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.

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 112

Here we are again, squeezing the last days of July with the most exciting new music approaching our radar. This time, our regular TOP TEN Jukebox blends brilliant, consecrated artists returning to form, like our beloved Hamilton Leithauser (hard to imagine his song is not fated for the best songs of the year list) or the amazing reunion of Neko Case, Laura Veirs and K. D. Lang, alongside dear bands of this Blog as Space Daze or The Spook School, plus the regular discoveries taking us places, some sort of a music travel with stops in Argentina with Las Kellies and our recurring New Zealand with Zen Mantra. A lot to discover, a lot to enjoy! And remember, all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2016 Jukebox playlists

Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89 Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  
Week 93  Week 94  Week 95  Week 96   Week 97  Week 98  Week 99   Week 100 Week 101 
Week 102   Week 103  Week 104  Week 105   Week 106  Week 107    Week 108  Week 109
Week 110  Week 111

These Go to 11: interviewing Phosphene

Last interview before holidays! And what a great one! Because our guests answering the questionnaire this time are Phosphene, one of our favourite music discoveries on this 2016 so far and, besides an exciting band, are a trio of wonderful people. These Go to 11!

Rachel, Matt and Kevin, seeking for the light among the haze

Phosphene

Haling from Oakland, CA, they started to play in 2008 when Rachel Frankel (vocals / guitar) and Matt Hemmerich (drums) met in class. Two years later the couple decided to start a music project together, launching a first EP that by now must be a rising collectors' item. But Phosphene needed a major factor to become what they are now (an ace band, that is): meeting Kevin Kaw (bassist/ guitarist) in a songwriting event featuring Aaron Dessner's from The National (a shared passion with this Blogger) in 2013. With Phosphene becoming a trio, they recorded s/t first LP in July 2014 followed by the terrific EP 'Breaker' this April (among the best of 2016 so far). A stunning blend of dreampop, indie-rock and shoegaze fated for great things to come. Here we go!

The millennial heartbreakers 

1.First record that you bought (be honest)
Matt:​­ 'Dookie' by Green Day.
Kevin: '​­Fountains Of Wayne' (s/­t album).
Rachel: ­'Millennium' by Backstreet Boys.

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
Matt​­: AFI in 2003, most recent: Low with Andy Shauf.
Rachel: Hanson in 1999 with my mom (SUPER COOL), most recent: Low with Andy Shauf.
Kevin​­: my sister took me to see Duran Duran in 1993, most recent: Treasure Island Music Festival.

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)

Rachel:­ 'Transantlanticism' by Death Cab for Cutie (not all that embarrassing, but it’s a super sappy album and they’re a very mushy indie rock band).

Matt​­: 'If You're Reading This It's Too Late' by Drake.
Kevin:​­ 'Me&The Rhythm' by Selena Gomez.

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)
Matt:​­ 20” Paiste Dimensions ride cymbal.
Kevin:​­ my Torino Red 2000 American Standard Stratocaster.
Rachel​­: my great­grandmother’s violin.

The "fucked up" song. The National during the durational performance of
'A Lot of Sorrow' by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson. Photo: Charles Roussel

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

Matt​­: "You are my center when I spin away" ­ Radiohead, “Videotape”; "I'm a moth who just wants to share your light" Radiohead, “All I Need”; "I live in a city sorrow built. It's in my honey, it's in my milk" ­ The National, “Sorrow”; "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe" ­The National, “Bloodbuzz Ohio”.
Rachel: ​“I’m a modern girl, but I fold in half so easily” ­ Rilo Kiley, “Pictures of Success”; “Bored in a role, but he can't stop standing up to sit back down, and lose the one thing found. Spinning the world like a toy top 'till there's a ghost in every town.” ­ Elliott Smith, “Can’t Make A Sound”; “There’s always a siren singing you to shipwreck” ­ Radiohead, “There There”.

Kevin​­: “No longer cradled in gravity’s memory...” ­ Pale Saints, “A Thousand Stars Burst Open”, “Over the moon and under the influence” ­ The Trash Can Sinatras, “Easy Read”.

Neko Case, a true original

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
Matt:​­ Neko Case, Thom Yorke, Carrie Brownstein, Killer Mike, El­P.
Rachel: ­ ​Neko Case, Elliott Smith, Alan Sparhawk, PJ Harvey, Rachel Goswell.
Kevin​­: Kurt Feldman, Jen Goma, Koji Nakamura, Robert Smith, Johan Duncanson, Jeremy Wrenn.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)

Matt​­: 'Unknown Pleasures' by Joy Division.
Rachel: ­​​'July Flame' by Laura Veirs, 'The Eraser' by Thom Yorke.
Kevin​­: 'Kid Games' by Airiel, 'I Love You, Honeybear' by Father John Misty.

'We got you, babe'... repeat ad eternum...

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 

Matt​­: Movies because I’m illiterate. 'Carol' is one of the most evocative films I’ve seen in some time.

Rachel: ­books- 'Kafka On The Shore' by Haruki Murakami, 'All My Puny Sorrows' by Miriam Toews

Kevin​­: books- 'The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon, 'Man V. Nature' by Diane Cook; movies- 'Groundhog Day'.

9. Song (of yours) you are most proud of

Matt​­: It’s a tie between 'Rogue' and 'Wire'. Both are dear for selfish reasons. 'Rogue' was the first song I ever wrote and sung a vocal melody on. 'Wire' is the first song I wrote in full on guitar.
Rachel:​­ I’ll pick one from our first album and one from our second. I was really happy with the way the melody turned out on 'Thief' and 'Be Mine' is probably my favorite child from Breaker.
Kevin​­: I’m quite fond of 'Wild Decay'.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
Matt:​­ Indie is more of an ethos to me than a genre. There’s a huge community of musicians, bands that encompass it, so you can really stick “indie” in front of any sound. Being indie, however, doesn’t inform the music itself.

Rachel: ­I still don’t really know the answer here. At its core the term just represents “independent” music, but like Matt said it’s evolved into an entire scene. It’s actually pretty meaningless for me at this point.

Kevin​­: I think it involves making something for the sake of making it, and then sharing it with others, all on your own terms.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
Matt:​­ residing in Portland, Oregon with Rachel. A black cat and corgi are mandatory in this house. Ideally, we’ll still be creating music with Kevin as Phosphene labels.
Rachel: ­ ​I’d love to keep playing music and gain a stronger following over time. I also hope to be living in the Pacific Northwest and continuing my work as a designer and illustrator, probably with lots of animal babies and a HUGE kitchen.
Kevin​­: I don’t know, but wherever I end up, I’m sure it’ll involve donuts.

 Zillion thanks Matt, Kevin and Rachel!

The Indie Anthology 67: essential songs

Almost A YEAR since the last chapter of our anthology? Please accept my apologies... I don't have a real reason to justify the lack of updates in this section except less time on a daily basis to update the Blog. But that's something about to change (I think), and we're going to revamp it here immediately. So, in order to do it properly, I needed an engaging, really driving tune from a very beloved & flawless band. Let's bring back the memories... and the great tunes!

Song: You Should Always Keep in Touch with Your Friends
Artist: The Wedding Present
Year: 1986

Can't remember exactly when I first listened to The Wedding Present, but I easily recall the compilation mixtapes (yes, ages ago then) with terrific bands a long lost friend of mine and myself used to exchange for a while. One of my favourites was a selection of tracks from The Posies' 'Frosting on the Beater', The Fall's 'This Nation's Saving Grace' and The Wedding Present' 'George Best'. What a killing trio, right? I loved the three bands (I still do!), but I got particularly hooked by David Gedge's way of blending jangle-pop with pure, urging electricity, so I started to search from more immediately, finding an incredibly amount of gems, among them this blissfully stunning 'You Should Always Keep in Touch with Your Friends'. From the very first second the short drum roll connects with the chiming guitar (Peter Solowka and Gedge doesn't get the credit they deserve as guitar players) the listener knows there's something going on here. It's a burst of adrenaline that keeps the pace and momentum during its minutes... but there's more beneath the shiny, upbeat surface. There's a real ache, a poignancy in the simple yet affecting lyrics. A look back to first loves and a period in time now long gone. Evocative and contagious at the same time. What an eternal tune!

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 111

In a blink of an eye, we have arrived to the last days of July. Which means that we are almost touching our deserved, wished, needed holidays with our thumbs! Yeah, we are warning you... we are going to disappear a bit this August. But first goes first, and here's our weekly TOP TEN Jukebox! Starting with the indie-punk energy of The Tuts, going through the sweet proposal of French Pop Dream or two brilliant covers: Tape Waves transforming a New Order's classic into a surf-pop wonder and our beloved Sharon Van Etten making The Flaming Lips' most iconic tune even more touching. Overall, here's a very eclectic & exciting playlist! And remember, all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2016 Jukebox playlists

Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89 Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  
Week 93  Week 94  Week 95  Week 96   Week 97  Week 98  Week 99   Week 100 Week 101 
Week 102   Week 103  Week 104  Week 105   Week 106  Week 107    Week 108  Week 109
Week 110 

Discoverer 147: new indie findings

Here's another round of new proposals in our discoverer series! We make quite a long trip today to bring you some of the most exciting new sounds in pop, enjoy!

Ciggie Witch. We begin in dear Melbourne, Australia with this six-piece, name it music collective or some sort of superband if you prefer, with members also playing in wonderful bands like The Ocean Party and Totally Mild. First releases 'Stupid Hamish' and 'Echidna Cottage', from October 2012 and January 2013 were packed on a limited edition cassette via their own label Osborne Again, with debut album 'Rock and Roll Juice' appearing in June of 2014. Since June, we can enjoy sophomore LP 'Classic Connection', co-released by them and our friends at Lost And Lonesome. Ciggie Witch are pure DIY guitar-driven indiepop, somewhat the missing link between Pavement, Real Estate and The Go-Betweens, languid, slightly awkward but sun kissed tunes with not so joyful lyrics. Contagious yet carefree music.

Palomica. Let's meet British (between Brighton and Bristol?) musician Nicol Parkinson and his experimental, homemade solo music project (he's also member of pop band Frozy and The Nervy Betters) that live has featured members of The Wave Pictures, Joanna Gruesome, The Middle Ones, Trust Fund, The Choo Choo Trains, among others. Palomica's first songs surfaced in 2013, with debut album 'Sometimes It's a Struggle' arriving digitally that June, followed by sophomore LP 'Petito' out just now via Fika Recordings. His music is indiepop, warm, melodic... and extremely unique, as Nicol blends the immediacy of pop with ambient sounds, cacophonies, electronic drones. From The Pastels to the Japanese avant-garde Tori Kudo’s Maher Shalal Hash Baz, everything seems to fit in Palomica's music, an young adventurous of pop.

Soccer Mommy. And finally, let me introduce you to Sophie Allison, a young singer-songwriter (and former soccer player) hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, but based in New York, where she studies English at New York University. Although she has been playing guitar from an early age, this sporty-titled project began to shape just last year, with the apparition online of 'Songs for the Recently Sad' in September 2015, followed in December & January '16 with 'Songs from My Bedroom'. parts 1 & 2.  Now, after teaming with Warren Hildebrand of Foxes In Fiction/Orchid Tapes, Allison has just released 'For Young Hearts', an utterly disarming album. Warm, inviting lo-fi indiepop with a dreamy mood, packed with gorgeous guitar lines, emotional directness and confidence in her vocals and lyrics, and an undeniable feeling of freshness and authenticity. Look for her at the Music Champions League!
  

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 110

It's hard to turn on the news (our condolences and solidarity are with the people France, as well as with every place that is suffering/has suffered the violence and nonsense of the ignorants). It's almost impossible to understand the way international politics is developing (Brexit, Clinton vs. Trump, Rajoy again, Turkey, we could keep going forever...). It's terrible to just open windows because it's too hot and start hearing your neighbours' criminal music tastes... So, we need an oyster where we can hide for a while... an oyster with a fantastic soundtrack, of course. Like our weekly TOP TEN Jukebox. Because music is always there for you. And remember, all songs are listed at our Soundcloud page (Join Us!).

Direct links to 2016 Jukebox playlists

Week 84  Week 85  Week 86   Week 87   Week 88  Week 89 Week 90   Week 91   Week 92  
Week 93  Week 94  Week 95  Week 96   Week 97  Week 98  Week 99   Week 100 Week 101 
Week 102   Week 103  Week 104  Week 105   Week 106  Week 107    Week 108  Week 109