Eastern Phoebes: Better people (Ep, 2012)

Nuevas aventuras Pop

Hablar por mi parte de Eastern Phoebes resultaría, además de reiterativo, poco o nada objetivo. Desde hace algo más de un año que se asomaron por el balcón de The JangleBox, la formación de Ry Smith y Meg Bayley nos han ido regalando un tremendo puñado de canciones que en su momento calificamos como “gemas” en manos de unos “orfebres del Pop”. Yo creo que con este Better people (Ep, 2012), el dúo neoyorquino ha llegado a uno de sus momentos creativos cumbre. Su amor por el Pop sencillo, libre de grandes arreglos, pero a su vez refinado y elegante, ha dado como resultado un Ep de seis canciones en las que no sobra ninguna. Una especie de mini-opereta Pop en la que el buen sentido del humor, el amor por lo cotidiano y por los sentimientos se han erigido en un disco mágico, que lo mismo te recuerda a Belle and Sebastian que a Olivia Tremor Control pasada por el tamiz de los Beach Boys o The Zombies. Un disco muy grande en un formato pequeño de seis temas.
Una banda demasiado poco conocida, que cocina sus discos a fuego lento en su propio estudio, a su manera y que cada cierto tiempo nos ofrece la oportunidad de ir degustando sus maravillosos platos al estilo de la cocina moderna, en poca cantidad para que el deleite pueda ser mayor.

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“The beauty of music is that every person in the world can find at least one style that appeals to them because of the wide variety that’s being created every day. Eastern Phoebes are not a typical band for many reasons. They record all of the music in their lakeside cottage on Long Island, and everything is homemade. While some musicians spend a lot of time writing and producing music, Eastern Phoebes like to record as quickly and simple as possible. This technique is enjoyable to them and they want to release as much music as they can to the fans.
When listening to the six tracks on their latest EP, Better People, you will get the impression that this is fun for Eastern Phoebes and they just want you to enjoy and not take the music too seriously. The EP consists of harmonizing vocals and a strong presence of the piano and keyboards. A lot of the lyrics may seem a bit obscure to some listeners, but music lovers with an open mind will enjoy the fact that Eastern Phoebes produce a different kind of music that’s not commonly heard.
The second song on Better People “I’m A Wolf,” could take place in the sixties era with the band displaying a sound similar to some Beatles songs. At one point, there’s a haunting sound that enters halfway through the song that resembles part of The Doors’ “Light My Fire.”
Their lack of serious, deep lyrics shines through on “We Can’t Have A Cat,” when vocalist Meg Bayley sings about wanting various pets and asking why they can’t get the pet. Then the other vocalist Ry Smith, answers her requests with a selection of reasons why they can’t get a pet. The music on this track could be played in a movie or musical when an evil character enters because of the haunting, dramatic quality.
Eastern Phoebes’ EP Better People is perfect for the music lover who is looking for something outside of the box and isn’t trying to find the next best thing to hit the radio stations. The band takes pride in making their music on their own, and as long as they’re enjoying themselves, they will continue to release as much music as they can in the quickest way possible. As long as they’re releasing this experimental music, there will always be the unique music fan who will continue to listen and support” (wordkrapht.com)

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Eastern Phoebes: Lion gardiner (2012)

Orfebres del Pop

Si el otro día me refería a Pulco como el “Artesano del Pop”, hoy me tengo que referir a Eastern Phoebes como los “Orfebres del Pop”. (El Pop está lleno de orfebres, desde luego, pero hoy les toca a Eastern Phoebes). Digo lo de orfebres porque el dúo de Long Island es algo así como ese pequeño joyero que manufactura sus piezas para consumo personal o de un reducido grupo de clientes. Meg y Ry elaboran sus discos, los graban, los autoproducen y editan… para que al final un pequeño grupo de consumidores de su música tengan estas delicias preparadas para llevárselas a sus oídos.
Lion Gardiner es el último trabajo del dúo. Un disco grabado con el mimo de lo artesano. Ellos dicen que no les importan los arreglos, y que el resultado final pulcro y acabado no es su objetivo prioritario. De alguna manera no es así, porque si así fuera no nos explicaríamos temas como In the memory cages, Princeton, Longhorn ocarina, Song for swans… esas pequeñas gemas que el orfebre, casi sin pulir ofrece a su clientela, pero que tienen el encanto de esa joya realizada de forma personalizada.
Sus guiños a bandas clásicas está clara: Beatles, Beach Boys, Zombies, Kinks, Os Mutantes… Sus coqueteos con la música más contemporánea igual: Pastels, The Boy Least Likely To, Belle and Sebastian, Andrew Bird… Eastern Phoebes no son una banda de homenajes, está claro, pero su sonido y su música son un constante tributo a lo mejorcito que sus oídos han ido asimilando. Su crisol está constantemente surtido de las mejores materias primas y eso tiene que notarse.
Puedes encontrar este Lion Gardiner disponible en su Bandcamp hasta este próximo mes de Septiembre, para cuando la banda ha decidido poner un precio simbólico a toda su música; los orfebres no trabajan gratis…

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“It’s been a while since Eastern Phoebes’ last release, Eggplant. And by a long time, I mean a full seven months. Seriously, these guys just keep churning out the songs. According to the band’s FAQ, “We love to record our songs as quickly and simply as possible. Much of it is spontaneous, and hastily captured (though never rushed).”
Here’s the thing: it doesn’t sound “hastily-captured.” These are good, quirky, somewhat old-timey (the word I always use to describe them) songs with surprisingly high production values.
So what does Lion Gardiner sound like? Well, it’s a little bit Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles, a little bit Beach Boys, and a little bit Belle & Sebastian. Really, that’s the best way to describe this album. The highlights from this one are probably the uber-catchy “Heaven is a Knife,” the Beach Boys-esque “Longhorn Ocarina”, the Dear Catastrophe Waitress-era B&S sounding “An Apology Song,” and the cleverly-titled “I Love (To Share a House With) You.”
This said, this album isn’t without it’s flaws. Well, one flaw. I almost feel like I’m stretching to find something negative to say here, but a few of the songs, such as “Heaven is a Knife” and “Narragansett,” end rather abruptly, making them sound almost unfinished. But you know, if that’s my only complaint, it’s still a complement.
So yeah…Lion Gardiner is pretty great. Get it for free from Eastern Phoebes’ Bandcamp page“ (toleven.net)

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Eastern Phoebes: Gypsy paw (Ep, 2011)

No hace mucho que hablamos de Eastern Phoebes en TJB, con motivo de la edición de su anterior trabajo, Wampum. un disco delicioso donde Eastern Phoebes nos ofrecen mucho de lo mejorcito que pueden ofrecer, es decir, una mezcla deliciosa de Twee-Pop y Folk delicado. En sus propias palabras: “Experimental rustic love-pop! Sporadic nomad folklore captured in digital spasm capsules laden with melody + harmony“. No se puede explicar mejor la esencia de la música de Eastern Phoebes. En este Ep de cinco canciones, Ry Smith y Meg Bayley navegan aún más a gusto en las esencias del mejor Pop tamizado con esos sonidos más cercanos al Folk. Recomendable.

Eastern Phoebes – Gypsy paw (Ep, 2011)

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Eastern Phoebes: Wampum (2011)

El Folk-Pop es el protagonista absoluto de la música de Eastern Phoebes, un combo formado de Long Island formado por Ry Smith, Meg Bayley, Rick Kattermann y Frank Filippo. Un cruce de caminos entre el Folk, el Twee, el Country y el Pop más delicado. Algo así como una mezcla entre Gram Parsons, Donovan, Van Dyke Parks, Neil Young y They Might Be Giants, The Boy Least Likely To. Todas éstas son referencias que ellos mismos han colgado en su Facebook, y a fe que en su música podemos encontrar huellas inconfundibles de todos ellos. Lo puedes comprobar escuchando su último disco, este Wampum, en su Bandcamp. Si te gusta, además, puedes descargarlo gratuita y legalmente.

Eastern Phoebes – Wampum (2011)

“I didn’t write any songs for a month after the album came out. I tried promoting the release in my free time, to the best of my ability without having an actual band with which to play shows. Promotion is an interesting aspect of the ‘music industry,’ but it’s not for me–I’d rather focus on recording more material even if it means no one hears it. It’s more self-satisfying to me.

In mid-April, the songwriting bug bit me, so I fittingly recorded a tune called “I’m Gonna Bite Your Head Off When I’m Done Making Love To You” about the cannibalistic sexual adventures of the female praying mantis. Around the same time, Danny Goodwin, the founder of February Records in Connecticut, got in touch with us about possibly teaming up for a future digital release on his label. I took the writing of that song with his label invitation as a sign, and decided to start work on a new EP immediately.

The name Gypsy Paw was born at five in the morning, shortly after Meg and I moved from our loft apartment to a lakefront cottage the next town over. I was watching a red fox roam around our new backyard just before sunrise, recording its tracks in the mud. I realized that I was like the fox, having just roamed myself, but with girlfriend, pup, and a ton of instruments into a new living situation…recording tracks. I felt like a transient, like a bard, a hermit-turned-hermit crab, ready for a new song shell. 

In the next three weeks before its free release via Bandcamp (June 30th), I will write short anecdotes about the individual songs found on Gypsy Paw, from inspiration to execution. These writings will accompany streaming versions of the songs, to be found on our Soundcloud page as I finish up the mixes. 

I stayed true to all of my vows. This EP is a nomadic tribute to our homemade musical tendencies. We’d like to show you what happens when a song moves around” (gypsipaw.blogspot.com)

 

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