A band that operates in Glasgow, Natalie Pryce has just issued its first single. It’s a double A-sided release, made up of the songs “Janine” and “Bisclavaret” – two cuts that fittingly convey the band’s blend of jazz, blues and punk.
The dual essence of this release serves a specific purpose, namely exhibiting the band’s keenness on dichotomy, and establishing a ground where symmetry can be analyzed without compromises or apologies.
The tandem works as intended, as affection and abjection and are explored back and forth between these two compositions, resulting in the blackest of whites and vice versa.
A band defying the tradition which dictates that groups with the word “electric” in their names shall perish when they’re young (see “Electric Flag” for a good example), “Ovejas Eléctricas” [Electric Sheep] up the ante with the release of a new promotional video.
It revolves around the song “Ser Astronauta Hoy” [To Be A Spaceman Today], and it has been extracted from their album “Pueblo de Fantasmas” [Ghost Town], which you can download for free on their own site.
A Spanish-language album which sounds noticeably English, “Pueblo de Fantasmas” is made up of ten songs – the CD was actually started as an EP that got expanded along the way, becoming a full work on its own right. At least half the numbers are A-side quality – the physical opener “Larga Distancia” [Long Distance] with its clinging guitars and defeatist lyrics that still speak of fulfillment, the broody, Radiohead-esque “Un Pie En La Tierra” [One Foot In The Earth], “Entre Máquinas” [Between Machines] with vocals and melodies that soar as much as the lyrics demand… My personal favorite is “El Sol y Otras Mentiras” [The Sun and Other Lies], mainly on strength of the lyrics, which recapitulate the one conversation I had with the band in person not so long ago, and their stance as regards the contemporary music scene. And the seesawing fade (from minute 3:50 onwards) is also a good example of the attention they pay to detail when crafting their songs.
Uruguayan punk rockers Contraste have just released their first official music video. It’s set to the music of “My Place”, their new promotional cut.
Contraste is made up of Bruno Espino (Vocals), Adrián Fontaiña (guitars), Koki (bass) and Germán Bonet (drums). A slightly different lineup of the band had released an eponymous demo on 2010 (free download), and “My Place” signals a change of pace, as it’s only suitable – the song is entirely in English. Continue reading →
Jordy is a Uruguayan saxophonist who resides in New York, and he has just released an album entitled “Jordy Del Plata” (iTunes link). He is currently promoting it in the US, and soon he’ll come back to Uruguay to play some dates.
The song is called “Lovers At Midnight”, and its lilting melody is enough to carry you to the warmest of memories:
The band comprises Daniel Freelikeme on guitar, Minerva Borjas Owen on keyboards, Renzo Vargas on drums and Jose Morillo on bass.
With the release of “El Camino Bajo”, Gonzalo Bouzout (the former singer for Lapso, and a current member of Pilotos En Caos) launches his solo career in earnest.
The 10-track album can be downloaded for free on his website, and (in general) it’s a more acoustic-derived work than his previous output. Though Gonzalo is joined by a three-piece band, the focus never strays too far away from his singing and playing, and the overall mood is a gentle one from top to bottom.
In all honesty (and leaving aside the fact I’ve always held his music in high esteem) I think this is going to be one of the standout Uruguayan albums of 2013.
A full review of “El Camino Bajo” is forthcoming. I encourage you to get the album now, and see how much it resonates with you.
And this is the video for the song “Puerta Al Sur” [Gateway To The South]. It’s not my favorite track on the album by any stretch, but (when you add a visual dimension to it) the song acquits itself much better:
A Scottish duo that has just issued their first album, The Creeping Ivies is singer/guitarist Becca Bomb and drummer Duncan Destruction who have ganged together to do just what their stage names suggest: “play wild rock & roll!”.
I suppose they are aware this decimates their chances of opening for Taylor Swift in the upcoming Red Tour of Europe.
But they obviously take that for granted. That’s life for you and me – learning to cope with voluminous loses…
Oh, don’t get me started.
I know what I’m talking about.
I’ve had my share of misfortunes, I have.
For example, I never got to be Prom Queen. But I didn’t put my head into an oven because of that.
I did try to hang myself, though. But I didn’t find a tree that was short enough. Someday I’ll tell you the whole story… Continue reading →
The most recent promotional video from Uruguayan musicians the Mushi Mushi Orquesta:
The song is named “Alba” [Dawn].
It’s from their forthcoming album, “Otro Cuerpo, Otro Esqueleto” [Another Body, Another Skeleton].
It’s been recorded at Arizona Studios.
It’s been masterminded by Germán Luongo and Virginia Plottier.
And since it’s an instrumental track, my ability to make inane jokes and include unrelated content on the post has been dealt a devastating blow.
Sigh…
I’ll just drown in a river of stillborn tears while this clip flashes back and forwards in the eye of my mind:
“Power Ranger” is the latest single by a Uruguayan band known as “Power Chocolatín Experimento”.
The song is featured on a split that the band recorded with Cadaver Exquisito, and the Argentinean band Cuco. You can download it for free on CaracolRojo.com.ar.
To cut a short story even shorter, I’m including this video on MusicKO simply because any person that comes up with a lyric which goes “Quiero vivir como un hombre, y morir como un Power Ranger” [I want to live like a man, and die like a Power Ranger] can instantly consider himself my blood brother.
You can download Power Chocolatín Experimento’s music on their bandcamp profile. It basically comprises a 3-song EP named “Ernesto Paz”, and an eponymous album with 9 tracks.
This is it. I’ve had it with pop music.
Say what you will, but the whole scene has deteriorated irrevocably.
First, Tay Tay released that trainwreck of a music video for “I Knew You Were Trouble”, which was the kind of thing Lana Del Rey would conceive before sitting down to write her suicide letter.
And then, the world was in a state of shock when it was discovered that a fan of Justin Bieber had sent multiple death threats to Kim Kardashian because of her recent comments regarding the teen idol.
That was just horrific.
The fan said she would use her lunch money to hire a hitman.
OK, sack it. Making jokes about Justin Bieber is getting stale. You have to respect an all-around singer, composer and stage-performer when you see one. That’s the last time I mention the Canadian star on MusicKO…
Incidentally, did you read about the trip that Justin Bieber and Selena Gómez made to the mountains with Taylor Swift and Harry Styles (when Taylor and Harry were still an item)???
Wow, man. That should have been radical.
I mean, can you imagine all the giggling, tickling and pillow fighting… in the boys’ room alone???!!!
Well, in view of the above, I hereby declare that trash metal will be my favorite genre from now on. And this new Uruguayan band will be the standard-bearer for me.
C.O.M.A. is a young Uruguayan band that is in the process of finishing its debut album. And they have already released a promo video for their first single, “Nada ni Nadie” [Nothing and Nobody]. Give it a look:
The band is made up of Martín Petrone (vocals/rhythm guitar), Gastón Simone (lead guitar), Dennis Noda (bass) and Marcelo De Souza (drums). This particular video was shot and edited by Cristian Montes for ValvularTV.com.
A music video that I’ve grown instantly attached to, “Loco Train” is the latest single by Wakeup Starlight.
This band was started in 2010 by Caleb Cummings and Chris Noble, and they’re currently augmented by a bass player named Dave Janssen. You can read their bio on this website, but (basically) they’ve already put out a couple of EPs. Their sound was more rock-oriented in the beginning, but now a prominent folk element permeates their oeuvre, and they’re releasing the kind of songs that you play and record life moments to. They got in touch with me just the other day via e-mail, and I’m more than pleased to have discovered their music. Continue reading →
