martedì 19 luglio 2011

Album of the day: State Shirt - This is old

State shirt is an american electronic-indie-pop combo that plays an interesting mixture of Radiohead late productions and a sonic and angry attitude that recalls post-grunge tones.
"This is old" is a full length that elaborates all this features. Not so original, but still cool and catchy, it deserves more than one chance.

lunedì 18 luglio 2011

Album of the day: On returning - Dresses & Dreams

On Returning come from Sweden: they don't remind, anyway, neither ABBA nor Dark Tranquillity. They play a retro-indie-pop that sounds like Cure or early U2 production. Songs show a gentle but nervous guitar and several electronic inserts that counteract the rhythm section. Singer recalls Pet Shop Boys soft tone, and gives to all the songs a pop touch.

venerdì 15 luglio 2011

Album of the day: Plastic People - Pink Narcisius

Pink Narcisius is a full length (9 songs) from Plastic People, a French band that plays a mixture of new-wave and pop. Starting from the rethorical poses of late 00s indie bands (like Interpol), they build emotional moods with the intense dialogues between the singer and the rhythmic section. Adding marimba and accordions helps in smoothing the atmosphere, and finally leads to a grim and meaningful result.

giovedì 14 luglio 2011

Album of the day: Le Galago - So High

Today, the French national day, nothing better than an interesting French duo. Their music doesn't recall, anyway, the French touch.
Le Galago is an indie-folk duo: singer's voice sometimes recalls Alice in Chains funereal prosody, especially when the guitars go steely and the gently strokes of the bruhses bring out angst and frustration. In several episodes catchy anthems remind U2 or Jeff Buckley moods, even if tainted with slight psychedelic noises and synths. This pretty long (40 minutes from 10 songs) work is a nice example of how well-chosen electronic effects and the right choice of atmospheres could transform a conventional (but not so bad) folk in a smart and pleasant product.

mercoledì 13 luglio 2011

Album of the day: Figures - Cycle

Cycle, by french trio Figures, is an interesting set of songs that refer directly to Radiohead.
If the transition of the seminal UK band from the electronic brit-pop of the early years to the cold, rational landscapes of the post-Ok computer era was not that radical, they probably would play, now, music like this.
Slow, moody, full of instrumental digression, this work is a nice compromise between analogic pop and electronics.