MAP - Music Alliance Pact #89

Bentrovati a un nuovo episodio dell'appuntamento mensile con il progetto MAP - Music Alliance Pact, ovvero una ventina di blog di tutto il mondo che selezionano per voi una nuova band interessante del proprio Paese, ve la presentano e vi regalano una canzone. Un ottimo modo per scoprire nuova musica in modo non convenzionale. Per chi volesse capire di cosa stiamo parlando, questo è il riassunto delle puntate precedenti.



Tra i nomi che mi hanno incuriosito a questo giro:

- i portoghesi Bed Legs, con un classico garage rock sporco e carico di blues;

- i maltesi Divine Sinners, con un delizioso twee-pop (ma voi lo sapevate che si trovava del twee-pop a Malta?) che mi ha ricordato dei Tullycraft giovanili;

- il messicano Memo Guerra, con un synth-pop oscuro e intricato, ma comunque molto orecchiabile;

- i canadesi P'ARIS, con un pop assolutamente mainstream e danzereccio;

- il giapponese Foodman insieme al produttore taiwanese Meuko Meuko, con un lavoro che sembra citare gli Anni Novanta di Mike Paradinas.

Gli italiani scelti questo mese sono i Paisley Reich, da poco tornati con un ottimo EP intitolato Blaze, per la sempre più sorprendente Lady Sometimes Records, giovane etichetta romana che uscita dopo uscita sta mettendo assieme un catalogo davvero ragguardevole. I Paisley Reich li avevo segnalati proprio qui sul MAP ormai tre anni fa, e da allora i ragazzi sono parecchio maturati. Se già le prime forme più shoegaze mostravano bene il loro talento nel far sciogliere le melodie dentro matasse di rumore e psichedelia, queste nuove canzoni si spingono oltre, dando prova di sapere tentare altre strade, scritture più complesse. Tra una raffica elettrica e l'altra, a me sono venuti in mente un paio di nomi come Interpol e National, forse troppo "roboanti", ma che comunque danno l'idea di quali atmosfere possano raggiungere i nostri Paisley Reich. Spero che il prossimo passo sia l'album, finalmente (e spero pure di vederli prima o poi anche dal vivo).



(mp3) Paisley Reich - Fade





Clicca qui sotto per leggere il resto della playlist del MAP di febbraio con il link per scaricarla tutta in un colpo solo.





Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 16-track compilation through Dropbox here.



ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Rosal - John

Rosal are one of our all-time favorite bands from Buenos Aires. Led by singer Maria Ezquiaga, they have been around since 2002 delivering indie-pop gems with fine arrangements and catchy lyrics, such as John, a track from their first album. Rosal just released La Musica Es Mi Eje, which features live versions from their five albums and some great covers.



AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

The Delicates - Chimera

Exactly the type of song you'd expect to hear come out of Australia in the middle of our long, hot southern summer. The Delicates are five wallflowers from the Gold Coast who play soothing, understated jangle surf-pop with a hint of the type of melancholy that you only get from bands born outside the hustle and bustle of a major metropolis. Chimera will drift in and out of your headphones without much of a fuss but not without leaving you feeling a little lighter in the process.



BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Rodrigo Ogi - Aventureiro

Aventureiro is the opening track from RÁ!, one of the most acclaimed Brazilian albums of 2015. Rodrigo Ogi raps about life in São Paulo, its challenges and experiences. For those who do not speak Portuguese this track speaks for itself with its strong beats and flow.



CANADA: Ride The Tempo

P'ARIS - Focus

The identity of P'ARIS is currently unknown but one thing is for sure, they know how to write a pop jam. This totally channels the essence of fellow Canadians Tegan and Sara.



CHILE: Super 45

Los Valentina - Danza De La Lluvia

From Piloto, the record label that brought guitars back to Chilean indie-pop, we introduce Los Valentina with their debut EP Señoras. Simple songs about simple things, delicately executed and perfect for the summer, with the unmistakable voice of Valentina Martinez inviting us to listen over and over again until we learn the lyrics to sing along like nothing else matters.



ECUADOR: Plan Arteria

El Bloque - Sazón

Hip hop group El Bloque are part of this year's Rap De Colección Vol.2 compilation that serves as a platform to show off Ecuadorian talent. The album features El Bloque's tasteful single Sazón, which comes with this video.



INDONESIA: Deathrockstar

Pygmy Marmoset - Cerita Senja

Pygmy Marmoset are a duo from Bali who sing pop songs with strong lyrics about the environment. Their latest release Cerita Senja (roughly translated as "The Afternoon Story") is about someone who craves a hug after working long hours and commuting through traffic and pollution.



IRELAND: Hendicott Writing

Tuath - Casting Shadows Over Sun (Shammen Delly remix)

Typically an Irish language post-punk act, what makes this locally-leaning remix from Tuath interesting is in part that it's so atypical of them. A remix of fellow Donegal act Shammen Delly, this is an atmospheric bit of slow-building, fuzzy electronica that is decidedly not post-punk. Fortunately, it offers great evidence that Robert Mulhern is not a man to be pigeonholed, once again exploring rhythm and texture, simply through an entirely different medium.



ITALY: Polaroid

Paisley Reich - Fade

Paisley Reich were on the MAP playlist in January 2013, but they have grown up a lot since those early songs. They just released a vinyl EP on Lady Sometimes Records and it shows a new maturity in songwriting and a great awareness in the definition of their sound. Taking inspiration from the likes of Interpol and The National, these guys from Rome are able to create a music landscape full of shadows, noise and mystery, but which also shines with melodies and a psychedelic sweetness.



JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies

Foodman x Meuko Meuko - Wan Wan Wan Wan

This MAP entry sees wonky Japanese producer Foodman team up with equally left-of-center Taiwanese artist Meuko Meuko for a woozy electronic number. Wan Wan Wan Wan jitters ahead, eventually settling into a nice thump, albeit one that takes place in a sonic jungle courtesy of nature-centric samples. Despite all of the disparate parts clanging together, Wan Wan Wan Wan ends up a danceable tune.



MALTA: Stagedive Malta

Divine Sinners - Busy Bee

Divine Sinners is a four-piece band from Gozo (Malta's sister island). Originally founded by Charles J. Attard & Frank Buhagiar, they have been playing live for the past six years and have recorded four albums. Divine Sinners are currently working on their fifth album.



MEXICO: RBMA Radio Panamérika

Memo Guerra - Que Es Lo Que Siento

Continuing the impressive growth of his netlabel Abstrakt Muzak, the Monterrey-born, Austin-based virtuoso Memo Guerra has recently released his new album Moon Phase. The aesthetic choices on swooning first single Que Es Lo Que Siento - drum machines, programming, synths, an unforeseen guitar outro and more - are enveloping by themselves. Yet, underneath all these layers and sonic textures, the song comes into full in effect with its hooky central melody.



PERU: SoTB

Los Tuertos - Faith In God

Los Tuertos features Humberto Campodonico, formerly of the band Turbopotamos, alongside Francisco Chirinos and Claudio Pando. Having made their debut in 2014 with the single Tuerta Navidad, their music has a predilection for folk and nostalgic melodies in a style they call Peruvian gospel.



PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?

Bed Legs - Vicious

The sound of Bed Legs, a quartet from Braga, is pure blues and rock 'n' roll. Vicious was the first single taken from their debut album, Black Bottle, released in January.



SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop

Mt. Doubt - Soft Wrists

Leo Bargery is the guiding force of Edinburgh's Mt. Doubt, whose 2015 debut album My Past Is A Quiet Beast (available on iTunes) broods with impressive variety, from driving indie-rock to melancholic introspection and everything in between. Vocally reminiscent of Neil Halstead, the incremental crescendo-building of Soft Wrists deserves to be played loud and often.



SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK

Earip - 1984

Earip started her musical career as the vocalist of 90s indie-pop band Sweater and has continued on her own as a singer-songwriter for the past decade. Her fifth solo album Exile has just been released and is full of lovely tunes. Inspired by George Orwell's novel, 1984 showcases Earip's characteristic, warm voice over a calm piano arrangement.