code pie. interview #43

Whenever I listen to bands like Code Pie, I get myself thinking about what it takes for a band to reach massive success... I'm aware that some bands don't have this goal - and I simply adore that - but really, what does it take?
Code Pie completes a decade in 2012 having released three absolutely stunning albums and you, indie lover, probably don't know that. I'll focus my words on their latest album 'Love Meets Rage', released last April on their own label, Flagless Records.
This album was built during a period of two years and it's a complex, profound and intricate combination of (love and rage) layers of crafting and feelings, going from C86 sappy pop and reaching powerful ballads (but not before passing through some shoegaze and reverberations). All put together, in one song, managing to give you a feeling that everything's in its right place, tempo and rhythm. Beneath the noise of reverberations or distorted guitars, there's a beautiful and delicate piano. When the noise is gone, there's this dreamy and dense horn/trumpet carrying a song like a cloud over the city. Just like that:  without any visible (or listenable) effort.
Take 'North Side City View', for instance: a 4 minute song that starts very pop-ish and suddenly turns into an instrumental-almost-ambient song that slowly builds up into a crescendo and takes you along, you wanting or not... the same happens in 'Morning After'.
What makes Code Pie stand out from other bands from the (amazing) Canadian scene, is their ability to keep an aesthetic unity and, at the same time, not holding back when building the tension for their musical combinations (again, love and rage).
Here's to you your new favourite Canadian band.

Before the interview, check an awesome video and cover for 'Baby', a song from fellow Canadian singer  Justin Bieber.

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better days

Fonda ~ Better Days EP (Fonda Music, Inc., 2011)

It's been almost 10 years that I'd heard about Fonda. A friend sent me their first ep 'Music for Begginers', from 1998 and I had a blast listening to it. Then years past... and imagine my surprise and delight when David sent me an email last week talking about their new release.
It's been 8 years since Fonda's latest release.The once band now is the couple/duo David Klotz and Emily Cook. Both work on the entertainment industry and have successful careers: David is the music editor for the TV hit 'Glee' and Emily is a screenwriter and among her works are 'Gnomeo and Juliet' and 'Ratatouille'.
Fonda is the unique combination of shoegaze, brit pop, 60's pop, layers of sound and boy-girl singing. And "Better Days", their new ep, is somehow a pretty evolution from the 8 years that passed without new music from them. It's bright, tight and perfect to be listened in the middle of the day, surrounded by the sun and potent speakers/headphones.

In time, here's 'Better Days EP' for your listening pleasure... You can also download the title track here. The EP will be out on June, 6.
  Better Days - EP by fondaband

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my teenage stride. interview #40

My Teenage Stride started as the musical vehicle for Jedediah Smith express his love for The Smiths and Jesus and Mary Chain. After two albums recorded all by himself, the act started to count with a few rotating musicians and nowadays has Jedediah and three other musicians backing him up for live performances.
The band started back in 2004 in Brooklyn and since then, received a - much deserved - cult status by their followers. Not hard to understand why, since MTS plays some of the most tight, straightforward, addictive tunes in the indie world (I'm not exaggerating when I say world, ok?). The perfect combination of rhythm, witty/clever lyrics and evoking melodies. Jedediah is - and a lot of fellow music bloggers agree - one of the best songwriters nowadays and I could name at least 3 songs from MTS that should be part of any respectable guide to indie music from the 2000's.
While the references are all there, in their music (The Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain, C86, jangle pop, 60's pop with a tougher take...) MTS manages to create a fresh, powerful, very personal and creative sound; modern and urban.

Below there's my conversation with Jedediah... This is one of the most enjoyable interviews I've made: just like his compositions, Jedediah's answers are filled with a funny and witty mood.
Here he talks about references, creative processes and recording sessions in haunted studios and among bats; his next album, which was funded by supporters through Kickstarter and more.
He recently released five (amazing!!!!!!!!) free songs at Free Music Archive. At some point of the interview, the link will pop up.

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nigerian girl

Yournalist ~ Nigerian Girl (single) (Drink Tonight Records, 2011)

photo by Petri Huhtinen

Yournalist is a new trio coming from Finland making fun power prog pop and rock with a bunch of other influences... but musical genres apart, the first thing one might notice is the energy present in their music.
They have just released an EP called 'Slippery and Infected EP' on the new indie label Drink Tonight Records.
'Nigerian Girl' is the first single and best song of the release. A fun, catchy, summery and fresh tune made for the repeat button. You can get it on the player below.


  Yournalist - Nigerian Girl by drinktonightrecords

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french films. interview #38

Let the sun shine and the warm breeze of summer flow into your ears in the form of new wave-ish French Film’s melodies. Five boys (Johannes, Mikael, Santtu, Joni and Antti) from Finland – yes, cold Finland – started the band last year and with Golden Sea, a four track EP released under GAEA, brought the attention to their sunny tunes (almost anthems in their intensity and addictiveness) being made in frigid suomi lands. Comparisons range from The Drums to Joy Division and The Cure.
An album is being mixed as I write and will be out this year. And pretty soon the first single will see the light of… well, the hot summer sun –which couldn’t be more appropriate.
So for the folks in the North hemisphere: wear sunscreen, shake of the ice, go to the beach and expect new French Films music soon.
Folks in the South: enjoy French Films while you keep dreaming about warmer times.
  Golden Sea EP by French Films

Here's my chat with Johannes...

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ataque de caspa

Ataque de Caspa ~ Supongamos, Por Ejemplo (Independent, 1985. Released: 2011)

Madrid (Spain), circa 1985.

A group called Ataque de Caspa - Dandruff Attack - formed by one girl (Carmen) and five boys (Nacho, Lalo, Alfredo and Luis) recorded a few songs, played once on a tv show, did a few gigs and vanished. 

Internet (Earth), 2010.

We can say that a certain phenomenon happened... all of a sudden, bands were playing Ataque's songs in concerts, a 4 track ep from almost 30 years ago started to spread and a buzz was created around the band... suddenly, there was a myspace and facebook page. 

Now 'Supongamos, por ejemplo', a 6 track ep, is available for free download on bandcamp with two more songs. Impossible to describe the sound, really... not because it is 'different' but because it has that dust of time that gives an amazing feeling and atmosphere to it. It is C86, twee, Joy Division-esque at moments. In a perfect world, Cherry Red would've released their ep and they would be opening concerts for Orange Juice.

Close to none information is available online. What some people are saying is that after all this years away from music, they are recording new stuff with Los Nikis, a spanish pop punk band from the 80's. 

Also, a tribute album will be released, featuring some of the best bands of the new spanish indie scene like Los Punsetes, Klaus & Kinski and Triángulo de Amor Bizarro.     

Shake of the dust from the past 30 years and dance... here you'll find 6 glorious tracks that - thankfully - saw the light and ears of our times... 

01. Viaje a Egipto

02. Cronica China

03. LaLaLa

04. Nigeria

05. La Pesca

06. La Militar

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motorama. interview #36

photo by i. kasminin

Coinciding with the release of a new song through Holiday Records (and a new video!), today we feature Motorama: a russian band that will take you to the 80's cold wave era and post-punk movement and still will manage to set your heart on fire and give electric shocks to your feet with hints of twee and dreampop.
All of their releases are available for free and in case you don't know them the best advice I can give to you is to go download their songs as soon as possible.
'Alps' is their debut album and was listed on our best of 2010. It is a gem, a hidden gem that caught the attention of the blogosphere through warm arrangements, dreamy guitar hooks, strong bass lines and a deep voice.
Let yourself get lost into their magical summery forest, always haunted by cold winds.

New single: One Moment

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And here's my interview with Vlad: creative process, the album, references, influences, visual music and the internet killing the music industry are among the topics...

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my heart belongs to cecilia winter. interview #29

There’s music that reaches a place inside of us that seems to put us in contact with something ancestral, ancient inside of us; something like you being aware of this long line connecting you with the first human beings and their effort to, culturally, evolve.
My Heart Belongs To Cecilia Winter hits me in that way. It is extremely contemporary but it has this medieval feel to it (melodically and also visually speaking).
Of course, the idea of death permeating the album also gives an extra help to create this sort of bond with once-upon-a-time-being-and-feelings…
This trio from Switzerland released their first album ‘Our Love Will Cut Through Everything’ a few months ago. A beautiful, strong and deeply evocative collection of songs that surely stands out as one of the most creative things of the year.
I talked with Thom (vocals and guitar) about who’s Cecilia Winter, influences, death, the album, comparisons with Arcade Fire and the indie scene in Switzerland. Check his (beautiful) words…

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neverever. interview #28

Neverever is the creative vehicle used by husband and wife Jihae and Wallace Meek.  They live in L.A. (after spending some time in Glasgow, Mr. Meek’s hometown) and released ‘Angelic Swells’ (under Slumberland Records) back in May, an album combining elements ranging from the 20’s doo wop, passing through 50’s rock’n’roll, 60’s surf music, 70’s psychedelia and 80’s punk. It is practically a music class from track #01 to #11 (or a little less than 33 minutes).
Angelic Swells is one of the most refreshing and uplifting albums released this year. It’s sunny, vibrant, hot, sweaty and still holds the glamour of a colorful yellow-ish picture taken in the 60’s. It also has this young and rebel sense of innocence and lust of young lovers making out at a drive-in.

Follow Jihae talking about their origins, the making of the album, (literally) crazy sound engineers and how MJ’s death may have influenced the band in unconscious ways.

01. So, from the beginning: first there was The Champagne Socialists. Tell us about the period that made you rethink the band and turn into ‘Neverever’. And what’s the inspiration behind the name?
One day it just kinda dawned on us that we really didn't like the name. Mike Schulman from Slumberland asked us if we wanted to put out a 7" with him and of course we said yes, but we didn't really have time to change the name. When we saw it in print on the single we decided it had to go.
We just kinda wanted something that was nondescript and short. I think it may have been around the time MJ passed too, which might have slipped in subconsciously. Woops.

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crocodiles. interview #26

Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowland are Crocodiles.They’re two friends from San Diego making energetic shoegazy-noise pop wth surfey krautrock feeling. It has hints of the noisy, most distorted phase of The Jesus and Mary Chain and  some psychedelic flirtations with Spiritualized, Spacemen 3. But of course, it’s not only that. 

Their story starts with ‘Neon Jesus’: an infectious song that took bloggers and music lovers by surprise in 2008. At a first listen, one can see what the fuss was about and the potential of the song. Being from the sunny California, you might expect a bright sound and, don’t get me wrong, is that what you get most of the time, but it’s the kind of sunny that blinds you because it’s too bright. But there’s a twist: a rebel, dark and unsettling feel…

‘Summer of Hate’, the debut album, came out in 2009 released by Fat Possum Records. I disagree with a lot of people that says that the album is too influenced by the bands mentioned before. Maybe the elements that would give more personality to their sound weren’t that present as in their subsequent album (‘I Wanna Kill’ and ‘Here Comes the Sky are a must hear!).

A few months ago, ‘Sleep Forever’, their second album was released. It has, indeed, much more personality than ‘Summer…’. 

Songs like ‘Mirrors’, ‘Sleep Forever’ and specially ‘Hearts of Love’ are brilliant.

‘Hearts of Love’ has one of the best videos of the year and expresses perfectly what Crocodiles are: sunny and bright at first with an ‘evil’ and obscure atmosphere that slowly builds up. 

Enough said, check our interview with Brandon:

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