Sunday, November 22, 2015

Discoverer 128: new indie findings

We go into darker and rawer sounds our discoverer series this weekend. Enjoy the three blasts you are about to hear!

Protomartyr. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, this quartet formed in 2008 from the ashes of band Butt Babies, were three of its members performed for a while until they expanded into their current line-up and transformed into Protomartyr.  The group released debut album 'No Passion All Technique' in 2012 via Urinal Cake Records, which was followed by EP 'Colpi Proibiti' (also known as the 'Baseball Bat Ep' in the same year by X! Records. Tours and Festivals begun and they quickly put out sophomore record 'Under Color of Official Right'  released in 2014 via Hardly Art. The buzz was definetely on, something that 'The Agent Intellect', out since this October is propelling to such great heights. With a reason. Bleak  and tense post-punk with hints of punk, recalling heavyweights as Pere Ubu, Wire, The Fall or The Walkmen's roughest moments, with Joe Casey's laconic and straightforward vocals delivering bitter and emotionally draining lyrics, the menacing guitar lines of Greg Ahee, the pushing beat of Scott Davidson bass and the propulsive drums of Alex Leonard. Join the martyrdom...

Royal Headache. Cross the Ocean to land in Sydney to meet this punk rock & garage outfit and garage formed in 2008. With cassettes surfacing during their first three years of activity we can say their first offical release arrived in 2010 with self-titled 7"via R.I.P Society, that preceded eponymous album a year later. Another 7", 'Stand and Stare' released by Matador in 2013  anticipated what was about to come, a brilliant force of nature in the form of sophomore album 'High', out on What's Your Rupture? since this August. It's a very unusual, refreshing blend: the primeval nature and adrenalinitic urgency of punk packed with the emotional arrest, dare I say soul? intensity of Shogun's vocals, and the inmense hooks provided by a frenzied guitar line, an acoustic rendition or the surprisingly delicate couple of notes of a sparse organ. It's a moving record, one that gets you high and gets you places... Do not miss it.
Maff.  And we end our trip in Santiago de Chile (first band from Chile featured on the Blog, so happy!) to meet this promising quartet. Formed originally in 2012 by childhood friends and punk-rockers Ricardo (Richi) Gómez and Nicolás (Nek) Colombres they became a full combo with the addition of Martín Columbres and Gonzalo (Talo) Correa. Their only release to date is their self-titled, self-recorded and self-published mini-album, out since March 2015. Eight powerful and experimental tunes, connecting the haze and open spaces of shoegaze myths like Ride or Slowdive with a heavier, rockier side, one where Pixies or Sonic Youth easily come to mind. I know, big names... for a big debut. Keep an eye on them!

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