(Es)sex & Love

September is always a big month for album releases and as you can see, this week is loaded with new launches. Yay! 

Today I want to encourage you to check out the latest stuff from a minimalist indie-pop trio under the name of Love Inks, comprising husband-and-wife team Sherry LeBlanc (vocals) and Kevin Dehan (bass) and guitarist Adam Linnell. They named their band after some ancient voodoo involving writing magical new love letters in ink created from the burning of old ones. 

For their debut album E.S.P. (ten tracks dropped earlier this year), they worked under the idea of keeping each guitar, bass and drums sound as pure and unadorned as possible. They're also completely self-financed and recorded the EP on a reel-to-reel tape recorder in their bedroom (the musical equivalent of commuting to work by horse and cart). The less digitized, the better!

Leather Glove

Now they also have a 7-inch simply titled, Rock On, with a physical release date scheduled for September 9. Indeed, this is a lo-fi, sweet vibed, pop rendition of a Dave Essex  70s classic hit.

 Rock On

In addition, the B-side contains Be Brave, another catchy song with a graceful beauty. When I did listen, what struck me was the amazing warmth that they've captured.

Be Brave

Happiness Is A Lie

Are you ready? Grouplove is about to hit your ears for the first time with plenty of harmonies and catchy beats to keep you smiling. They are a band from L.A. whose inception sounds like a plot-line straight out of a Hollywood indie flick: Frontman Christian Zucconi met keyboardist and singer Hannah Hooper in Brooklyn. The pair stayed up until dawn listening to mixtapes filled with some bands in common. A week later, Christian opted to go with Hannah on a trip to Greece where they came across Londoner guitarist Sean Gadd and Californian pro surfer and bassist Andrew Wessen. Drummer and producer Ryan Rabin (studying in Prague at the time) was soon convinced to join in the adventure... and Grouplove was born.

The band built up to the release of their eagerly anticipated debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, next September 13, touring dates with Joy Formidable, Foster the People and Florence + the Machine. The upcoming LP comes on the heels of their acclaimed, self-titled EP dropped earlier this year. Really, you have to wonder whose bright idea it was not to release this LP until now. This timing is appalling, given that Grouplove's debut album is in essence the perfect summer record. 

For such a young band, these guys sound like they have been playing together for years. Most of the songs are firmly steeped in that classic 80s-90s indie scene and aren't too far from something The Pixies would do, luring you in with hints of tinged keyboards and lead singer's unique voice.

Here you have a snippet from a radio program where they talk about their imminent record:

Itchin' on a Photograph

Colours

Tongue Tied

Among the tunes, my favorite one is Colours, their get noticed single, followed closely by Don't Say Oh Well, whose lyrics hint at the roots of the band. If you aren't impressed by these melodies, you are missing out my friends! My least fav track is Get Away Car. It's a slower song and just not as easy to sing along to. 

C'mon! It's your turn now, thus do not hesitate to get into their glorious EP! You'll be sad come winter when you discover these tracks too late! However, the full-length album could not exactly meet your expectations. Don't get me wrong, but this isn't a flawless album by any means and for me there's a definite slip in quality towards the mid-latter section, resulting in tracks which sadly act as little other than filler. 

The Piano Man

I discovered Billy Joel some time ago, although I don't know why I had always associated him with the romantic ballad. Indeed, most of you have been surely captivated by one of his best known songs, She's Always A Woman, which has even appeared on some ads soundtrack (at least in Italy and Spain - click here -).

She's Always A Woman

It was my friend Juan (AGAIN) who, knowing my passion for the sound of teh banjo, sent me this song that remains in my head for some months now and doesn't want to leave.

Travelin' Prayer

This is the live version, which differs slightly from the previous one. For me the banjo on the album version works much better than the sax. What do you think? Ahhh, there's just one more thing: How can he talk so fast with gum in his mouth?

SeptemVersion

I bet you'll start shaking a leg after pressing button for playing next video. This great song by Earth, Wind & Fire was released as a single in 1978 and reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart, number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK singles chart.

Lurking the interwebs, I've found this version by Pomplamoose. It's much more sweet, slow and melodic. That's the characteristic style of irrelephant's music. Tell me what you think! BTW, Jack's grandma's got rhythm, right?

Earth, Wind & Fire - September

Pomplamoose - September