"Waiting for Something to Happen", Veronica Falls do it again!

Waiting for Something to Happen

Veronica Falls has returned. For me it's one of the most anticipated albums of the year, but I decided to take my time to review it because I wanted to be as objective as possible. I have read some reviews criticizing the band has just repeated its successful formula... and you can't say these opinions aren't justified. But hey! "Waiting for Something to Happen" has 3-4 perfect tunes, another bunch of hyper catchy songs, full of hooks and in-your-face guitar lines... so how many bands have such a collection of spectacular songs with just two albums? At the end, what's more to ask?   

Besides, how am I supposed to resist and remain impartial if the first chords of "Tell Me" immediately makes me think of R.E.M. first albums? 10 seconds and I'm already smiling. Gentle and mellower than usual, this almost whispered opener is as inviting as promising. Damn it, I'm smiling again. Oh, that jangling guitar.

Second tune "Teenage" is the band sounding as their most recognizable, meaning: irresistible guitar-driven upbeat indiepop. One could say they are copying themselves, but please go to hell. And next comes the first knock-out. 2:24 minutes to create a pop masterpiece. That's all what Veronica Falls needs. As simple as that, "Broken Toy" is just disarming.

After a trio of wonders, "Shooting Star" comes as the first surprise (put that under quotation marks). Is the band flirting with grunge? I would say just incorporating some of its soundings to their music palette and making it look completely of their own, fitting with its more obscure side. Not outstanding, but curious.

It gets better immediately. "Waiting for Something to Happen", the song, is to me the second masterpiece of the album. Joyful and chiming, the chorus is pure bliss. And is coupled by the third gem of the album, "If You Still Want Me". What a bridge, what a chorus, defiant, passionate, these guitars resonating in your head. Heard both tunes live, and believe me, its impossible not to dance. Want more? Completing what's arguably the finest moment of the record comes "My Heart Beats", chosen as first single, so heard well in advance. Quintessential Veronica Falls' sound again, vital and uplifting. 

Unfortunately, at least for me, "Waiting for Something to Happen" fails to maintain its impressive amount of hits in its second half. "Everybody's Changing" is Veronica Falls reaching a middle ground. Indeed everything sounds too familiar here. Luckily is followed by "Buried Alive", another outstanding tune, among the sweetest/twee the band has penned and absolutely irresistible. But is the exception on a rather flat album last section.

The final bunch of songs shows us a band striving to diversify its sound, with average results. "Falling Out" is quite flat on that sense, and "So Tired" fails to define itself despite being much more interesting, again making me think of Peter Buck and its chiming guitars but not achieving its promise. Can't say the same about "Daniel", the slowest number of the record, and too short and half-baked to build its own momentum or produce a lasting impression. And final song, "Last Conversation", pales in comparison with debut album final number, the mind-blowing "Come On Over". To be fair, is an enjoyable song as everything Veronica Falls pens, but it borrows too much from its "elder sister", looking like a poorer version of it.

Despite 3-4 forgettable tunes, that makes the album rating a little bit lower than their glorious debut, "Waiting for Something to Happen" offers, again, so many amazing indiepop moments, so I'm very pleased to end this review just saying that Veronica Falls did it again!

SCORE: 7,5/10

Discoverer 54: new indie findings

This Sunday we have a special edition on our "Discoverer series", as it has been "curated" by Jeremy Jensen from The Very Most. Two of the three proposals are wonderful bands that he highlighted on the amazing video interview posted on the blog earlier this week, plus a third band he recommended me by e-mail. What an impressive music taste he has. Hope you enjoy!

Silver Screen. Very hard to find info on this band, no much more aside this is the long-time project of Cris Miller, a one-man band from L.A. that has been around for virtually a decade. With just one album released in 2006, "The Greatest Story Never Told" references on him vanish until... now, with the announcement of a new record "When You and I Were Very Young" out in April on Plastilina Records. Please listen the bandcamp link and you will find a mind-blowing jangle-pop, an immediate timeless classic album. Where have you been hiding Mr.Miller? So glad you are back!

Souvenir Stand. When I asked Jeremy about a new band he had recently discovered she suggested the songs of Souvenir Stand. What a lovely choice. Let me introduce you to the music of Stephanie Cupo, this young singer songwriter from New Jersey, NJ, with just a small collection of demos and an EP, "Days I've Spent With You", released past summer. Quoting Jeremy "this is a great girl-group Beach Boys style-influenced, with really great songs, really great singing". Indeed great. Near perfection vintage tunes, 60s inspired retro pop with Ms. Cupo's voice flouring all over. We want more!

Adam and Darcie. "One of the most beautiful records ever made. Gorgeous from front to back. Beautiful folk, harmonies, just so good, I can't even tell you". If a gifted musician like Jeremy Jensen says this when asked about an underrated record he considers a classic, you instantly go through the Internet to search for it. He is referring to 2009' "California Trail", second album of this husband and wife duo from Provo, Utah. They debuted in 2007 with "The Valley Where I'm From", and their latest release (collaborations, contributions to coral LPs and Christmas EP aside) dates from 2011, with EP "Early in the Morning", both available on the infallible Indiecater Records. You don't need many songs to understand why the praise. This is highly emotional music, done with a care and honesty that sounds like pure magic, like if this lush, delicate and embellished folk-pop was created just for you. Warm and soaring intimate songs. 100% agreed Jeremy, "they deserve to be very well known".

Of course, thanks a million dear Jeremy!

"Young Hearts Crying", life's constant defeat

Young Hearts Crying- Richard Yates

Spanish readers, we have to celebrate the works from Richard Yates keep being published regularly after decades of being an ignored author. We are getting close to have them fully now. The last to arrive is "Young Hearts Crying", one of his latest novels (1984) and in my opinion, arguably his most pessimistic and depressive.

And considering Yates' works that's a lot to say. The two books previously reviewed on this blog, "A Good School" and "A Special Providence" were very sad already but nothing compared with "Young Hearts Crying". Sure, the novel might not be as devastating or crude as his masterpieces "Revolutionary Road" or the "Easter Parade", but it might be his most ambitious in what refers to scope, character development, subjects and sub-plots. And because of these shows a comprehensive view of life that is absolutely merciless: life is just a constant disappointment, a never-ending defeat.

Yates' characters have no option in "Young Hearts Crying". Lucy and Michael are portrayed to detail from the day they met to decades after. In a period that comprises more than two decades, from 1950s to the 70s, we have all the ingredients: social class, courtship, marriage, friendship, sentimental relations, sex, divorce, kids, artistic ambitions, work, madness, isolation, social and political changes... All poignant failures, all fears.

Yet despite being a book a bit too long, or having some subplots not that interesting -Lucy's hippie affair in my opinion, although it serves the purpose of portraying the decay of Michael latest relation-, Yates ability to knock you out, to dissect and find the perfect short sentence or brutal dialogue is unparalleled. One can also say that in this novel he finds a more direct voice. He is disarmingly real, the development of his characters is always vivid. But I can't help thinking this book must say a lot about the author's view of the world, of existence. Because there's barely nothing positive to hold on to inside this pages. Instead, you can even feel a certain rage, an inner turmoil that some times gets verbalised in the rants and thoughts of Michael Davenport. Social class and art receive the most harsh invectives, as well as the sad look to human relations that are Yates' trademark.

The American Dream has been and still is a recurrent subject on literature. But there's no other author capable of demolishing the dream with so much accuracy and realism than Richard Yates. Even if it hurts. And it does.

SCORE: 7/10

Spanish Indie 11: suggesting the best national acts

Very happy to have "revamped" this section of the blog, many interesting bands coming!

Las Ruinas. Not the first time I wrote about this trio as I saw them live at Primavera Club 2011, but they deserved a proper mention. Born in 2008 in Barcelona, after a homemade demo and two self-released albums, "Butano", in 2010, and "Disco de Autoayuda para Mutantes", in 2011, gained the appreciation of local underground scene and national press. The wise people from El Genio Equivocado signed them that year, re-releasing both LPs on a double CD and, past October, their latest work, "Groarrr!". They define their music style as heavy-pop, but I propose you a simple but exciting equation: punk-pop + humour & surrealism + liveness + fun= Las Ruinas. Roar with them!

October People. Young quartet coming from Madrid, they started in 2010 and quickly established their sound as well as themselves as band, crystalising past October (of course) with their self-titled debut album. 8 songs that brings us back to the dark-pop of the 80s. October People play post-punk with punch, immediately recalling zillions of bands (from Joy Division to Interpol, from The Sound to Editors, from The Chameleons to Echo and the Bunnymen), but being able to sound as urgent as passionate, as bleak as danceable, and as credible as addictive.
The Trees. Discovered them last week, at the Minifestival de Música Independent. A very young  band from Barcelona, created last year and with just a first self-titled EP, recorded on April 2012, out now. Even despite their logically short repertoire, here's a group to follow closely. As they proved live, their songs, a delicate and highly emotional folk-pop that recalls bands like Great Like Swimmers, are evocative, intense and heartfelt. Here's a group that really puts everything they have, that immerse themselves in their songs. A group that deserve to be listened.

Bloodbuzzed interviews The Very Most!

Today's post is a very special one. The (very) most special of this adventure named "Bloodbuzzed". When I started this blog, interviewing musicians was just a dream, a possibility that looked as exciting as impossible. I didn't know that a musician I admire, Jeremy Jensen from The Very Most (also Baffin Island) was going to approach this humble blogger and music lover and become what I'm proud to call a virtual (hope to solve that sooner or later) friend.

So, at the beginning of the year we planned this interview. When thinking on the questions to make him, I wanted to cover as many sides as possible: the musician of course, but also the citizen and the person. Little I knew his replies were going to be so interesting and open, and that he was going to do such an effort and answer my questions with this wonderful video.

You can listen to the gorgeous "When Summer Finally Dies", TVM's song Jeremy chose below. I hope you like the interview as much as I do! Thanks Jeremy, thanks The Very Most!

Discoverer 53: new indie findings

New band proposals in this freezing Sunday, enjoy!

Concrete Knives. Coming from Caen, France, this young quintet started making music together at high school. On April 2011 they released their first EP, "You Can't Blame the Youth", and thanks to the buzz created by their tunes and their praised live shows, they signed with Bella Union on 2012. Their debut album, "Be Your Own King", was out in October in France, and this month arrived its worldwide release. Incredibly catchy songs, danceable, full of upbeat rhythms, infallible pop hooks, vocal harmonies... Think on bands like Lacrosse, Fanfarlo, Shout Out Louds, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Talking Heads, Arcade Fire... Impressive sound shaker. Irresistible.

Dick Diver. Off to Melbourne, Australia, to meet this Fitzgerald's fourpiece. Started as the project of guitarists Alastair McKay and Rupert Edwards, it quickly turned into a collaborative full band. They debuted in 2009 with EP "Arks Up", very successful  in Australia. Album "New Start Again" came out in late 2011, with digital EP "Alice" following in 2012, announcing the arrival of "Calendar Days", second LP coming this March, propelled with single "Water Damage". Jangle pop that flirts with punk, rock or blissful pop, packed with a distinct, unique vibe... like I have been hearing them from a decade now. Amazing expectations. What a discovery!

The Babies. We end this week's proposals in Brooklyn, NYC, to meet a band originated in 2009 from the friendship of Vivian Girls' Cassie Ramone and Woods' Kevin Morby. Although not conceived as a serious affair initially, with the addition of another friend, drummer Justin Sullivan plus Brian Schleyer, they evolved into a proper group with tours and releases: some singles in 2010 and their s/t debut on 2011. A rarities/demos collection followed shortly, and by the end of 2012 came "Our House On the Hill", their second album. Carefree, straightforward lo-fi indie-rock with joyous girl-boy vocals. Light-hearted and contagious music.

"On the Yard", every prison's blues

On the Yard- Malcolm Braly

Spanish literature lovers: we should all celebrate the existence of this refreshing and flourishing small editorials like Libros del Asteroide, Blackie Books, Libros del Silencio or Sajalín, to name a few, who are giving us the chance of discovering modern and classic authors that were neglected by the majors, who prefer to keep with their regular publishing of all kinds of rubbish instead.

This time Sajalín bring us a major American novel, praised by totems like Kurt Vonnegut as "surely the great American prison novel". Originally published in 1967 and recently back in print (with the inclusion of an epilogue by the mesmerizing author Jonathan Lethem), "On the Yard" is a unique take, surprisingly penetrating and deep on psychology, of the penitentiary world. A microcosm of their own.

Author Malcolm Braly knew what he was writing about. He spent more than twenty years in prison, and wrote the book while spending his days in San Quentin. That personal experience explains his ability to go further that usual in this quite familiar ground. Books and cinema of the life in jail abound, but very very few with that level of insight on the prison's dynamics and foremost, on the minds of the prisoners. Linked with that comes my only real concern on the book: the omniscient narrator has no limits to write how each prisoner or worker feels, but the voice that tells the stories is frequently much more cultivated, miles away, than his characters. To me, in such a realist piece of work, it seems a considerable flaw.

Anyway, let's continue with its many virtues. We are used to prison tales about heroes and villains, violence and redemption. "On the Yard" shift the focus to complex human beings who have/try to carry on with their ordinary lives inside the walls of the prison. Its a place of desperation, depression and survival. Braly's prose is masterful in recreating a vibe, an atmosphere, even a rhythm in what refers to the prisoner's dialogues. The reader could say there are moments where he/she feels part of it. Thanks that's not the case.

The whole picture of the prison is a very discouraging one. There's a lot of fear inside, and violence seems the only resource it can be used to confront it. The structure of the book intertwines the stories of a dozen of prisoners all around Chilly Willy, unarguably the self-proclaimed "boss", the head of the prison, responsible black market and corruption that seems to give him and his core virtual immunity. But we soon realise that's not the real centerpiece of "On the Yard". Braly uses ambivalence and distance, even some peculiar irony, a humour that is part of the exclusive logic of the prison to reduce the dose of desolation, despair and traumatised minds that conform the real truth of the small universe. It's raw, but there are occasional moments of tenderness. It's crude, but you can laugh. It has its own rules and logic. And Malcolm Braly is capable of showing everything all to us.

SCORE: 7/10