dimecres, 22 de juny del 2016

DOT DASH. Searchlights


Als Dot Dash els anam seguint des del 2012, any que publicaren el seu segon treball "Winter Garden Light" i ja anam pel cinquè (en cinc anys de vida). Segueixen fidels als seus principis de power pop tal vegada encara incrementat en aquest darrer treball. Ens recorden de sempre als nostres admirats The Replacements i en certa manera als Big Star de n'Alex Chilton. Guitarres sempre presents i una base rítmica potent amb unes veus ben coordinades amb les melodies enganxadisses són les senyes d'identitat d'aquest nou treball.


dimarts, 21 de juny del 2016

FAILED FLOWERS. Failed Flowers

El segon treball dels Failed Flowers, un grup de Michigan format per tres joves i una al·lota, és un exemple exacte dels treballs que anam seleccionant per tots vosaltres. Un treball senzill, farcit de guitarres directes i un ambient entre jangle i pop. Temes que no sobrepassen en cap ocasió dels tres minuts ni falta que fa. L'esperit DIY està present en totes les composicions i podem esperar d'ells molts bons treballs. "Buildings" i "Coke Floats" són els temes que més ens han agradat. Tot i això les nou peces del trencaclosques són molt aprofitables.



diumenge, 19 de juny del 2016

B BOYS. No Worry No Mind Ep


Una mescla de punk i garatge rock és el que trobam en aquest Ep dels novaiorquesos B Boys. Un Ep que va sortir a finals de març d'enguany però que ens havia passat de llis i fins avui no n'hem sabut res. Com que ja sabeu de la devoció que aquest estil musical ens inspira, no l'hem pogut deixar sense ressenyar. "Seagulls", la peça que obre el disc seria la més destacada, tot i que "Get a grip" també ens ha agradat molt.


While their band name first brought non-threatening boy-band music to my mind, this first impression about Brooklyn outfit B Boys could not be more misleading. No Worry No Mind opens with the explosive “Seagulls”, laced with inexorable guitar sound and insistent kit work to match. This lo-fi punk sound continues more or less throughout. The group are not ones to shy away from kicking off a song with simple, driving guitar work and building up from there. By the time we hit the first single, “Get a Grip”, we’ve become wise to this trick, and what results is a slight lack of interest from the listener’s point of view.


What certainly is pleasing about this release, however, is the level of attention the group show in drawing from classic punk sounds. The wildly charismatic vocals, sudden textual shifts, snappy song lengths and driving grooves across the board all show an appreciation for punk’s glory days. This EP promises to satisfy those who have kept their Bad Brains t-shirts from the 1980s and still yell “Hey ho, let’s go” whenever leaving their house. If you aren’t in this category, this one may take a few listens to grow on you. Although this isn’t to say that No Worry No Mind is totally inaccessible for non-punk fans. The less bombastic “Other Head”, another of the singles from the EP, is perhaps more approachable for a wider audience. The grit is still there on this track, however, ensuring B Boys never desert the warts-and-all sound that they cherish so dearly. (popmatters.com)

dissabte, 18 de juny del 2016

divendres, 17 de juny del 2016

AVANÇAMENTS. VOIR VOIR


dijous, 16 de juny del 2016

THE RETINAS. Chaba Ep



The Retinas són una banda relativament jove i nova de Philadelphia que practiquen un indie rock amb reminiscències a grups punters com podrien ser els Strokes amb prou personalitat com per fer-se un estil propi tot i que encara no massa definit. Temes directes amb la veu una mica distorsionada i passada per diversos filtres que la fan canviar de tema a tema. En definitiva, cinc cançons disfrutables i entretingudes. A continuació teniu una entrevista amb el frontman de la formació, Tom McHugh, que us donarà més informació sobre el treball.

The Retinas have been making music for nearly five years now, steadily putting out waves of shoe-gazy, post-garage, indie rock. Their latest project, chaba, drops tomorrow. The guys will be doing a house show to celebrate the release.
We spoke with frontman Tom McHugh about life in the band.
Congrats on the new EP. Can you tell us about it?
Thank you! We’re very excited about the new chaba EP.
The EP’s title comes from the first letter of each song.  We were trying to figure out a title of for the EP and nothing seemed to fit. It got to a point where we were joking around with ridiculous titles and thought of the idea of taking the first letter and making it a name. After a few variations we decided on chaba – “Cheesepuffs,” “Hey Julia,” “Accident,” “Beat It Out” and “Aries”).
The EP is a bit more lo-fi then our last one. We wanted to try and break out of a normal formula and start doing the opposite of what we would typically do musically. Half the songs were recorded in an abandoned post office in Manayunk and the other were recorded in our rehearsal space in Kensington.
We knew we wanted the “Accident” video to be dark and unsettling. The song itself is dark and we thought the video should follow that.
The plot points at how as conversations/relationships/love/friendships grow, they become interrogation rooms. In those rooms, you see the people as they are/what you know about them, and at the same time you have flashes of your own subconscious and nostalgia running that affect their perception, as well as the ideal perception of you want to have of them.
Among all of this you’re also learning their vices and twitches and flaws and anything else below the surface. The reason we say interrogation room is because the entire time your building the relationship, your acceptance of the worst parts about them are on trial and whether you choose to continue the relationship or to love this person is based on the darker aspects of them and whether they can be apart of your life.
You don’t truly choose or love someone for only the good things. It’s the bad things that make or break and define it.
You guys have been around for a few years now, right? How has the band evolved over the past five years?
The bands changed in a lot of ways over the last couple of years. For one, members have changed. Anthony Fulginitti (drummer) and I (singer/guitarist) are the only original members of the band left.
Musically, I think we’re transitioning out of loving our favorite bands and trying to be like them (i.e. Life At Work EP) into developing our own style. We’re not as afraid to explore different genres or write a slower song like we were before because we’re trying to doing something new and that hasn’t been done before. Or, at least, relate to people on our own level as opposed to a revivalist stand point.
You guys have been steadily hustling. What’s the goal for the project? 
I guess the goal is to do something new and relate to a larger body of people while doing so. (jumpphilly.com)

dimecres, 15 de juny del 2016

dimecres, 8 de juny del 2016

CALIFORNIA SNOW STORY. Some Other Places


David Skirving va ser uns dels primers components del grup escocès Camera Obscura i el 2001 els va deixar i va formar el grup que avui ens ocupa, "California Snow Story", el 2002 editaren el seu primer Ep "One Good Summer". Ens trobam avui per tant davant el seu primer llarga durada que segueix les passes fetes ja amb el primer treball. Molt en la línia del seu anterior grup. Pop tranquilet i mitjos temps acústics farcits de cors. Una escolta molt agradable per a una migdiada que esper que us agradi tant com a mi.



Close to the Ocean‘s cover art has someone facing the window of a boat, looking in contemplation at a vast body of water. Its first song is the musical version of that scene, with David Skirving singing of waiting for something good to happen, leading to the chorus, “We can go straight to the edge of the ocean / see it all begin again.” California Snow Story itself has gone through changes since its birth in 2002, in terms of membership—the brainchild of former Camera Obscura member Skirving, its current lead vocalists are Sandra Belda Martinez and Skirving himself. The musical style of Close to the Ocean, the band’s first album, is similar to that of their true debut, the 2002 EP One Good Summer, though perhaps more introspective; both recordings put melody and harmony on display, but here they’re always turned somewhat inward. That emphasis fits with the broader musical palette that the expanded format of an album lets seep in—in particular, there’s an almost bossa nova feeling to many of the songs, giving them that classic combination of melancholy and escape. This may resemble a vacation, but one where you spend much of it in your own head: you let the sun and breeze hit your face, but your mind is somewhere else. (Dave Heaton)


dimarts, 7 de juny del 2016

AVANÇAMENTS. SUMMER PEAKS


ERIK VOEKS. Singles




Us presentam avui els tres darrers singles que ha publicat al llarg d'aquests darrers tres mesos un cantautor de Missouri, Erik Voeks. Power pop de la millor escola que us agradarà si us agraden els Posies o els Gigolo Aunts.


dilluns, 6 de juny del 2016

POPINCOURT. A New Dimension To Modern Love








Jazzy mod Britpop is a genre that pops every now and then, with The Small Faces and The Style Council as the most familiar names. French musician Popincourttaps into the same source with his first full-length A New Dimension To Modern Love, an album that has written "happy sounding Summer holiday songs" all over it. Like most Frenchmen Popincourt has trouble properly pronouncing the "W" and the "S" in English, but it only adds to the charm of his songs. Plenty of radio-friendly tunes sit alongside more adventurous tracks.

The lead single I Found Out, the old school French pop songs The First Flower Of Spring and Happy Town, and the lazy lounge title track with Sixties inspired backing vocals- the latter two with the inevitable trumpet dropping by - will appeal to the latte loving crowd. The short instrumentals Improvisation / Part 1 and Part 2are mere interludes to appease to the musically adept listeners, who will dig the use of vintage keyboards. A New Dimension To Modern Love is an unashamedly mainstream album. Pop, jazz and a hint of blue-eyed soul all get their turn in the spotlights. popincourtmusic.com


dissabte, 4 de juny del 2016

BLUE JEANS. Songs Are Easy



Avui toca un àlbum d'indie pop. Els Blue Jeans són de Santa Mònica i aquest treball és perfecte per als dies d'estiu que anam encetant ara. Cançons fresques i senzilles amb detalls de molts dels grups que assenyalen al blog broadwayworld.com. Amb aquestes referències segur que no els podreu deixar d'escoltar. Noltros us ho aconsellam de tot cor. Let's go surfing!



Indie pop institution Jigsaw Records' new signing Blue Jeans release their debut album "Songs are Easy" on May 13th. Is this something you should care about? Here are the facts to help you decide:

Blue Jeans used to be Santa Monica Swim and Dive Club. Under that name they released an EP called Mild Honey on Little Pocket Records, a split single on Oddbox, and played to the indie pop faithful at the 2010 NYC Popfest. They got tired of explaining the name, hence the switch.

Blue Jeans are Tim Sendra on vocals and guitar, Heather Phares on vocals and bass, with help from David Serra on drums and Justin Dykehouse on synths. Tim used to be in the band Veronica Lake back in the early '90s, in case you care about stuff like that.

Songs are Easy was produced, engineered and generally made better by Fred Thomas of Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center and Fred Thomas. He got the sounds down, tweaked them into poppy weirdness, and played all the cool guitar parts. He sang a bunch and worked some serious keyboard magic too.

Songs are Easy was mastered by indie pop legend Archie Moore of Black Tambourine and Velocity Girl. He took some time off from winning Emmys to give the songs some warmth and depth. Also, some shine and glow.

Blue Jeans highly endorse and steal heavily from the following bands at every convenience: (in chronological order)
Buddy Holly
Del Shannon
The Troggs
The Archies
T. Rex
The Modern Lovers
Dexy's Midnight Runners
The Go-Betweens
Comet Gain
The Rentals
Songs are Easy...everything else is hard.


divendres, 3 de juny del 2016

CLOAKZ. Semi​-​Autographic EP


Cloakz és un grup unipersonal sota el que s'amaga Zachary Ciancaglini i aquest Ep és el resultat de les cançons que va compondre mentres treballava en un estudi de gravació a Brooklyn el 2012. El resultat són cinc temes d'indie rock amb un segell personal del seu compositor. Hi trobareu no obstant això reminiscències a grups més coneguts com els Pavement, sobretot en la forma de cantar de Zachary. Un bon treball per començar.



CLOAKZ is the brain child of Zachary Ciancaglini. The multi-instrumentalist relocated to Philadelphia and quickly put together his first batch of songs. "Semi-Autographic" is a testament to Ciancaglini's garagey/pop/rock nature. South Jersey native gone Brooklyn/Philly transplant, CLOAKZ is Ciancaglini's transformation away from the drums and exposing himself as a songwriter.


dijous, 2 de juny del 2016

SIGHTLINES. "North"


Els Sightlines són de Vancouver i els seus temes són mínims ( el treball total no arriba a la mitja hora). Cançons directes ,farcides d'urgència, immediates i enquadrades totes dins la línia indie rock que tant ens agrada. Particularment m'encanten les guitarres i la facilitat que tenen per la melodia. Un grup a seguir tot i que fins ara no han estat massa prolífics.És el primer treball llarg des de que començaren al 2012.




In May 2012, Sightlines released their debut, Summer EP. Since then there has been a steady stream of one-off releases from the band on gloriously antiquated formats – including a floppy-disc single and a split 7” with Crystal Swells – but no talk of anything with a runtime over 3 minutes from the Vancouver pop-punkers… until now.

Lead singer and songwriter Eric Axen has surpassed himself on Sightlines’ newest release, which clocks in at a career-defying 26 minutes and 52 seconds and offers fans 9 brand new tracks to delight over, plus revised versions of “Commiseration” and “Foreknowledge” from the acclaimed Crystal Swells split.

North was released on April 15th on 150g random green 12″ vinyl, in a co-release between Axen’s own Alarum Records and up-and-coming label Big Smoke. The record will be supported by a busy summer show schedule, including a recently completed loop of western Canada and the bands first tour in over a year.(northerhtransmissions.com)



dimecres, 1 de juny del 2016

TOP MENSUAL. JUNY 2016



El Top Mensual d'aquest mes de juny està encapçalat pels The Bay Rays amb el tema "New Home", un d'aquells temes que et fan moure els peus o el cap de forma inconscient. Segueixen les nines de The Julie Ruin amb el seu avançament del proper treball. "I'm done" duu per títol i continua en la mateixa línia de treballs anteriors, intensitat indie rock totalment contagiosa. En tercer lloc, un autèntic himne, el nou tema dels St. Tropez "I wanna live in St. Tropez" que vàrem conèixer a través de l'Escafandrista Musical i que ens va enamorar de seguida. A la llista hi trobareu també temes dels Graveyard Lovers, els Pale Espectre, els Radiohead, els Fans, Selvática, els Heaters i els Natives.

RECOPILATORI. JUNY 2016




ESTIMBAR

Arribam a l'equador dels recopilatoris del 2016 amb aquest recull de 65 temes que hem anat trobant al llarg del mes de maig, bé perquè ens hagin arribat per mail o bé perquè els hem escoltat a blogs amics. Hi trobareu, com sempre , una mica de tot, seguint una mica la línia editorial d'aquest blog. Ens plantejam nous reptes pel que fa a música més enfocada a les pistes de ball de la mà del nostre alter ego Dj Boscana però d'això ja en parlarem més endavant. Entram ja a les properes recopilacions dels mesos de juliol i agost a les quals sempre podem dedicar més temps i ho notareu també amb més entrades comentades al blog. Desitjar també bones vacances als que les tingueu al llarg d'aquests mesos i bona música a tothom. Llàstima de no tenir cap referent de música indie i alternativa per la nostra zona però la xarxa ens ajuda a no quedar massa desconnectats.