dimecres, 12 de juny del 2013

RECOPILATORI. JUNY 2013




Arriban un altre any al començament de l'estiu i arriba un nou recopilatori mensual. Aquesta vegada ben carregadet de novetats i d'altres que no ho són tant. Podreu gaudir del pop exquisit dels Pastels en la seva tornada als escenaris, de la melodia contundent dels joves Teen Girls Scientist Monthly, de l'indie pop dels Honeymilk, un nom molt apropiat al seu estil musical, del rock d'arrels americanes dels The Mohawk Lodge, del garatge frenètic dels Boreal Hills, del power pop encisador dels The Great American Novel i el seu darrer single, del pop senzill dels Coatle amb la seva deriva una mica grunge, del dream pop sempre encantador dels Dead Leaf Echo, de la fantàstica "I win" dels The Yawns que ens recorden produccions de grups molt estimats com els Feelies, del pop càndid dels Alaska, de la línia de baix dels Dead Gaze que recorden a alguna línia de baix dels Nirvana però en pla molt més tranquil, del nou treball de Camera Obscura elegant a més no poder, del garatge feroç dels Japanther, del rock americà dels Life Partner farcit de ràbia continguda, del pop una mica atmosfèric dels Paperhaus, del pop de jugueta dels Crinkles, de dues peces dels nostres estimats TV Girl, una del seu primer Ep i el seu darrer senzil que anticipa un proper Ep que esperam amb moltes ganes, del garatge pop dels The Vandelles, de la nova cançó dels Crocodiles que anticipen un molt bon treball, del nou gir estilístic dels Sonny & The Sunsets, dels interessants Menace Beach, d'una gran peça de shoegazer a càrrec dels brasilers The Sorry Shop, el pop dels Colleen Green que tornen visitar un recopilatori per segona vegada, d'una nova peça del primer treball llarg dels Splashh, "Lemonade", del power pop contundent dels The Orwells, d'una concesió un poc al mainstream amb la inclusió del "You & I" del nou treball dels Crystal Fighters, del pop enèrgic dels Dead Stars, també del pop elegant dels Saturday Looks Good To Me, de la interessant peça dels Brazos,  del pop d'Eleanor Friedberger, sempre tan ballable, del garatge psicodèlic dels The Spyrals i dels Dead Ghosts, una mostra del nou treball dels Surfer Blood que han baixat una mica el nivell, el pop ballable dels Weeknd, una mostra del darrer treball dels Rogue Wave, la impactant "Shattered Me" dels Bass Drum Of Death, la força de la peça dels Beady Eye, de "Confidence", una gran cançó del darrer treball dels The Dodos, una mostra del darrer de Big Deal, la molt "strokiana" "Part of the Reason" dels The Rotaries, una mostra del grandíssim treball dels Sulk molt en la línia del so de madchester i concretament dels Stone Roses, la impactant "I love You" de Said The Whale, el rock dels Serfs i dels Ex Wife, una peça del disc de The Mantles que és molt interessant, el pop dels (Kidsmoke) i la ballable "Man I Need" dels Jagwar Ma.

dimarts, 11 de juny del 2013

THE ROTARIES. Before Leaving


Si algú es pensava que The Strokes eren únics aquí hi ha una bona prova que altra gent ho pot fer igual o millor que ells mateixos. Boníssima la cançó que dóna nom al disc "Before Leaving"


These guys have been described as a cross between The Strokes and The Killers, although we're not hearing much Killers going on in new single 'Before Leaving'. This is the title-track to last year's debut album so maybe there are more Killers-like moments on there, but we kind of hope not, because they sound pretty good just as they are. 'Before Leaving' is a short sharp guitar song of the variety that The Strokes made their name with, although it lacks some of the urgency of those recordings.

As well as the guitar, it's the slightly lazy, drawn-out vocal delivery that lends itself to that comparison, bearing more than a passing resemblance to a certain Mr Casablancas. The band that The Rotaries remind us most of here are another band who have a Strokes connection: The Postelles. Very much underrated, their excellent debut album was produced by Albert Hammond Jr. But when it comes down to it, what matters is whether or not this song is any good, and the answer is yes. So that's all you really need to know. (The Sound Of Confusion)


VIVA MARS. Yes, Indeed, You Are Right, That's It



Un altre grup canadens, aquesta vegada de Toronto. El seu pop rock amb pinzellades de dream pop i de jangle captiva a partir de la primera vegada. Un artefacte sonor tranquilet i deliciós per oblidar-te per uns moments dels problemes.

Does that little nod to the 'Pet Sounds' album cover mean that these Canadians are Beach Boys fans? It's possibly coincidence, but the melodic brand of guitar-pop they makes does share some of the same characteristics at times. They're fond of the odd harmony or two, that's for sure. 'Yes, Indeed, You Are Right, That's It' is the first part of a double album by Viva Mars and was made available to download in December, with the promise of the second half and a physical release sometime this year. The first section doesn't feel like only half a record, you could happily take it as it is, and you could maybe argue that two single albums would be easier for the listener to digest. Although in releasing part one months in advance of part two that is, in effect, what they've done.

In the simplest of terms, this punctuation-heavy album is indie/pop music in a fairy traditional sense. Most songs are built around guitar, bass, drums and vocals, although they're not afraid to add a wider range of sounds to drive the point home. This is first evident on the short, introductory title-track which contains (at a guess) another guitar-type instrument, possibly a ukulele, what sound like synths, assorted percussion and a heap of sighing voices. Of course these could all be production tricks, but either way, it shows a little ambition. Most of the rest of the album fits the pop/rock/indie format. At worst, some of the songs are simply quite good, and these would include the powerpop that doesn't quite get there of 'Pride' and the slightly lackadaisical 'Busy Busy Busy'.

At best Viva Mars show a high standard of writing and arranging. 'Some Far Off Place' is an accomplished piece, much like 'Uneasy' later on; 'Once Good Friends' could almost be a Super Furry Animals track; there's pensive, summery pop on 'Nothing Doing'; there's something approaching an epic centrepiece with 'Tender Dreams/Rotten Lover Song'. 'You Just Slept' is an example of where they do make their form of powerpop hit the mark. Overall this is a thoughtful and solid album and hopefully the second half lives up to this standard. When the full double album is released its title will be 'Yes, Indeed, You Are Right, That's It. But Of Course, Yes, Definitely, Right.' So we assume they're not expecting many reviews via Twitter. (The Sound Of Confusion)


PSYCHOTIC TEENAGE SUPERMODELS. Sugarpuss


Des d'Australia ens arriba aquest primer Ep dels Psychotic Teenage Supermodels. Una espècie de rock psicodèlic prou interessant.


In typical Perth style I've been trying my hand at a few new creative ventures lately. One is filming video clips, which means I've both acquired a sturdy cardigan and started thinking of all music I hear in terms of its Rage counterpart.For local off-centre pop-rock beauties Sugarpuss we open with a car-load of handsome men - I'll cast the band themselves as they're all bonafide lovelies - redheads and blondes in the front, brunettes in the back, listening to the opening track of their 'Psychotic Teenage Supermodels' EP at full volume with everyone joining in for the “la la la la laaaa!"s.Along with "Falling Outta Love”, every track on band's first offering is bursting with hooks and solid pop moments, while somehow still feeling pretty fricken strange and fun, with singer Jake Webb's voice sluicing through everything to make an otherwise great EP actually outstanding. The dreamy “Masquerade” brings in the psych of 'Psychotic', and for that I have occasional Perth bro-cal Melody Prochet in mind as the love interest. Our favourite track so far though is - “Insomnia”. And yes, I'm planning to cast James Franco in at least one of the clips too, cardigan and all…



PUPS. Pups


Des de Vancouver, unes al·lotes que segueixen les lliçons de les primeres Breeders. Pop rock o indie rock prou interessant.


Don’t try to Google PUPS just yet—unless you’re looking for canine info—since these ladies are still too new on the scene to have loads of online coverage. While Katie, Caitlin and Rose have been playing together for almost a year, they’re still in the process of making a name for themselves. Their Easter weekend album release party at the Astoria—where they will release a split tape with Movieland—will certainly help with that.
PUPS, formerly Puppies, may be newly formed, but they’re no strangers to band life. Katie used to play with Bad Fate and more recently with Diane. Rose, PUPS’ most seasoned member, has played with the likes of Vancouver’s Brave Irene, Bleating Hearts, and Jay Arner, among others. And while this is Caitlin’s first formal gig, she’s been practising for years.
PUPS has given both Katie and Rose a change to branch out a bit. “Katie also plays guitar in Diane,” Rose says. “It’s a little heavier than PUPS so it is a nice opportunity for her to exercise her full shred potential. She’s such a good guitar player.” Similarly, Rose has been given the opportunity to delve into drumming, a passion she developed while playing with Jay Arner for the past year. She’s mostly played guitar with other bands, but PUPS has allowed her to flex her percussion muscle. “I love the challenge of the freedom that I have in PUPS,” she says.
These three gals were friends first, and their chemistry comes through in their music. Caitlin and Katie had talked about forming a band for some time, and the addition of Rose and her drumming skills rounded out the group. “I was really excited to play with Katie,” said Rose. “I had no idea what we would sound like, but I loved the idea of playing music with [both of] them since we were all buddies.” Their sweet, energetic garage pop and well-rehearsed harmonies are easy to love—check them out as soon as you can.(beatroute.com)