Everything that surrounds Superorganism is expectation and mystery. They came out of nowhere at the beginning of the year to rock the blogosphere with their intoxicating pop hit Something for your M.I.N.D., introducing themselves as a collective formed by Orono, the 17 year old Maine-resident Japanese girl and her seven London friends. The track quickly disappeared from the net for copyright issues, but not before seducing Frank Ocean, who played it on his radio show. In the past few months they have come back with two more happy-go-lucky tracks that confirm that they are the craziest most refreshing bands of the year.
King Krule is Archy Marshall, who beat-sings poetry that tumbles up and down like a diary written in M.C. Escher-space, through a voice like a languorous boxing glove.
“Czech One,” Marshall’s first new song since 2013, is an appropriately named, tentative step back up to the mic and early morning toe-dip in the lake of his avant-lounge (or fauxotica-jazz, or absinthe-core).
Crawling with musicians and performers, it’s not surprising that Daniel Benjamin, aka proto-house synth-pop outfit Moon King, decided to set up shop there.
Born in chilly Toronto, he grew obsessed with the Motor City’s vibrant underground dance scene and moved there last year to collaborate with local artists. Out of this creative environment came ‘Hamtramck ’16’, his new disco-flecked EP that fuses The Bee Gees’ catchy melodies with Prince’s jazz-pop rhythms.
‘In & Out’, the first single from the record isa far cry from Moon King’s past output as a shoegaze dream-pop duo – instead morphing into a thumping nu-soul jam à la Sister Sledge and Chic.
East Londoners, Bad Nerves have served up a hefty slab of grimy and frenzied lo-fi punk that seem like the love child of the Ramones and the New York Dolls. “Radio Punk” has all the hallmarks of a power pop jam but with a distinctive garage-rock feel. It is a very decisive track for a band in their formative stages, combining brash vocals with jagged guitar and a simplistic but incredibly effective backbeat.
Dark Days + Canapés’ is Ghostpoet‘s most defining album to date. A stunning and stimulating return, ‘Dark Days + Canapés’ is a record that captures the sense of unease felt by so many in recent times.
After receiving recognition for the beat-driven arrangements of his first two albums, third album ‘Shedding Skin’ initiated a more alt-rock sound that saw Ghostpoet Mercury nominated for a second time. New album ‘Dark Days + Canapés’, produced by Leo Abrahams, best known for his work with Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins, delves even further into a fuller, guitar driven sound.
From Washington DC and on the legendary label Dischord, cradle of the most political hardcore, Priests are any rock lover’s dream: a wild and committed band able to concentrate the best lo-fi punk, pop, R&B and noise. An explosive cocktail that the quartet completes with combative lyrics about feminism, group dynamics and human relationships. All of this on their fantastic debut album, “Nothing Feels Natural”, with which the band takes a great leap forward after warming up with a couple of EPs and singles.
Orlando Fernández and Coco Santos are Clubz, a Mexican band that started making a name for itself by bringing eighties electropop up to date and by preparing a reconquest focusing their sound on R&B, smooth bass lines and black pop. The duo debuted in 2014 with “Texturas·, a presentation EP that positioned them as one of the most interesting bands in Mexico and opened the doors of Canadà to them, label on which they will release their next record. For the moment tracks like “Épocas” and “El Rollo” already point to this change in direction towards urban rhythms and funk with an eye on the dance floor.
Radio Magazine about Barcelona's indie and alternative music & culture scene. Live broadcast every Monday from 6:45PM to 9:30PM at Barcelona FM 100.5
