VA – Coração Transfusionado 7″ (Transfusão Noise Records, 2011)
30/04/11
First compilation from the fantastic brazilian indie label Transfusão Noise Records. Highly recommended!
Além de uma compilação de bons roques, Coração Transfusionado também pode ser encarada como uma síntese da Transfusão. Gravações, timbres, guitarras e tudo mais se entrelaçam como se fosse um único disco a se desenrolar. De fato, isso é a afirmação de que a Transfusão se vê e se leva adiante como uma família, daquelas desordeiras; há amor e ódio nos mesmos corações e a paz está vagando nos acordes sujos e adocicados. Coração Transfusionado foi prensado em Londres na Inglaterra e saiu diretamente de mentes inquientas e insanas que produzem canções roques tanto dentro de quartos alucinados quanto de garagens e quintais perdidos em cidades que de interessante só resta os bons amigos e os roques. ~ by Transfusão Noise Records
Tracklist
A1. Fujimo – Computação-Automação
A2. Lê Almeida – Má Bike Pt. 1 e Pt. 2
A3. Wallace Costa – My Charm
B1. Top Surprise – More Than Cool
B2. Carpete Florido – Roque Novo
B3. Looking For Jenny – Do You Need More Fuzz?
DOWNLOAD | BUY (transfusaonoiserecords@bol.com.br) – R$ 20 + frete
Áudio de Top Surprise – More Than Cool
Girls Names – Dead To Me (Slumberland, 2011)
24/04/11
Forming in Belfast in January 2009, Cathal Cully and Neil Brogan booked their first gig as Girls Names before they’d even played together, expanding to a three-piece some months later with the addition of Claire Miskimmin on bass. Although still in their infancy, Girls Names has refined their take on the early/mid-’80s shadow world of Black Tambourine, Felt and the Sound of Young Scotland on a series of releases: a 12-inch on Captured Tracks, an eight-track mini-album on Tough Love and a split 7-inch with San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors on Slumberland. With their identity firmly established, debut album Dead to Me is the next step forward and solidly delivers on the promise shown on previous releases. The song writing is more defined and the production values have been sharpened, representing a definitive break from the nonsensical lo-fi tag that has lazily followed them around by association. The band entering the studio in the last half of 2010 with the conscious desire to make an old-fashioned pop album, albeit one with a perverse haunted feel. The ten tracks that comprise Dead to Me are possessed with a warm, classic quality derived second-hand from the ’60s influenced bands of the ’80s. The songs “When You Cry,” “Bury Me” and “I Lose” are characterized by a timeless melodicism that’s long been the reserve of pop classicists from the Walker Brothers to Orange Juice, while others such as “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” reveal a darker undercurrent. And in an oblique manner, ghosts are also integral to the lyrical themes of the record. Whoever the protagonist of the title is meant to be, his or her specter lingers throughout Dead to Me, lurking under the gloom of reverb-heavy guitars and subdued bittersweet vignettes charged on bloody nostalgia, bad romance and a fascination with the occult. ~ Slumberland
“… bright, chiming guitars and propulsive drive…” ~ Pitchfork
“Girls Names strike an almighty chord for the homegrown underground scene that’s been severely lacking in recent years.” ~ Drowned in Sound
Áudio de “Seánce on a Wet Afternoon”
Mexico 70 – The Dust Has Come to Stay (Cherry Red, 1992)
19/04/11
The British pop band Mexico 70 was led by singer/guitarist Mick Bund, a onetime member of Felt. Rounded out by lead guitarist Mark Barrett, bassist Guido Mullingan, and drummer Rick Duce, the group signed to the Cherry Red label, releasing a pair of EPs which were later compiled on their first LP, The Dust Has Come to Stay. A second album, Sing When You’re Winning, appeared only in Spain; Mexico 70 then signed with the American indie label Big Pop to release 1997′s Imperial Comet Hour. ~ by Jason Ankeny, AMG
Songwriter and lead vocalist Mick Bund gained valuable experience with Felt and working on Boy’s Own Records projects Airstream and the Bocca Juniors, but he gives full rein to his talents through Mexico 70. John Rivers’ (Felt, Dr Robert) crystal production maintians the acoustic feel of the songs, placing the band in an English tradition stretching from the Kinks to Oasis. The single Wonderful Lie was selected for the soundtrack of the film PCU. ~ Cherry Red
Áudio de “Wonderful Lie”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Beach Fossils & Wild Nothing – Gruesome Flowers: A Tribute to The Wake 7″ (Captured Tracks, 2011)
19/04/11
Perfect covers!!! Perfect!
1. Beach Fossils – Plastic Flowers
2. Wild Nothing – Gruesome Castle
Áudio de “Beach Fossils – Plastic Flowers”
Duplodeck – Duplodeck EP (Pug Records, 2011)
18/04/11
The only unanimity among the members of Duplodeck was their admiration for their compatriot singer-songwriter Jorge Ben. The press once called them the “Brazilian Stereolab” – rather narrow title for a band that also resonated Pixies, Comet Gain and Deerhoof, to name a few. Conceived in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, duplodeck existed from 2001 to 2005 – time in which they wrote a huge amount of songs, but recorded only one never released EP. With new mixing, their self-titled debut now resurfaces with guitars louder than originally planned, whilst its four songs remain incredibly fresh. Pug Records has just made the EP available for free download, also compiling an extended version in cassette. The release has encouraged a reunion of the group – they’re preparing a full-length album for the end of the year.
The cassette B-side brings rarities that not even the band members were aware of. In addition to the EP songs, the bonuses encompass live performances, drunken rehearsals and jam sessions. Towards shoegaze noisemaking or bossa nova harmonies and beats, these tracks escape from the EP’s pop format. Such diversity also shows in the two covers: a Beulah-resembling reinvention of Temptations’ My Girl and an appropriation of the post-punk hit Another Girl, Another Planet, from The Only Ones. More than just drafts for the upcoming LP, this material, despite the inappropriate recording, represents a fair sample of the sextet’s great potential. ~ Pug Records
Áudio de “Strange Girl”
The Wedding Present – Tommy [1985-1987] (1988)
18/04/11
Although it was a few years into their career before they came upon the defining idea of releasing one single a month for an entire year (brilliantly summed up on the two-part Hit Parade), the Wedding Present were, from the very beginning, a singles band first and foremost. Shortly after the often-excellent but spotty George Best, the band gathered all of their pre-LP singles and EPs onto one handy 12-track disc. Tommy (1985-1987) is not only the definitive look at the early Wedding Present, it’s one of the great albums of the mid-’80s U.K. indie scene. The speedy rush of the rhythm section, David Gedge‘s artless vocals and everyday-life lyrics, and most importantly, Pete Solowka‘s inimitable guitar style (on a scene where seemingly everyone else was mimicking Johnny Marr, Solowka‘s manic up-and-down strum was instantly recognizable) were so important to the development of this style of music that without these singles, things likely would have sounded very, very different. All 12 tracks are essential indie pop, but particular highlights include the definitive reading of Orange Juice‘s “Felicity,” the emotional depths of “My Favourite Dress,” and the breakneck, hurtling pace of “Go out and Get ‘Em, Boy!” This record is part of the British indie canon, every bit as historically and musically important as the Postcard label singles and the Smiths‘ Hatful of Hollow. ~ by Stewart Mason, AMG
Vídeo de “Once More” (audio only)
Josh Rouse – Nashville (2005)
18/04/11
Josh Rouse‘s album from 2003 1972 was hailed by many as a triumph. He cast aside the gloom that pervaded his early records, opened up his sound to include such disparate sources as Memphis soul, ’70s soft rock, ’60s baroque pop and straight-ahead danceable pop. Easily the equal of any of his contemporary’s work, one had the fear that it might have represented a one-time-only peak performance. Not to worry. Nashville reunites Rouse with producer Brad Jones and the two have concocted a sound even bouncier and dreamier than the already impossibly dreamy and bouncy 1972. There are hints of all the styles Rouse references on 1972 but here they are integrated into his sound more smoothly. Jones adds all kinds of varied keyboards, strings, guitar sounds, bits of sonic trickery and atmosphere to that sound which leads to each song sounding similar but also quite different. The production and sound are half the game and Rouse doesn’t let his half down, as his songs are incredibly strong on Nashville. “Streetlights,” the Smiths-influenced “Winter in the Hamptons,” “Carolina,” and the heart-broken piano ballad “Sad Eyes”; they are as hooky as anything on 1972 but have more weight and emotional power.
By the time each song is through it is stamped into your memory, turning the record into an instantly familiar kind of classic. His lyrics are as sharp and surprising as ever. He is incredibly adept at dropping in lines that shock you in a very pleasant way; the very first song, the sweetly gliding “It’s the Nighttime,” has the wonderful lines “maybe later on/after the late, late show/we can go to your room/ I can try on your clothes.” His storytelling skills are sharp, too, as the teen angst epic “Middle School Frown” amply demonstrates. Apparently his personal life has seen all kinds of upheaval in the last little while but you’d be hard pressed to hear it in the sunny melodies. You can hear hints of it in the lyrics if you listen hard especially on “My Love Has Gone” (unsurprisingly) and “Saturday.” You can also hear it in the melancholy catch in Rouse‘s whispery vocals. Even the jauntiest song on the album is reeled in a little. The contrast between happy melodies and sad lyrics is one of the oldest tricks in the pop book and when it is pulled off as well as Rouse does here, you have to be impressed. In fact the whole record is worthy of any and all accolades you might want to shower upon it. Somebody will really have to pull off a miracle to top Nashville as far as intelligent, honest and entertaining guitar pop goes in 2005. Or any other year. ~ Tim Sendra, AMG
Vídeo de “Streetlights” (audio only)
Brown Recluse – Evening Tapestry (2011)
13/04/11
Brown Recluse formed in 2006 around the core of Timothy Meskers and Mark Saddlemire. Taking influence from the psych pop of The Zombies and Margo Guryan, the tropicalia of Os Mutantes, and 60s producers like Joe Meek and Phil Spector, the two recorded the bulk of their debut six-song Black Sunday EP. A brilliant blast of pop invention, Black Sunday easily rates as one of our favorite records of the last five years. Its blend of blinding songcraft, skilled arrangements and gorgeous playing is an absolute joy; it’s rare to hear a record so assured from such a young band.
2006 and 2007 saw the duo expand to a six-piece live band that played numerous shows on the east coast with bands as varied as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Tyvek and Dirty Projectors, writing new material and winning new fans along the way. The Soft Skin EP was recorded in mid-2007 and released on Slumberland in September 2009. Its pastoral, psychedelic vibe brought to mind the sunshine pop of Curt Boettcher’s The Millennium/Sagittarius projects, and such familiar touchstones as Brian Wilson, The Clientele and the Elephant 6 collective.
All the while they’ve been writing songs, honing arrangements and stockpiling musical ideas, and we’re quite honored to be able to bring you Evening Tapestry, Brown Recluse’s long-awaited debut full-length album. From the summertime daydream of opener “Hobble To Your Tomb” to the 50s-tinged pop of “Statue Garden” to the folky strum-fest that is “Monday Moon,” Evening Tapestry shows a band at the peak of their powers, effortlessly combining elements old and new into a rich and very distinctive whole. Lead writer/singer/guitarist Timothy Meskers is really on fire here, his melodic vocals soaring in perfect complement to the deceptively complex tunes and gorgeous arrangements. Keyboards are subtly deployed throughout, playing counterpoint to the skilled jangling/comping of Meskers and fellow guitarist Herbie Shellenberger. The sound is warm and full, the band having recorded the album, like their previous EPs, at the esteemed Sound-In-The-Round studio.
While these eleven songs are truly bursting with ideas, they are also models of concision. Such is the focus and craft that Brown Recluse bring to this remarkable set of tunes that only one is longer than three and a half minutes. Future pop classics like “Impressions of A City Morning,” “Summer Showers” and “At Last” are consummate examples of the song-writing art; full of great playing, poetic lyrics and melodic invention, they neatly sum up this sublime album. It’s been a long time coming, but Brown Recluse have made quite a statement with Evening Tapestry, and we think you’ll agree that it’s one of the strongest pop albums in years. ~ Slumberland Records
Áudio de “Statue Garden“
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High EP (2011)
10/04/11
It’s hard not to fall in love at first listen with the Dum Dum Girls’ sexy clash of frail, melancholy innocence and sugar-sticky black-leather/red-lipstick rock ’n’ roll. “Jail La La,” the single from the band’s 2010 Sub Pop debut, I Will Be, is a near-perfect two-and-half-minute noise-pop confection—the aural embodiment of the girl next door dumpster-diving in the remnants of a black-lace gown after an all-night Four Loko bender.
This new four-song EP spikes a similar vein, though Dum Dums’ mastermind Dee Dee (aka Kristin Gundred) has since assembled an all-girl band to amplify the music’s already feminine vibrations, and reached out to Raveonette Sune Rose Wagner and songwriter Richard Gottehrer (of “I Want Candy” and “My Boyfriend’s Back” fame) to co-produce. From the opening “Wipeout”-style tom runs of lead track “Wrong Feels Right,” Dee Dee and her gals’ lysergic-candy-dot teen-bliss vocals hang ten on a wave of static-addled surf pop, which they ride straight through the title track until it finally crests and collapses into the soft, hypnotic, whitewater-reverb foam of “Take Care of My Baby.”
The EP wraps with an adrenaline-injected cover of Smiths classic “There is a Light” that’s propelled along by continuous gated-snare-drum blasts, static-submerged strums and pirouetting roto-vibe guitar. Altogether, He Gets Me High is a quick fix, lasting about as long as two games of seven minutes in heaven. Of course, that’s plenty of time if you’re playing with right girls. ~ Steve LaBate, Paste Magazine
Vídeo de “Wrong Feels Right” (audio only)
Beach Fossils – What a Pleasure EP (2011)
10/04/11
Following their critically acclaimed self-titled debut, Beach Fossils return with the beautifully crafted EP What a Pleasure. In this brilliant new release Dustin Payseur shares songwriting duties with bassist John Peña, which makes for their most dynamic songs yet. Also, on “Out in the Way” Payseur teams up with the talented Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing for a song that reveals both artists’ visions in a way that the world has yet to hear. What a Pleasure is full of clean, simple guitar lines that build up to melancholic endings. The mature sound and cleaner production values on What a Pleasure present glimpses of where Beach Fossils have been, and where they aim to go. ~ Captured Tracks
Vídeo de “Distance” (audio only)