Discoverer 148: new indie findings

Last Sunday of July, we have time for another round of new proposals in our discoverer series before holiday's break! We go quite psychedelic & ethereal today, get ready for the trip!

Zen Mantra. We begin in Christchurch, NZ, to introduce you to the music of Sam Perry's solo project, that he began around 2012, when he was just 17 years old. Perry, who is also member of pop band Yumi Zouma debuted in January 2013 with album 'How Many Padmes Hum', and now has a self-titled follow-up, created and recorded mostly by himself around the world whilst on tour, out since this April via mighty Flying Nun Records. A record that sees Perry going deep into that psychedelic pop territory that no one does as New Zealanders groups but widening the sonic palette to add all forms of pop music: from shoegaze bursts to reverb attacks, from atmospheric landscapes and occasional darker tones to blissful, immediate tunes full of hooks. Oh! The "warped" pop from down under is here again to haunt you...

Eerie Wanda. And let's move to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (first time?) to meet this indie pop quartet led by Croatian/Dutch singer-songwriter Marina Tadic. While she was the guitarist of local band Earth Mk. II after graduating from art school she decided to embark herself in writing her own material, citing Beat Happening,You Marble Giants and Daniel Johnston as influences. Early circulating demos reached Jacco Gardner’s bassist Jasper Verhulst, who agreed to help her assemble a band and produce its music. Bram Vervaet on lead guitar and Nic Niggebrugge (also in Jacco Gardner) on drums joined the then duo and, in 2015, they began rehearsing and recording debut LP, 'Hum', out since this February via Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records. And what a record this is! Summery, evocative, gentle, extremely melodic, subtle yet elaborate, with Tadic's vocals recalling you the quiet powers of Angel Olsen doing joyful indiepop with hints of psych-folk. Look for Wanda at the best records of the year list! 

Manon Meurt. Very happy to feature a band from the Czech Republic at the Blog (sure it's the first time!). Hailing from Rakovnik, just outside of Prague, this quartet formed in 2010 but until 2013 they were known as Katie & The Accessories. With the adoption of their current, literary name, also came a solid status of "band to follow", playing alongside consecrated bands like The Raveonettes or the legendary My Bloody Valentine. In the fall of 2014 they self-released debut 12" mini-album, self-titled, which sold out shortly, becoming almost a collectors item. Now upstart Canadian imprint Label Obscura has reissued the vinyl this April. An unmissable chance to discover the highly melodic yet moody, sparse and dreamy sounds of the combo, clearly recalling Lush and Slowdive, combining with their full throttle shoegaze moments. Best of both worlds.

Spanish Indie 24: suggesting the best national acts

Not the first time, and with the amazing taste and ear of Rafa and Joan to sign exciting bands I'm pretty sure it won't be the last, this next round of national discoveries is devoted to one of our dearest labels, El Genio Equivocado. Three more mind-blowing bands to add to their immaculate roster. Sonic gold!

Ghost Transmission. Hailing from Xàtiva, Valencia, the band started in 2012, initially as a trio but now as a quartet, self-releasing their own material and playing several concerts. Despite first demos were completely homemade, they got the opportunity to play in festivals and gigs like Make Noise in Barcelona. A year later they repeated the process, but with a more defined sound and clearer ideas, self-recording three more songs under the title of 'Mirror' EP. After some more gigs, during the summer of 2014 they locked into Estudios Tigruss to record their debut album, entitled 'Apparitions', out now via El Genio Equivocado. An LP fated to be among the best national records of the year, thanks to a thunderous combination of melody and shoegaze, The Raveonettes and The Jesus and Mary Chain's spirit channeled in hyper-addictive tunes and a fierce, no-boundaries attitude live. I believe in ghosts from now on.

Cómo Vivir en el Campo. After this very curious name hides a trio formed in Madrid that, after some self-recorded albums, released their first proper LP 'CVEEC' in 2012 on Discos Calabaza, with their music traveling somewhere between the Californian sounds of the 60’s and 90’s noise pop, giving shape to a bright, radiant, dark and ambiguous pop sung in Spanish. After getting enlisted by El Genio Equivocado, last summer they recorded second album 'CVEEC 2', out that September, which opened the doors of festivals like Primavera Club. Understandable considering they have even widened their palette of sounds, everything seems to fit naturally with them: from krautrock to indie pop, from instrumental sounds and Latin touches, experimentation and melody. One hell of a proposal, catchy & exciting as well as adventurous, powerfully performed live. Let's move out from the city!

El Lago Oscuro de la Broca. And we end the proposals in Zamora, with a quintet born in mid-2008. Been around from a little while they built a reputation of "one of the best kept secret of the Spanish scene" and "band to watch" thanks to performances at Sonorama Festival, Microsonidos and gigs around the country until, at the end of 2014, El Genio Equivocado signed them. The label immediately released advance single 'Los Líderes Africanos'. anticipating their flawless debut album, 'Beta', out since this March. A stormy, frighteningly solid, relentless and shocking treaty of shoegaze, noise-rock and post-punk, atmospheric yet at the same time straightforward. A very special, knockout band.

"Pretty Decent Swimmers", Northern Portrait, jangle-pop champions

Pretty Decent Swimmers EP

Understatements or modesty are frequently virtues when we are talking about music (usually musicians or critics have serious problems of incontinence, delusions of grandeur or extra-huge ambitions). But I do have to complain here. Our favourite Danish band (along with The Raveonettes), Northern Portrait, is happily back with a new EP (a new record on the horizon too) entitled "Pretty Decent Swimmers", already available on the amazing Matinée Recordings. What an inappropriate, bad title this is!
 
Because if we are using the swimming reference with indiepop, they are nothing but Olympic Swimmers, not just pretty decent ones. They are the responsible of an incredible, mind-blowing debut album, "Criminal Art Lovers", plus a little collection of delicious EPs. And after hearing their new gorgeous four songs, they should be nicknamed the "Michael Phelps of jangle-pop"!

Come on, how many bands could return to action after three years with such a shimmering, joyful tune like opener "Happy Nice Day"? It starts unremarkable, but after 30 seconds the real song unleashes into n irresistible jangle-pop "beast". Stefan Larsen romantic voice, guitars ringing, a pulse that slows and rises like your heartbeat, a disarming chorus... all the essence of Northern Portrait summarized and perfected into a pop gem. Sure it will be up there among the best songs of the year (and I know we haven't finished January yet).

With such a great initial song, “Greetings From Paris”, pales by comparison on first listening. But that's a very unfair judgement for a subtler, more oblique and intimate number. Give the tune it's time and space, and it will show all its wonders: Larsen's graceful vocals, that guitar breaking in its middle section before the singer strikes back, that ridiculously simple end turning into a ridiculously affecting climax...

“Bon Voyage!” accelerates the tempo a bit, helped by ever-present guitars (this is jangle-pop folks) and looks, smells and of course sounds like a pop classic. What made The Smiths so immortal was that passion they brought to all of his parts: Morrissey's drama, melodies so unforgettable, guitars chiming or evoking known situations. Northern Portrait are capable of injecting that sort of magic to their tunes. Hear how they close the song. That piano...

We reach the end of the EP with “I Feel Even Better”, on which Larsen seems to step back a bit to let the music be on the forefront of the tune. Melody, together with the delicate arrangements are the guide here. With lyrics that are somewhere in between melancholy and the "first day of a new era", it might be the less the surprising of the lot, but it leaves the listener longing for me. Which is exactly what the best bands do. Northern Portrait add another unmissable reference to an immaculate career so far, could we be in front of the champions of jangle-pop? Have to see them live at the Madrid PopFest!!

SCORE: 7,75/10

Winter-Spring 2013: agenda of concerts

Not in the best of moods lately (work issues), so what's best than live music in order to cheer up a bit! Let's take a look at our provisional agenda of concerts until summer (hope it grows)!

JANUARY
31. Veronica Falls at BeCool

FEBRUARY
15. In-Somni Festival at Sala Bikini. Arizona Baby + Stay + our beloved Partido
16. In-Somni Festival at Razzmatazz 2. Los Punsetes + Extraperlo + Tweak Bird
21. The Raveonettes at Music Hall
23. Minifestival de Música Independent de Barcelona, at Espai Jove Les Basses. A chance to see Amor de Días live, plus The Primitives!

MARCH
7-9. Madrid PopFest! at Sala Clamores, Madrid. Really hoping to make it! Northern Portrait, Alpaca Sports, This Many Boyfriends, Burning Hearts.... too good already!
13. Beach House at Sala Apolo

APRIL
19. Allo Darlin' at BARTS Espai Club (Artèria Paral·lel)
20. Jane Joyd at Music Hall
27. Eels at Artèria Paral·lel

MAY
17. Alessis' Ark at BARTS Espai Club (Artèria Paral·lel) 
22-26. Primavera Sound Festival. Of course.

JUNE-JULY
Who knows? But a couple of Festivals are in the agenda....


Majority still pending, some due to "calendar issues", but the majority, due to "economic issues" (depressing I know), but green means confirmed: already got the tickets or to be accredited (expected!). Sure many others will come!

Shoegazing storm with The Ravonettes in Barcelona

The Raveonettes (+ Versatile). Sala Bikini, Barcelona, June 3rd

Among the posts pending there was the review of The Ravonettes gig at Sala Bikini in Barcelona. The Danish duo was presenting their latest album, the gloomy and moody "Raven in the Grave", and the expectations were high, due to the quality of the album, and because of the chance of seeing the group in a small venue, usually with a great acoustic.

After a local support act, named Versatile, that won't go down in history, The Raveonettes took the stage to trigger the shoegazing storm the night was destined to be. The opening trio of "Recharge and Revolt", the wonderful "War in Heaven" and "Let Me On Out" was the warm-up of the night and gave the public the first taste of how the concert would develop: intensity, a desired prevalence of guitars and percussion among the voices, close to noise sometines, full of reverb and feedback, where the subtleties of their latest album were replaced by the vibrations of the small but full venue.

That Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner chose their darkest material was clear after they combined "Dead Sound", "Noisy Summer" and the always addictive "Love in a Trashcan". By then, for me at least, as much as the guitars and double drumming were exciting, losing the vocals and their intertwining (and I was on the first row) was a bit disappointing, being one of the highlights that make The Raveonettes special.

As I said, the whole night was prolific on their garage/shoegazing classics, giving the band the opportunity of inserting almost all of "Raven in the Grave" (8 of the 9 songs from the album), that flowed smoothly with the old material, with special mention of the terrific combo "Evil Seeds"-"Ignite". In terms of cohesion, the gig was superb, making the people move with the noisier tunes and keep their breath with the paused ones. But for the ones that were expecting some more "In and Out of Control" songs (still hoping one day I'ill hear "Bang!" live), the night only rewarded us with a sublime "Heart of Stone".

Overall a good concert, with many songs to remember (was great to hear some oldies like "Attack of the Ghost Riders" or "The Love Gang") and a band in perfect form and total control of what and how they want to do things, although I would have preferred a different setlist (you can check it fully below) and a lesser garage sounding.

1. Recharge and Revolt
2. War in Heaven
3. Let Me On Out
4. Dead Sound
5. Noisy Summer
6. Love in a Trashcan
7. Lust
8. Apparitions
9. Evil Seeds
10. Ignite
11. The Love Gang
12. My Tornado
13. Attack of the Ghost Riders
14. Heart of Stone
15. My Time’s Up
16. Forget That You're Young (encore)
17. Aly, Walk With Me (encore)

Discoverer 10: new indie findings

Next round of weekly proposals!

The Sand Band. "All Through the Night", debut album (released in January) from this Liverpudlian (great word) band leaded by David McDonnell has been praised all over the blogosphere. And with a reason. A rare honesty and an uncanny talent for melodies permeates the whole record, in which their folk-rock arises into something suggestively different, melancholic, atmospheric and strikingly beautiful. While McDonnell has been recruited by Noel Gallagher's for his new music adventure, I'm pretty sure this album will be among every Best of the year lists. Don't miss The Sand Band.

Austra. Pretty radical drift in style for the blog (not very fond of electropop or goth synth-pop), the recommendation of this Toronto trio has a reason: Katie Stelmanis unforgettable voice. Multi-instrumentalist Katie pursued a career in opera until she decided she wanted to “make classical music with really fucked up, distorted crazy shit on there.” "Feel It Break" first album (out May 17th) as Austra, enters dance territory but has more in common with bands like Zola Jesus or Fever Ray. Add the new wave feel and Stelmanis voice for a simple equation: Austra is going to be huge. Listen to "Lose It" and get mesmerized. AUSTRA Lose It

Austra - Beat and the Pulse

Tamaryn. And for the third proposal, we move to shoegazing territory with this duo (vocalist Tamaryn and multi-instrumentalist Rex John Shelverton) from San Francisco. Two EPs and a first album "The Waves", from 2010, for a band capable of condensing a cinematic, dense and atmospheric sound, with guitars that will draw comparisons with a more melodic version of My Bloody Valentine, with a female's voice that evokes a noisier Beach House, an experimental version of The Raveonettes, or even Mazzy Star. Big references for a record that you should check immediately. Judge yourself!!
Tamaryn - The Waves

Dawning -Tamaryn by absentminded

"Raven in the Grave", The Raveonettes in gloom

Raven in the Grave- The Raveonettes

"In and Out of Control" was an album capable of summarizing the career of the Danish duo while offering their strongest collection of tunes, offering so much to enjoy that is hard not to consider it their best effort. So what to expect after reaching (arguably) your peak as musician? "In and Out of Control 2"? No, Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner chose the hard way.

While you wouldn't call The Raveonettes music as "sunny" or "happy" their previous album was upbeat and it was full of singalong ("Last Dance" or "Bang!"), moments. Say farewell to that, as "Raven in the Grave", replaces the fizzy and sweetness with darkness and gloom. But don't be scared, we still have melodies, harmonies and excellent songs. They are just hiding, shadowed on a cold mist.

The start is terrific. "Recharge and Revolt" is anthemic and impassioned, even without a traditional chorus. "War in Heaven" is a true gem, atmospheric and delicate, with Sharin Foo delivering her most haunting singing to date. And closing the winning trio, "Forget that You're Young", another irresistible melody

Unfortunately, the middle section of the album is not as remarkable. "Apparitions" is a valuable attempt to make a departure from their sound, with its intrincated and tortured rhythm recalling Warpaint, but "Summer Moon" and "Let Me On Out", a ballad and a short midtempo song, although cute and wonderfully crafted, don't deliver or add anything substantial to the record.

Luckily, the rescue comes in the form with the last batch of songs. "Ignite", is traditional Raveonettes, unforgettable chorus, vocal harmonies intertwined from Wagner and Foo and chiming guitars. A much needed injection of effervescence. And then we find "Evil Seeds", with its somber introduction, then turning into a pummelling beat as the skeleton of a melody that plays, gracefully, the loud/quiet strategy, before exploding into a wall of guitars that dies on an acoustic and compelling note. Superb song, that impacts you enough to make you go through the final song, "My Times's Up" almost without make you wonder why it sounds so similar to "Summer Moon".
  
Overall, I have to praise The Raveonettes from making the brave movement of moving from the successful path of their previous record and present us something more concerned on creating a mood, and atmosphere, on capturing and provoking emotions than on commercial results. It doesn't have as many brilliant songs as "In and Out of Control" had, but it shows a band seeking for creativity and challenges, and when they hit the target, they create some wonderful (and deeper) songs.

SCORE: 7/10

The link to my article (in Spanish) reviewing the record, from the website I collaborate with:
"Raven in the Grave", el invierno en primavera de The Raveonettes

"Recharge & Revolt", on the road with The Raveonettes

The week starts with the first complete listen of "Angles", The Strokes comeback (if you allow me the euphemism, not very impressed), having doubts about "Belong", the sophomore effort from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the confirmation The Vaccines deserved all the hype (their album is officially released today, don't miss it). But among them...."Recharge & Revolt", mesmerizing new tune (plus a beautiful and classy video) from The Raveonettes, included in the forthcoming "Raven in the Grave".

Several music reviews to come in the next days... so stay tuned!