Built to Spill - Inyección Naranja - Cuberbil

Built to Spill
You in Reverse
Warner Brothers

Built to Spill will always be the band of my salad days. One time I saw them with the Flaming Lips. I remember that show because the Flaming Lips had made a tape of each part of the band and had loaded them into the stereo systems of various 70s muscle cars. Each band member controlled the volume of his “instrument”, and they “played” their whole concert with the music reverberating in the cavernous parking garage. It was era of extreme experimentation of seeing how far you could not only take your music, but also in the presentation to the crowd.

Built to Spill had mastered complex layers of sound. While other bands had intertwined different elements to form a wall of white noise, a la Sonic Youth, Built to Spill was the first to fill every void yet still keep the parts independent. Crashing waves of reverb meet drifting melodic rifts in pegged super chorus, while endless time changes erupt from the rhythm section. And they keep it up for as long as six minutes at a time. Built to Spill songs are always long, and usually complete stories.

Electric atmosphere is the best way to describe it. Especially with their new release You in Reverse. Oh where to begin, see one of the beauties of Built to Spill is their album is never packed with sound alike songs. Each one is unique, from the Pink Floyd-esque “Wait” to the almost Phish sounding in “Goin’ Against Your Mind”. Then there is the rock odyssey of “Conventional Wisdom”, and golden little nuggets packed in all the songs in between.

I am biased though, I have always been into Built to Spill. Each song is like a miniature rock opera played out in the stratosphere. It is a shame, since they are on Warner Bros., they do not get more play here in Mexico. They are from the same era of Pearl Jam, but even then they were better. And Built to Spill is still making records, and I would get this one now.

Inyección Naranja
Inyección Naranja

There is a time and place for every kind of music. No matter what genre, the moments of life can be accompanied by the art of sound. What defines a band is usually where they try and fit in to that system, letting that genre dictate their sound. And then there are bands like Inyección Naranja. Their new release is definitely a beginning of what can become their own sound. The last time I heard something like this was when I got a sampler from At the Drive In years ago.

More rock and roll than Trans Am, they still have a definite rockatronic sound. Combining a moog with driving effects-laden guitars, Inyección Naranja creates a clean soundscape for the indie rock lifestyle. The harmonies of Carlos Gómez and Miguel Lara vary anywhere from NOFX influence to sounding vaguely like Panda, while still making it their own. I also like the front end samples to several of the songs, which can be overdone these days.

If I was going to have to get all corporate on you, I would call this post-rock with 70s and 80s influences. This kind of music you definitely pack for a drive, the bus ride home, or the headphones for the long walk cross town. Especially if you are having a nice day.

I remember these guys from the Austin TV and would-be Zoe show last year, the night a small-scale hurricane blew into the Club del Lago in León. They put on a good large stage show, and I bet their small venue sound fills the room. Hearing a moog live is a special treat, and the band rocks in their own way. I cannot wait to hear what the sophomore effort from Inyección Naranja brings. If the evolution of their sound is complete, I bet they blow up.

So I would go see them in León now, before Ticketmaster can rip you off at the gate.

Cuberbil
Camino Para Colorear
Plastilina Records

I really love what has become of electro pop in Latin America. I think the primary problem with it in England and other parts of Europe was it really lacked any sort of beat. No matter how varied the sound out of the midi and singer, the drum track was always cookie cutter. It never evolved.

Mexico knows how to run a rhythm section, no matter the type of music. Combine that with the fact that Mexico does the 80s better than most any one else, and you get bands like Cuberbil out of Monterrey.

Sometimes less is more, and this is not lost on Cuberbil. What I like the most about their songs is that they are simple, yet very entertaining. Being only a two piece helps. I am also a sucker for sweetie pie vocals, which always works better with this type of music. The sad dude vocals always make it sound like Depeche Mode.

Yazmin’s soft voice reminds me of Kim Deal on ancient Pixies b sides. I really like her and Marki’s style on their electronics, which are thankfully not over produced. It’s the kind of music I expect to find playing in some super cool girl’s apartment when you come over to listen to records. They say some of their influences are La Monja Enana, Cielo, and Takako Minekawa, so if that’s your bag you should definitely check them out.

Cuberbil is also playing with Pierre+Marie.Curie y Uvi Lov later this month in Monterrey, April 29 at Casa Amarilla. I am sure some of the indie rock redheads in that crowd could break your heart just by looking at them.