jueves, 19 de noviembre de 2009

Sonny and the Sunsets


Sonny Smith es uno de los escritores (teatro, novelas...), compositores y cantantes más interesantes de San Francisco. Autor de varios discos como solista entre ellos el magnífico "Fruitvale" (2006) o "This is my story, this is my song" (2002).

Sonny para formar su nueva banda The Sonny & the Sunsets se ha rodeado de amigos y conocidos, Kelley Stotlz, Tahlia Harbour (The Dry Spells), Ryan Browne y de otras muchas colaboraciones como John Dwyer (Thee oh Sees), Tim Cohen (The Fresh & Onlys), Shayde Sartin (The Fresh & Onlys) y Heidi Alexander (The Fresh & Onlys, The Sandwitches).

Debutaron a principios de año con "
Love & Death - (Soft Abuse, 2009)", un 7" con un hit en la cara b llamado “Strange Love” al estilo 50's doo-wop, y esta semana han sacado su debut largo "Tomorrow is Alright" también en el sello Soft Abuse, solo se podía esperar algo grande y así es, 10 canciones magnificas de pop soleado con sabor añejo y de escucha agradecida, un poquito de Rytm & Blues, de Swing, 60's psycodelia, bonitas melodías, silbidos, juegos vocales, unos coros por aquí y unas palmas por allá. Uno de los debuts de este año al que hay que seguir la pista.

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Sonny Smith is one of the most interesting writers (theater, novels...), and singers-songwriters of San Francisco. He is the author of several solo albums including the amazing "Fruitvale" (2006) or "This is my story, this is my song" (2002).

Sonny has formed his new band "The Sonny & the Sunsets" with friends and acquaintances, Kelley Stotlz, Tahlia Harbor (The Dry Spells), Ryan Browne and has had many other collaborations from John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees), Tim Cohen (The Fresh & Onlys), Shayde Sartin (The Fresh & Onlys) and Heidi Alexander (The Fresh & Onlys, The Sandwitches).

They debuted this year with "
Love & Death - (Soft Abuse, 2009)", a 7 "with one of their very best tune in the B-Side called Strange Love" with his 50's doo-wop style.
And this week they have released their debut album "
Tomorrow is Alright" also on the Soft Abuse Records, we could only expect something amazing and yes, it is!, 10 beautiful sunny pop songs with vintage "after-tast", a little rytm & blues , Swing, 60's psychedelia, beautiful melodies, choirs here and some hand claps there.

Sonny & The Sunset - "Tomorrow Is Alright" – vinyl only, limited release 500 copies (today less), now available on Soft Abuse Records (17/11/2009)

Too Young to Burn - (This song is this opening track from Tomorrow is Alright)


Sonny & The Sunsets - Strange Love - (Video by Greg Gardner)

martes, 17 de noviembre de 2009

Yellow Fever


Yellow Fever nos traen un formato muy simple: Adam Jones se encarga de la batería y Jennifer Moore alterna con el bajo/guitarra además de aportar las voces. Con esto consiguen crear unas armonías que recuerdan a unos estereolabs muy sobrios. La sencillez es lo que manda en esta banda y lo que te acaba encandilando junto con la voz de Jennifer, quien anteriormente aportó también coros en Voxtrot y participó en bandas como The Carrots y Finally Punk. Su primer álbum se publicará el próximo mes en Wild World Records, el sello de las Vivian Girls, y será básicamente una compilación de los tres EPs que tienen editados hasta el momento.

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Yellow Fever comes in a very simple format: Adam Jones plays drums and Jennifer Moore alternates with bass/guitar and sings. With this they create some harmonies that reminds me of a very plain version of Stereolab. Simplicity is the main feature in this band, and together with Moore's lovely voice is what captivates the listener. Moore had also sang before in Voxtrot and formed part of bands like The Carrots and Finally Punk. They will publish their first LP next month on Wild World Records, Vivian Girls label, and it will be basically a compilation of their three EPs they have published so far.

Yellow Fever - Hellfire



www.myspace.com/yellerfever

viernes, 13 de noviembre de 2009

Woven Bones


Woven Bones te sonarán a un montón de cosas que has escuchado antes, desde los primeros Cramps o The Velvet Underground, hasta The Jesus and Mary Chain y Spacemen 3. Cuando creías que ya tenías bastante de ese sonido chatarra lleno de distorsiones, reverberación vocal y uno de esos baterías de pie que tanto proliferan últimamente, este es el grupo que llega y te hace cambiar de idea. De momento cuentan con cuatro 7" y un EP, esperan publicar su primer LP próximamente en HoZac Records, y según los aperitivos podemos empezar a frotarnos las manos.

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Woven Bones sounds like a lot of things you have heard before, from the early Cramps and The Velvet Underground to The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3. When you thought you had enough of that lo-fi sound with guitar distorsions, vocal reverb and one of those standing drummers, this is the band that comes to change your mind. They have released four 7" and one EP, will soon publish their first LP with HoZac Records, and by listening to the stuff they have already out the expectations can be held pretty high.

Woven Bones - Janie

www.myspace.com/wovenbones

Mujeres


Mujeres son como trogloditas guapos: sus directos son desde hace un año la más divertido de Barcelona. Hacen sudar, bailar y gritar como si no hubiese un mañana, y siempre estan llenos de chicas guapas.
Vienen del mundo del fanzine, del hardcore, del rockabilly y tienen su origen en un falso documental hecho por ellos.
Pero, sobre todo, suenan tan vitalistas, frescos y primitivos como Smith Westerns, Strange Boys, Box Elders, Death Ghosts o, si, Black Lips. Igual que ellos, aman por igual a Jonathan Richman que a los Sonics, a los primeros Kinks que a los Saicos, a los Gories o a los Milkshakes.

En un par de semanas presentan su primer disco en el festival Primavera Club, donde comparten cartel con grupos como So Cow, Cass McCombs, the Pastels, Devendra Banhart o Kurt Vile & the Violators.

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Mujeres are like handsome cavemen: their live shows are one of the funiest things in Barcelona. They make people sweat, dance and shout as if there were no tomorrow, and their gigs are always full of pretty girls.
They come from the world of the fanzine, hardcore, rockabilly and their origins are a rock mockumentary made by themselves.
But above all, they sound as vital, fresh and primitive as the Smith Westerns, Strange Boys, Box Elders, Death Ghosts or the Black Lips. Like them, they seem to equally love Jonathan Richman, the Sonics, early Kinks, the Gories and the Milkshakes.

In a couple of weeks they'll launch their first album in Primavera Club festival, where they'll share stage with bands like So Cow, Cass McCombs, the Pastels, Devendra Banhart or Kurt Vile & the Violators.



Mujeres: amusing (from their upcoming debut)




www.myspace.com/mujeresdebarcelona
http://mujerestheband.blogspot.com/

martes, 10 de noviembre de 2009

Hollows


Hollows es una banda de Chicago formada por cuatro chicas y un chico, aunque todo empezó como cosa de dos, cuando la teclista Maria Jenkins puso un anuncio en Craiglist (el Loquo americano) buscando a alguien que se pudiera acoplar a las canciones que había estado escribiendo y que sonaban demasiado garage-pop para su anterior grupo Parsley Flakes. La bajista Emma Hospelhorn, cansada de tocar la flauta clásica en la orquesta local respondió a la llamada de Maria y la cosa en seguida cuajó. El anuncio incluía palabras como 60s, girl group, Shangri-Las y funeral, y eso es exactamente a lo que suenan Hollows: a unas Shangri-Las pasadas por un filtro oscuro.

Su álbum de debut de nombre homónimo fue inicialmente editado solo en forma de cassette en Plustapes, aunque desde el 10 de noviembre se puede conseguir también en forma de vinilo y descarga digital en Addenda Records.

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Hollows is a band from Chicago formed by four girls and one boy, although everything began just from two persons, when organist Maria Jenkins posted an ad on Craiglist looking for someone to develope the songs she had been writing and were too garage-pop for her previous band Parsley Flakes. The bassist Emma Hospelhorn, tired of playing classic flute at the local orchestra answered the ad and the new band began to work very easily. That ad included words like 60s, girl group, Shangri-Las, and funeral, and that's exaclty how Hollows sound like: the Shangri-Las going through a dark filter.

The band self-titled debut album was initially only published as a cassette on Plustapes, but since november 10 you can get it as an LP and digital download from Addenda Records.

Hollows - Shodows In The Dark



www.myspace.com/hollowschicago

Fungi Girls


Tras un nombre como Fungi Girls te podrías esperar cualquier cosa menos encontrarte con un trío de adolescentes imberbes salidos de algún rincón de Texas, por cuyas pintas tampoco podrías fácilmente adivinar la sorpresa te tienen preparada: la dosis exacta de melodías y ruido que reúnen a lo largo de las ocho canciones que forman su primer LP Seafaring Pyramids, recién editado en Play Pinball! Records.

Por su edad, ninguno pasa de los 16 años, y por esas guitarras tan 90, escucharles es un poco como volver a despertar en tu adolescencia y escuchar por primera vez todas esas bandas que descubrimos hace ya unos cuantos añitos.

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Under a name like Fungi Girls you could expect anything but finding a band formed by three teenage kids from somewhere in Texas, which looks can easily hide the surprise they have ready for you: the exact dose of noise and melodies they mix throughout the eight songs in their first LP Seafaring Pyramids, that has just been released by Play Pinball! Records.

Because of their age, the oldest of them is 16 years old, and because of those nineties-style shoegaze guitar, listening to them makes me feel like a teenager again and reminds me of the first time I got excited for all those bands we discovered and loved some years ago now.

Fungi Girls - Dystopic Vision



www.myspace.com/fungi girls


lunes, 9 de noviembre de 2009

Fred i Son


Fred i Son son de Barcelona, cantan en catalán y hacen pop delicado, vitalista y perezoso, con la vista puesta en Weekend, en ese disco tan bonito de Ben Watt, en Aztec Camera, en los Yo La Tengo del "Fakebook", en East River Pipe, en todos y cada uno de los discos bonitos que hayan inspirado alguna vez un recopilatorio para escuchar abrazados a alguien.

La mitad de sus canciones explican cuentos para niños, como este "Petit Príncep", el Principito de Antoine Saint Exupéry contado como si Bethany Consantino (Best Coast) acabase de enamorarse de Stephen Pastel

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Fred i Son are from Barcelona, they sing catalan delicate pop songs, lively and lazy, close to Weekend, close to that pretty record by Ben Watt, to Aztec Camera, to East River Pipe or to Yo La Tengo's "Fakebook", close to any beautiful record that could inspire the perfect mixtape to listen to embraced to someone.

Half of their songs are children's stories, like this "petit príncep", based on Antoine Saint Exupéry's "the Little Prince", in their hands, the tale sounds like as if Bethany Consantino (Best Coast) had just fallen in love with Stephen Pastel.



Fred i Son: el petit príncep








www.myspace.com/sonifred
http://fredisonenpijama.blogspot.com

viernes, 6 de noviembre de 2009

Brilliant Colors



A Brilliant Colors parecen gustarles por igual Shop Assistants y las Slits, Mika Miko y Heavens To Betsy. De ahí que se convirtieran en favoritas instantáneas cuando a principios de año sacaron su primer 7" para Make a Mess.
Acaba de salir su primer LP, "Introducing". Edita Slumberland Records y tiene 12 canciones, 10 nuevas y 2 rescates de ese primer EP.

El disco dura 27 minutos de nada, pasa en un suspiro y, si, casi todo el rato parece un disco perdido en la escocia de 1986. ¡Es una maravilla!

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Brilliant Colors seem to like equally the Shop Assistants and the Slits, Mika Miko and Heavens To Betsy. Because of this, they became instant favorites earlier this year when they released their first 7" on Make a Mess records.
Their first LP, "Introducing", came out recently on Slumberland Records. It has 12 songs, 10 new and 2 taken from their first EP.

The album is 27 minutes length, you can listen to it as in the blink of an eye and, yes, most of the time, it seems a a record that got lost in Scotland in 1986. It is wonderful!

Brilliant Colors: I Searched



www.myspace.com/brilliantcolorssanfrancisco

jueves, 5 de noviembre de 2009

los Claveles




No tengo idea de dónde salen, pero desde hace dos meses son uno de mis grupos favoritos: una pizca de los primeros Patrullero Mancuso por aquí, otro poco de los Monochrome Set menos ariscos por allí, y todavia un poco de Pop a la Flying Nun, Derribos Arias, Woodentops... todo sonando maravillosamente a lata.

Este viernes 6 de noviembre telonean a Phil Wilson (the June Brides) en Madrid.

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I have no idea where they come from, but for two months they've been one of my favorite bands: a little bit of the early Patrullero Mancuso, a little like the less surly Monochrome Set's there, and still a bit like Flying Nun's pop , Derribos Arias, the Woodentops... allways with that wonderfull lo-fi sound.

This Friday, 6 November they'll open for Phil Wilson (The June Brides) in Madrid.

(Los Claveles means the Carnations in Spanish)


Los Claveles: Ylayali



www.myspace.com/losclaveles09

lunes, 2 de noviembre de 2009

Dominant Legs



DOMINANT LEGS son Ryan William Lynch y Hanna Hunt y, como buena parte de nuestros grupos favoritos del último par de años, son de San Francisco. Han estado girando con GIRLS y, por lo que parece, Ryan formará parte del grupo a partir de ahora. Esperamos que eso no le haga apartarse de su proyecto personal.

Su "young at love and life" es tan bonita como el "love at first sight" de the Gist.

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DOMINANT LEGS are Ryan William Lynch and Hanna Hunt, and as many of our favorite bands of the last couple of years, they are from San Francisco. They've been touring with GIRLS recently and, as we read somewhere, Ryan will be part of the band from now. We hope that this do not deviate him from his own band.

Their "young at love and life" is as pretty as the Gist's "love at first sight".



Dominant Legs: young at love and life



www.myspace.com/dominantlegsmusic