuzzed-out guitar, her self-assuredness bolstered by peppy backing vocals. Pilbeam writes from the bottom of a valley with the optimism of someone who can see the path out of it: “The brightest stars burn out the fastest/But maybe we could still outlast it.” If that last line, repeated over and over into a twinkling synth outro, doesn’t persuade the object of her affections to stay, then nothing will” (Pitchfork)

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We took all the Acid – THE WARLOCKS: Songs from the pale eclipse (2016) / Vevey Live (2017) (Cleopatra Records, 2017)

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Las últimas entregas sonoras de una de las más significativas bandas de la escena Psicodélica norteamericana de los últimos tiempos. 

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