Discoverer 169: new indie findings

A veteran with a flamboyant comeback and two most promising newcomers are our latest proposals in our discoverer series, all coming from the States, where there's still a lot to love despite the dark times they are (we are) facing. As a wise man used to sing, "music will provide the light you cannot resist"... Enjoy!

Papercuts. We begin our music trip in Los Angeles to meet Jason Quever and his long-standing project. Based in San Francisco until very recently, Papercuts began as a solo endeavour, debuting with album 'Rejoicing Songs', followed by 'Mockingbird' in 2004. But it was their next stride of releases, 'Can't Go Back' in 2007, 'You Can Have What You Want' in 2009, both via Gnomonsong Records, and 'Fading Parade' in 2011, out via the mighty Sub Pop, who certified Quever's talent as a songwriter... as well as a producer, something his ever-growing resumé, including names such as Luna-Dean Wareham, Cass McCombs, The Mantles or Beach House, proves. That studio work became has been his major focus during this decade, with just another Papercuts album, 'Life Among the Savages', out in 2014, breaking that sort of hiatus. Luckily, that standstill is over, as since this October we can enjoy 'Parallel Universe Blues', out via Slumberland Records. A striking combination of melodies and atmospherics, Quever's tunes are the perfect marriage of shoegaze's distant spaces and feedback, the dreamier, moodier side of folk, and an irresistible "Velvetian scent". A soundtrack for the Fall, and a record fated to top the best-of-the lists year.    

Blades of Joy. And without leaving California, we remain in the Bay to meet this exciting new combo, formed around 2015 by members of local bands Swanox and Dissolve. There's not a lot of info about the quartet, so we'll happily stick with the music, as their debut, self-titled mini-album out now now via Melters speaks for itself. Seven killer tunes naturally pairing the electricity with the dusk, the jangle with the haze, the spectral with the rockier. Like the Rain Parade under the Kevin Shields "treatment", there hasn't been a more apt name to define a sound in recent times than Blades of Joy. Not to be missed!

Carbon Poppies. And we end in Lafayette, Louisiana (finally this Blog travels to the Deep South musically), in order to introduce you to this trio responsible of what it looks, smells and, most importantly, sounds like one of the EPs of 2018. Members of other music acts such as Brass Bed, Lost Bayou Ramblers or Kind Cousin, Allison Bohl DeHart, Jonny Campos and Peter DeHart formed Carbon Poppies around 2011, debuting with self-released  6-song, 12” vinyl EP 'And Don’t the Kids Just Love It' in 2012. Since then, not much info available... until now, as the always worth checking Elefant Records has just released their selt-titled sophomore EP under its 'New Adventures in Pop' collection. Four slices of top-notch, hyper-addictive indiepop, with an arresting version of 'Rain On My Face' by the 60s lost band Shape & Sizes, nods to our dear The School as well as to power-pop humming choruses or the slightly psychdelic pop vibes from the golden era of the West Coast pop. A knockout pop gem.   

Discoverer 149: new indie findings

Plenty of music to suggest you in our discoverer series after holidays! But first goes first, so let's pay a visit to our dear Antipodes to see (and hear, of course) what's going on with this trio of wonders! 

Chook Race. Again (just virtually, damn it!) in Melbourne, Australia, to meet this trio formed by Matt Liveriadis, Carolyn Hawkins and Rob Remedios in 2010. Initially a garage surf band, soon their sound evolved towards a jangly, guitar-driven pop reminiscent of the Flying Nun bands and other lo-fi legends. Debut 7", self-released and self-titled, arrived in 2012, with highly limited tape 'Power Nap' and the 'Cheap Split' 7", alongside with Unity Floors following in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Again self-released, first LP ‘About Time’ came a year later. And now they return with sophomore album ‘Around The House’, out just now via Trouble in Mind (Tenth Court in AU, NZ & Japan). Hard to resist, it has boy-girl harmonies, simple yet urgent jangle riffs to keep you going all day, these sunny vibes melted with the Antipodean trademark melancholia... Another one to fall in love from down under, folks. Keep it coming!

The Wild Poppies. "Short" jump to Wellington, New Zealand, to talk about a long-time disbanded & forgotten combo that, thanks to the love and care for great music by unmissable independent labels. has revived, at least for a while. The Wild Poppies formed around 1986 and recorded the debut LP 'Heroine' and a single called 'Where Is Wellington?'. They relocated to Oxford, UK, toured for a few years with well-known local contemporaries such as Ride and Swervedriver, and released the (sadly, prophetic or ironic?) 'Out of Time' EP dissolving in 1989, when the rave culture emerged. But last year, thanks to Manufactured Recordings and our dear friends at Pretty Olivia Records 'Heroine: The Wild Poppies Complete Collection' appeared, compiling, for the first time ever, their long out-of-print aforementioned releases as well as demos for many latter-day tracks (both released and unreleased). It's a stunning collection of music. Warm, breezy jangle-pop with hints of a more experimental, shoegazy sound. You now have the chance to (re)discover a lost gem.

Bloodhounds On My Trail. Still in Melbourne, but now getting into the burgeoning shoegaze scene to introduce you this quartet formed in 2013 (based on the fact they played their first gig in February 2014) by Johnny Green, Chris Donaldson, Che Walden and Nik Donaldson. Quickly making some noise locally, they received the support from Tonedeaf and Gabe Lewis from Lowtide, allowing them to record with Matt Hosking their debut EP 'Escape' in October 2014, receiving the overwhelming praise of the blogosphere and shoegazing lovers. A year later got revamped and expanded for a international release by Moon Sound Records, entitled 'Escape II' (including the a remix by the dreampop duo Ummagma), while the group shared slots live with acts like Flyying Colours or Day Ravies. With a new EP about to surface, expectations couldn't be higher with BOMT: their combination of hazy atmospheres and rhythm tension immediately recalls to Ride and Slowdive, with a very appealing nod for that "Velvetian" edge. Big soundscapes for a-soon-to-be big band.

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.

Discoverer 141: new indie findings

What about a Sunday devoted to dreampop & shoegaze? With this trio of new proposals in our discoverer series, you're about to be floating in space (don't forget to go down later) Enjoy!

Phosphene. Haling from Oakland, CA, the band origins can be traced around 2008, when Rachel Frankel (vocals/guitar) and Matt Hemmerich (drums) met in class San Francisco. The bound keep growing as the two began dating in ’10 and decided to try writing music together, putting out a little EP a year later (not much info about it). But the move forward came in the fall of 2013, when the duo met Kevin Kaw (bassist/guitarist) at a songwriting event featuring The National's Aaron Dessner (beat that, it was clear I had to love them!), who completed the band. Now as a trio, they recorded their s/t debut LP,  out in July 2014 and this April, they have 'Breaker' EP, a stunning follow-up ready for your listening pleasure. Combining dreampop, indie-rock and shoegaze, always presided by Rachel's killing vocals, Phosphene's songs turn on the lights in the darkest corners, evoking ethereal sonic landscapes while tightening them up with the brooding drum patterns and driving guitars. A slow but unstoppable burst. A quiet but assured arrival to the heirs of the glimmering world. A festival, a parade of music.

Deardarkhead. A very very late finding, I admit. Formed in 1988, the veteran New Jersey band consisted of guitarist Kevin Harrington, drummer Robert Weiss, and bassist/singer Michael Amper, who recorded, under their own label Fertile Crescent, two initial tapes, the mini-album 'Greetings from the Infernal Village' in 1988, and the EP 'Spiral Down and Vibrate', in 1991, followed by EPs 'Melt Away Too Soon' in 1992 and 'Ultraviolet' a year later. In what can be considered a first long hiatus, the group didn't come back to action until 1998, when first LP 'Unlock the Valves of Feeling' appeared, vanishing again throughout the 2000s and somewhat reforming as an instrumental trio after the departure of Amper in 2009, with new bassist Kevin McCauley joining in 2010. In 2012 Captured Tracks compiled the group's three EPs in the album 'Oceanside: 1991-1993', second installment of the label's Shoegaze Archives series, pushing the momentum back for the band. And now the trio is back with their first proper release in nearly two decades, the instrumental EP 'Strange Weather', out via Saint Marie Records since this March. Kaleidoscopic, cinematic, moody and slightly psychedelic yet elegant, Deardarkhead are here to provide you the soundtrack of your emotions.

Soft Wounds. And we end in Toronto to meet this quartet formed around 2012. With some demos surfacing at their bandcamp in late 2014, first glimpses of what sort of band we were going to enjoy started the buzz rolling. But nothing compared with January 2016, with superb tune 'Baby Blue' anticipating their debut, eponymous album, out that month. Addictive fuzzy songs, sounding classic and fresh at the same time, sometimes recalling Ride in their ability of penning pop anthems soaked in reverb, but walking their own path with cracking guitars and a rough edge, adding a much intriguing poignancy to the well-known shoegazing dreamscapes. Band to follow, band to cure the scars.

Discoverer 132: new indie findings

For today's discoverer series we are traveling to one of the kingdoms of indiepop: our beloved Sweden, with a trio of most exciting bands. Njut av!

YAST. The origins of this band can be traced from the steel-producing town of Sandviken in 2007, when Carl Kolbaek-Jensen, Tobias Widman and Marcus Norberg joined forces before luring down to Malmö and, a couple of years later became a quintet with the additions of Markus Johansson and Niklas Wennerstrand. In February 2012 they began a trilogy of singles, 'Believes'. 'Strangelife' and 'Stupid', which anticipated their selt-titled debut album, out on January 2014 via Adrian Recordings. After the good reception of their music and tours supporting acts like TOY, The Drums, Tame Impala and DIIV, in October 2015 they doubled the bet with sophomore LP 'My Dreams Did Finally Come True'. A joyous collection of dream pop pieces, where melody stuns and melancholy haunts you. Check their music, YAST could be ready to soundtrack your seasons...  
 

Animal Daydream. We move North to Gothenburg to meet Daniel Fridlund Brandt and Alexander Wahl, a very enigmatic duo that appeared on the scene in 2014. They have released two EPs to date, both out thanks to the always reliable Jigsaw Records, first debut 'Easy Pleasures' in January 2015 and now, exactly a year later, 'Citrus'. Eight majestic tunes of psych-pop and sunshine pop, recalling The Byrds, the joyous side of CSNY and, looking forward in time, the poppier side of our dear Teenage Fanclub. Harmonies, chiming guitars and the smoothiest vibes from a band fated to make you smile. A pure delight.  

We. the Pigs. And we end once again in Malmö with a sextet that began their career at the beginning of this decade, working slowly on their songs while playing in a few European festivals. Our wise friends at Discos de Kirlian, who already included their song 'Too Young' in their 2012 digital compilation, now offers us their first proper release in the form of a 7" self-titled EP, out just now. Four arresting songs (plus some exclusive digital demos) of highly melodic shoegaze, channeling the intensity of killer guitars and charging drum beats with the irresistible vocals of Veronika. Heavy-fuelled beauty. More please!

Discoverer 129: new indie findings

Final weeks of the year and one of the latest chapters of our discoverer series for this 2015 (we have to lock ourselves to prepare the best-of lists). But this trio had to be listened!

Detective Agency. Hailing from Seattle, WA, the band origins dates back to 2011 and, after some line-up changes, they are currently a quartet: Holmes, Marlowe, Poirot and Spade (just kidding). Three EPs, self-released and available only at their bandcamp digitally, plus some tunes (mostly covers) were their only releases... until our dear and wise friend Oscar Fernandez at Discos de Kirlian reached the band, asking them to compile part of the previous material (seven tunes) plus six new compositions recorded during past summer, to conform 'Now!' a proper debut album, out since November thanks to the Catalonian label. Bright, bouncy, joyful indiepop, full of garage & jangly guitars and vocal harmonies from vocalists Amy and Nate, summoning the spirits of Beat Happening & The Shop Assistants to make you dance and smile. The private investigators of indiepop, ready to solve any music problem you have!

Antlered Aunt Lord. Second trip of the week to most beloved Athens, Georgia, to meet Jesse Stinnard, Tunabunny's eccentric drummer, phantom screamer, compulsive reader and unique musician (the press note says his solo shows are truly legendary). Now this mad genius has decided to put some order into his several-hundred song backlog to release his debut album, 'Ostensibly Formerly Stunted (And On Fire)' out since late November through Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records. It's a carnival of sorts, They Might Be Giants, early R.E.M., Pixies... I know, I know. I'm reciting some of the quintessential American alternative bands. But Stinnart seems to be the missing link between them. Fun, risky yet powerfully melodic. What an exciting chaos. Many thanks, again, Mike!

Youthmemory.  And we end in Tokyo, Japan, to meet this, of course, very young quartet, formed in February,2014 thanks to SoundCloud, the virtual vehicle through with Yuta Ozaki shared his music and met the rest of what would became the band. In February 2015 they debuted with 'Dreamin EP' out via Fastcut Records and, since July, we can also enjoy the 'Raspberry/1980's'  digital single. Six stunning tunes sung in Japanese where dreampop and shoegaze collides, offering instantly catchy melodies, the trademark melancholic vibes and distant, hazy vocals that the genre has, but also a sparkling and more intriguing use of jangling and heavily fuelled guitar riffs. Refreshing and ultra promising combo. Check them out!

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.

The Indie Anthology 60: essential songs

What about a slice of heavenly dreampop (ok, slightly noisy) for our next chapter of our anthology? Can't help it, I'm into guitars lately. Let's go to Leeds!

Song: Sight of You
Artist: Pale Saints
Year: 1990

Sure, it sounds like a sister of Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Just Like Honey', the immortal, legendary 'Just Like Honey', but there's nothing you can do about. And I know the lyrics of the tune are not the happiest ones. But 'Sight of You' is one of the finest examples of a song that is pure bliss, euphoria, an undeniable recharge of energy, an adrenaline shot. It's the opening 25 songs, the day awakening, the sun arising. It's the power of guitars: a bursting bass beating throughout the song while Graeme Naysmith draws the unforgettable relentless lines, both melting into the fuzzy sound of the stratosphere. It's Ian Masters' fragile, weak vocals, surprisingly able to make his way trough the sonic landscape, It's the pause and, just afterwards, the stomping attack around the 3.20 minutes mark. It's the flawed noise, the galloping horse running over the hills. Almost 6 minutes of adventure. Oh, what a trip music can be!

The Indie Anthology 58: essential songs

It's been a great shoegazing weekend, so why not keeping up with the vibes in our anthology? Here's one of my favourite bands from that period. Ear-exploding sounds!

Song: Sweetness & Light
Artist: Lush
Year: 1990

Lush is my (original generation) second favourite shoegaze band, right after Slowdive (no one beats Rachel Goswell).It's kind of funny because I first got into the band thanks to Britpop, in particular Jarvis Cocker and his collaboration in 'Ciao!' (my brother was and still is a big Pulp fan, even bigger than me). And they did pen wonderful pop songs (Single Girl', 'Ladykillers', '500')... but one started to dig into the past and kaboom! What a heavenly band! Take 'Sweetness and Light' for instance. These chiming guitars with the otherworldly vocals echoing the melody, the inviting tempo, dream and ride at the same time. The subtle moment the tune stops (2:30) and there's that watered (or is it glass?) noise before the instrumental section arises. This is how the music must sound in space. Haunting, mysterious, unapproachable, irresistible. Shoegaze takes you places. Places full of emotion. Don't miss the trip.

Discoverer 111: new indie findings

Not one, not two, not three bands on our discoverer series today.... BUT THIRTY! It's a very special, celebratory day on shoegaze. Ready? Then, here we go. Ladies & gentlemen, we're floating in space!

Revolution- The Shoegaze Revival. My beloved Slowdive last year, Ride on tour this season. Swervedriver, Medicine... the 'Beautiful Noise' documentary. Is there a shoegaze comeback, a revival? It might be, but for many of us, it was simply never gone. Because many musicians out there, not that popular, far from the spotlights, are still trying to bring their guitars to another level, to familiar yet unknown territories. And today I have the pleasure of presenting you one of the most exciting examples of that will ever be compressed into digital audio (let's hope for a physical release, too). It's called 'Revolution- The Shoegaze Revival', and it's a shoegaze gift. A labour of love for music.

Curated by UK label Ear to Ear Records and Indonesian label Gerpfast Kolektif, 'Revolution' is a compilation featuring 30 bands from 16 countries, covering 5 of the 6 inhabited continents, selected purely on the basis of their music. This worldwide love affair for shoegaze must not be mistaken for a tribute album on the iconic bands of the now vindicated genre. All tunes here are genuine original material for the bands, making this selection a mind blowing start to introduce oneself into a huge amount of exciting music that deserves to be heard (110% you're going to see some of the bands on forthcoming "Discoverer Series" on this Blog).

So, please listen, download (name your price at bandcamp) and, for sure, enjoy. The bands deserve it. The amount of excellent tunes, diverse and open-minded, gathered here is just mesmerizing. Kudos to everyone that has been involved in this extraordinary effort. And special thanks to Shauna McLarnon and Louis Lawrenson for approaching me. World shoegazer fans, unite!

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Discoverer 109: new indie findings

Here comes the first trio of discoveries of 2015! We are back in full, overpowered mode, so get ready, you have been warned!

Pinkshinyultrablast. New year, new exciting proposals from Shelflife, folks. This time coming from Saint Petersburg, Russia, here's a quintet formed in 2007, but their only release to date didn't arrive until 2009, in the form of EP 'Happy Songs For Happy Zombies', out via Odd Box Records. Luckily, the combo is alive and kicking, as the debut album 'Everything Else Matters',   available since last week through Shelflife and ClubAC30 majestically proves. Gold shoegaze for shoegazing addicts, echoing Lush, Slowdive, Sabres of Paradise but also adding hints of dream-pop, the icy, otherworldly spirit of Cocteau Twins (get haunted by Lyubov's voice) and glimpses of electronic. Indeed, an ultrablast.

Wildhoney. More lighting floating in space, now thanks to this band, another quintet, hailing from Baltimore, Maryland and formed in 2011. After first demos surfaced the blogosphere in 2012, their s/t debut EP arrived a year later, followed in 2014 by another EP, 'Seventeen Forever'. And now they are back with 'Sleep Through It', debut album out now via Deranged/Forward Records. Shoegaze with a million faces, at times raw and noisy, others poppier and gentle, here's the aggression and the caress, the urgency and the atmosphere, the haze and the light. Very hard to resist.

Viet Cong. A hype with a reason. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, this Canadian band formed in 2012 from the ashes of the troubled group Women. Bassist Matt Flegel started a new project with Scott 'Monty' Munro, live guitarist for Chad Van Gaalen, quickly expanding into a quartet with drummer Mike Wallace and guitarist Daniel Christiansen. Their debut came a year later with a self-released cassette, reissued by Mexican Summer on vinyl past summer. They signed with Jagjaguwar, who along with Flemish Eye has just released the highly anticipated s/t first album. Seven fierce, angular, gloomy and elusive tunes of post-punk. A beast that we will have the chance to see live at Primavera Sound.

'Beautiful Noise', shoegaze me

Beautiful Noise
Beefeater In-Edit 2014, Chapter III

The third documentary seen at this year’s Beefeater In-Edit was another easy choice. To my knowledge 'Beautiful Noise' is the first-ever documentary made on shoegaze/noise-rock of the late 80s-90s. Must-watch, again.

The merits of the film are many. Eric Green has created a relevant film from ground zero, working alongside producer Sarah Ogletree during almost a decade through their company HypFilms. Considering the DIY origins of the documentary (funded by a Kickstarter campaign), it's a great achievement they managed to arrange so many interviews with very big music names. But even more important than that, they have been capable of offering us a very solid and coherent work. It's clearly a work of passion for music.

The rise-disappearance-revival of shoegaze is well documented on the rockumentary, thanks to a straightforward chronological line but, foremost, by the huge bulk of interviews. From Cocteau Twins to Chapterhouse, it's hard for me to remember who's missing in the picture (although my dearest one, the great Rachel Goswell, is not interviewed). There are in-depth cuts with Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, The Jesus and Mary Chain's Jim Reid & Bobby Gillespie, Slowdive's Neil Halstead, Ride's Mark Gardener and Andy Bell, or My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, among many others. But there's also space for music giants like Robert Smith, Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan. Extremely impressive. The greatest moments are reserved to Reid and his controversial relation with fame/frustration for the band's lack of sales, and the unresolved war between Alan McGee, boss of Creation Records, and Kevin Shields. They were both right.     

So, the story of late century 'wall of sound' and musicians looking to their sneakers is the tale of a bunch of musicians who tried to subvert rock traditions without leaving guitars, looking for new sounds, atmospheres and introduce melody within the noise trying. Experiment and feel. They were ahead of their time, but they didn't find the success they were hoping for (Ride were the closest ones to achieve commercial support), so the pretty spontaneous movement faded away... until the digital era rescued them. 

Unfortunately, 'Beautiful Noise', except some situations like the ones referred before, lacks poignancy, debate, insight. Bands are utterly praised then simply glorified (can't put all bands in the same bag), and so is the revival (same applies). Besides, the film has too many minutes of empty visual fillers. We get it, it sort of connects with the ethereal, elusive music, but it's kind of lame. The overall feeling is that we are watching a formal, very correct but a bit monotonous documentary. The movie does makes a beautiful noise, but it's subdued.

SCORE: 6,25/10

Discoverer 101: new indie findings

Our 101 post in our discoverer series is a special one: another trip "down under", but this time to Melbourne, Australia, where three exciting bands are ready to blow you away!

The Zebras. Pop veterans that started their career in Brisbane in 2001 when Jeremy Cole, Edwina Ewins, Matt Jones and Leon Dufficy made the move from Cairns and shoegaze, quickly supporting bands like Lambchop and The Shins, a most promising fact fuelled by the airwaves love of first single 'Car of Idiots'. In 2004 arrived their eponymous debut album on Lost and Lonesome, with sophomore LP 'Worry a Lot' coming in 2007, to much of acclaim from fans and critics. But then came frustration with Brisbane's pop scene, which provoked the group's disband. Although there was an EP in 2008, 'New Ways of Risking Our Lives' with Cole and Ewins introduced assembling a new line-up, The Zebras got in some sort of hibernation... until now, with the arrival of flamboyant new album 'Siesta', out since June on Jigsaw Records and Lost and Lonesome. POP in big capital letters, sumptuous, jangling, endearing, sun-soaked, with Edwina Ewins melting hearts vocals. Serious contender for the best-of-the-year albums lists...

Twerps. Formed in late 2008, this quartet were already supporting big names like Deerhunter, The Bats, Black Lips, Yo La Tengo and Thee Oh Sees within a few months of their first show. Their debut EP, 'Good Advice', arrived on Chapter Music a year later in late 2009 (also released on cassette at US by Night People label). Hype became a fact when Uncut magazine called them “best new band in Australia”, fostered in 2011 when they released single 'She Didn't Know' and 'Black Eyes', followed by self-titled debut album co-released by Chapter Music and Underwater Peoples. A new single, 'Work It Out/He's In Stock', and a tour with Real Estate came in 2012. Now, after a line-up change on drums, Twerps return to action with eight song EP 'Underlay', out this August on Chapter Music and Merge Records. Immediate pop, playful and unaffected. Lazy voices, crystalline guitars, killer melodies, lo-fi scent... Honouring their own tradition (hard not to hear echoes from The Bats or The Clean) while giving us an irresistible dose of immaculate guitar-pop.

Lowtide. Although technically, they began in 2008 as Three Month Sunset, built around the solo workings of Gabriel Lewis, the band's rebirth as Lowtide in 2010 was more than just a name change, becoming a full and expansive sounding quartet. That same year the group released debut EP 'You Are My Good Light'. Shows with A Place To Bury Strangers and Festivals with names like Caribou, My Disco and Toro Y Moi followed. 2011 seem the band releasing a two-track single entitled 'Underneath Tonight' on Departed Sounds, with more shows alongside bands such as Royal Baths, The Laurels or Beaches. On 2012 and 2013 Lowtide focused on playing and preparing their self-titled first album, which was anticipated this May by the mind-blowing single 'Blue Movie', and its out since middle July on Lost and Lonesome. Somewhere in between the lovely Ride and celestial Slowdive (yes, talking big here), Lowtide have created and extraordinary record, full of reverb and dreamy layered guitars, air-suspended vocals and lush textures. A dreampop classic in 2014.