Find us on facebook

Monday, February 12, 2018

Discoverer 162: new indie findings

Keeping the recovered pace in our discoverer series, today we bring you a trio of indiepop wonders "found" in between the end of the 2017 and the beginning of 2018. Fear no more, the jangly guitars are back!

A Certain Smile. We begin in Portland, Oregon, to meet this quartet formed around 2015, the brainchild of Thomas Andrew, who has been and indiepop activist in Pacific Northwest USA (Toffee Club Sunday brunch, radio music host at Freeform Radio), and several music ensembles on his back. One of them, Port of Call, alongside his best friend Tom Fleischer, formed in 2002 (then in Philly), can be described as the seed of A Certain Smile, as some of the tunes of their debut album 'Fits & Starts', dates back from that college years era (there are some tunes available at their bandcamp from 2004 and 2014 under their current nickname). Technically out in summer of 2017, their self-released record is fuzzy pop blast, extremely catchy and contagious, yet with space to flirt with shoegazy atmospheres. Nine vitamin pills to recharge your indiepop batteries anytime you need...   

The BV's. Jump to the "old continent" with a transnational proposal, between Augsburg, Germany and Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, formed in 2016,when Fred Jehle met Josh Turner in the latest weeks of an university exchange in UK, beginning writing tunes at a very enthusiastic, DIY pace. That initial material became their debut album 'Speaking from a Distance', out past April via Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. The positive reviews helped the duo gain momentum, expading the project to a full live band, which allowed them to tour with Blog favourites The Bats and The Luxembourg Signal. Direct result of that latter tour, now The BV's are back with 12” EP 'Interpunktion' out just now. Somewhere in between the most atmospheric side of jangle-pop and the most melodic face of shoegaze, like The Field Mice through a wall of sound and reverb, The BV's are a real treat to the ears, expansive and warm. Exciting band not to be missed.  

The Keep Left Signs. And we end in Sweden (not 100% sure, though, not much info out there) to enjoy this combo formed in the spring 2015 with members from the bands The Mare and The Electric Pop Group who, out of the blue, delivered their debut mini-album 'Tomorrow' in early December 2017. Co-released by our beloved friends at Shelflife alongside Spanish label Kocliko Records, this seven tunes are fine example of classic, timeless indiepop with a knack for melodies, melancholic vibes and that quintessential jangling guitars driving that we, "the usual suspects", need in regular doses to keep us going. A little gem to be rescued and treasured that we hope is just a first chapter of more to come...

No comments:

Post a Comment