The Kavanaghs

It was the sheer fun in the music that drew me to the band and a distinctive guitar opener to their track ‘Tonight‘ that I haven’t heard since Plastic Bertrand had me smiling with Ça plane pour moi, back in the late ’70s. The Kavanaghs may well be a band rooted in the influences of ’60s bands, but they are so much more than a retrospective.

Some immense guitar blends with a preppy pace to ensure the listener finds themselves looking like a nodding dog. The music is smartly put together, as they handle tempo switches easily mid-way though tracks. The use of piano adds a timbre of innocence to the sound as neatly paced drumming tells the story behind the music, driving the cadences and direction of the tracks.

At their best The Kavanaghs play solid rock guitar to dance tempo, yet they are adroit on the slower numbers,  where the musical abilities of the band members is given a wider space to be showcased.

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… Just in case you think I have lost the plot, compare the two guitar openings and let me know what you think:

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Baby Scream

Val Doonican came to mind watching the band sit as Baby Scream played, but it makes sense. The complex instrumentation singles out the band for a listen. Would the tortured English be better in native Spanish, well to my ears probably yes, but that is a minor point when sat alongside the superb compositions.

There is a sense that all is well while listening to the band, times gone past, good memories and a future which looks as comforting, deflecting the audience away from a world in turmoil, thank you Baby Scream for reminding me there is more to life than the here and now.

This is music for a night with friends and I can find myself drawn to a relaxing evening, an easy supper and the wine flowing freely. Not that it becomes wallpaper paste, there is far more to offer. Baby Scream delve in to the recesses of back catalogues and pose relevant music for the listener. An engaging instrumental meanders across the good times, as conversation flows, driven on by the feel good factor that is Baby Scream.

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The LP Secret Place is available on *

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When I write about bands younger than the blog, it makes me smile at how the world evolves. Once upon a time the indie bands blog was the newest squeeky clean hopeful on the block and now at the ripe old age of 2 there are newer spaces than us. It’s been a roller-coaster couple of years, Julie who carefully dissected the colour combinations on the site and kept sanity when I lost mine, is now dead. Thank you Julie for the dreams we share/d, the site will never die until we are both dust.

The New Beans

Argentina on the indie bands blog has become synonymous with The Velvet Underground, The New Beans spread wings to a wider space as core alternative rock springs like a new born lamb from the speakers. There is a freshness and enthusiasm for life that reminds me of the tight springing wool on a lamb. No, no idea where these allusions come from either but it makes sense, well, to me anyway.

The New Beans use the keys to powerful effect as they explore a new world around them (yes I am going to extend this reference further). The music breaks between sharp, fresh, considerate and hesitant spaces with comfort, as the four musicians take the listener on a journey of discovery. There is no jaded cynicism behind their material, it is emotionally constructed, with the band working in unison as they deliver a maturity beyond 12 months.

A band to follow with interest.

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With an eponymous LP already released and available on *, New Beans have staked a space in the pantheon of …. We do have something to say.

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Indica

Far more than a simple indie rock out-fit, Indica who take their name from a ’60s avant art-gallery in London, wrap together a melange of sound, which superficially exposes a Gordion Knot, yet as easily as Alexander solved the puzzle, they seamlessly transport the listener on a voyage of discovery.

It is of no surprise they reference a ’60s art gallery – Indica are deft exponents of spreading beaded cushions on which the audience is invited to recline as the psychedelic influences wave through the brain and they are not a throw-back to a by-gone era, rather a highly relevant and up to the mark ensemble.

Vocals breeze out in their native Spanish, which demands my ears work a little harder, but they are not strained as the whirls of colours relax and raise the dopamine levels. Some highly creative use of instrumentation enables the band to explore spaces that shouldn’t be possible.

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South America and Argentina in particular continue to throw up some superbly creative artists and it is a pleasure to add Indica to that find – appreciate the contact Cesar. If you know of bands, as yet unexplored on the indie bands blog, just drop a note using our contact form.

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gbrl

Prior to  worrying about ‘unformed’, lets take a step back – this website is to here to explose new music and Gabriel is exploring spaces, with considerable musical adroitness.

This is completely raw out-put as gbrl seeks to find a space in which to express the emotive vitality. The purity of the stance makes this a viable sound. This is music  based on personal retrospective which Gabriel explores superbly with an open construct on guitar, which is harnessed by the synth, bringing shape to the whole sound.

gbrl has all the essential ingredient for some superb experimental material, if only Gabriel will come out of the shadow.

01 – CONTROL by gbrl

Many thanks to Clara V (again) from Vaqueros Paganos for the rapid translation.

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Periplo

Having focused primarily on recording material, he has so far produced two EPs and one album (currently working on a second album) which are all released under creative commons Licence and created at home, it wasn’t until 2009, that Periplo started to play in live venues.

His material draws on a diversity of influences and the output is fairly diverse. Having spent much time listening to American and British bands, his English lyric sits comfortably on top of the sound.

In much of his music I find myself in a space which is intended to be unknown and slightly threatening. There is an air of desolation surrounding the resulting output. Well constructed and challenging to the listener, Periplo is an artist who has set his stall and is accomplished at what he is seeking to deliver.  His album, Música permutante brings in numerous effects and instruments, all surrounding a ’70s space theme. His more recent EP, Cuerdas uses just vocal and guitar.

Cuerdas by Periplo

Currently working on a film score, it will be interesting to see where Periplo heads next.

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DeLasAguas

DeLasAguas play relentless music, which demands the full attention of what is more a participator than a listener. Their live sets are characterised by continual music, with neither a pause nor dialogue between tracks. They aim quite simply to challenge the audience.

This could all fall down as pretentious nonsense, were it not for the fact that these guys can play and play well. They are able to create tracks with enormous content and deliver dramatic speed changes in mid chord, with the whole band staying absolutely together.

It is great to hear this type of experimentation with not just the music, but combining the visual elements as an integral part of the whole piece.

DLA – Florencia Bajo Las Aguas from Javi Devitt on Vimeo.

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The South American indie scene and in particular the bands from Argentina are pushing the creative boundaries as much as the bands from Scandinavia and deserves a much higher consideration from websites like the indie bands blog.

lunaria

Unusually, for the Argentinian bands already written about on the indie bands blog, Lunaria sing in English and when I asked Javier about this, he explained it was because of the music he grew up listening to.

The influences range from punk, grunge and psychedelia, I have a strong feeling that The Velvet Underground have influenced huge swathes of the Argentinian indie scene.

The trio produce music which has all the strength and intensity of rock, which is cleverly interspersed with a nod to the psychedelic influences, while the lyrics look at the self destructive power of human-kind. Lunaria are easily accessible to a broad audience and on listening to the band, it seems that there must be more than three musicians involved. The music is brought together by the use of powerful bass, which makes me feel the need to be waving my fist in the air in time with the beat. Even on the slower tracks, the powerful bass remains prominent.

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As tour and release material is available we will make it available. Thanks for making contact Javier and sorry it has been a few days in getting this review up on the blog.

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Segba

The current output by Segba is well produced material, which utilises superb echo and feedback from guitar. The wide range of influences of the band are evident in the work, Industrial Electronica is wrapped inside rock guitar, creating a sound which is simultaneously light hearted yet intricate work, as the variety of styles are cleverly integrated to a coherent output.

Segba produce tracks which are packed with highlights. Having been through internal and musician changes it is good to hear them heading off on a direction in which they are in control.

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My thanks to Clara V. from Vaqueros Paganos, who is one of the artists Segba has worked with, for her help in translation and thanks also to Leo for providing the background information.

Vaqueros Paganos foto por Maca

4th November 20:30 Plasma Piedras 1856 Buenos Aires
22nd November 20:00 Plasma Piedras 1856, Buenos Aires
28th November 21:00 Indios Indies en Club GBA Lamadrid 2388, V. Adelina, Buenos Aires
11th December 22:00 TABACO Estados Unidas 265, San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Find out more about Vaqueros Paganos