NEW ADVENTURES IN POP: New releases [November 2012]

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We at Elefant are back with a new release on our New Adventures in Pop Collection, a collection we use to support new projects we find highly interesting. This time we’ve got some really special singles; this is the first time we’re presenting new projects formed by members of other groups and interestingly, and coincidentally, enough, it’s the first time it happens and it’s true for all three singles in these new releases. Musicians who have been writing and playing songs with different groups join forces to give shape to BELLE GHOUL, TEACHER TEACHER, and EDINE AVEC LISLE MITNIK ET SON ORCHESTRE.
 

BELLE GHOUL is the band formed by Christopher Tait (ELECTRIC SIX) and Jesse Smith (Patti Smith), who have created an indie-pop and northern soul journey that we could even on occasions link to THE BOO RADLEYS. Then there’s the Hong Kong - Chicago connection, EDINE AVEC LISLE MITNIK ET SON ORCHESTRE, a precious collaboration between Edine (THE MARSHMALLOW KISSES) and Lisle (FIREFLIES, TINEY FIREFLIES, VERY TRULY YOURS) that carry us to a delicate and melancholic pop sound with sixties roots and its sights set on France’s Cote d’Azur. And finally, from Spain, there’s TEACHER TEACHER, the band formed by María (THE CHARADES, MITTENS), Cristina (LAS SEÑORAS, SHELLAC FAMILY), and Guillermo (MITTENS, WILD HONEY), a punk-pop trip that has inherited a lot from bands like THE MUFFS and FASTBACKS.

Limited Numbered Editions of 500 copies

ARTIST: BELLE GHOUL

TITLE: (OUT OF) THE NEIGHBORHOOD

SINGLE 7" [White Colour Vinyl]  ER-313

TRACKLIST: 01. (Out Of) The Neighborhood 02. Cue The Apocalypse 03. No Time For Cryin’ 04. Cold Cold Heart

New Adventures In Pop 025
 

To talk about a new group when we’re talking about a group formed by Christopher Tait (among many other things, keyboardist of ELECTRIC SIX) and Jesse Smith, daughter of the famous Patti Smith, fruit of her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith, the guitarist of MC5, is to say not nearly enough. But the best is that using those names as reference is nothing more than an exercise in contextualization, a way of informing the alert reader that we’re talking about people with a deep and wide knowledge of music. Because starting now, when it comes to talking in strictly musical terms, we can say that what we find here is, happily, a surprise.

Lovers of classic pop, tired of the modern world, and influenced by Scott Joplin, THE ZOMBIES, Fred Neil, FLEETWOOD MAC, and THE MODERN LOVERS, BELLE GHOUL began as a project between two friends in Detroit and New York who shared musical tastes, ideas, and remnants of songs. When the group began to take shape they asked some of their friends and co-workers to collaborate, and that’s how Matt Van, Zach Shipps, Mike Alonso and Christian Doble helped Chris and Jesse embellish and finish off their splendid songs.

 

This 7” debut for the North American duo is a marvelous example of elegant and luminous pop, somewhere between THE BOO RADLEYS, THE GO-BETWEENS and the Paul Kelly of “Under The Sun”, with a huge, powerful production, like that hyper-energized beginning, “(Out Of) The Neighborhood”, blown up with marvelous winds that sweep through the whole EP with incredible power. The wonderful instrumentation of “Cue The Apocalypse”, the delicious and spaced-out ambience of “No Time For Cryin’”, and the vivacious, cabaret-styled melody of “Cold Cold Heart” that evokes THE MODERN LOVERS and Lee Hazlewood confirm that we have something big before us, a record that uses music as a means to build a new world, open and optimistic.

ARTIST: EDINE AVEC LISLE MITNIK ET SON ORCHESTRE

TITLE: THE WEST COAST

SINGLE 7" [White Colour Vinyl] ER-314

TRACKLIST: 01. The West Coast 02. Where Do I Belong 03. Movie Life 04. So Many Years Ago 

New Adventures In Pop 026

Edinemoves her home base between Hong Kong and London. Known for her band THE MARSHMALLOW KISSES, in the last few years she has also become known for her collaborations with different artists, under the name of TRAMGIRL KARAOKE CLUB. She has worked with people like Maskopet, THE SOUND OF ARROWS and Emilio José, among others. Edine met Lisle Mitnik online in 2005. Lisle Mitnik is one of the most well-known indie-pop figures online, responsible for various albums and singles with his different projects, FIREFLIES, VERY TRULY YOURS and TINY FIREFLIES, in which he navigates through styles like dream-pop, indie, and sunshine pop.

Together they began to share their love for singers like Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy and France Gall, and producers like Serge Gainsbourg and Phil Spector. In 2011, after 6 years of online contact, they finally met in person in London and decided to work together. Faced with the impossibility of being in a band together because of the distance, they began to share files. Lisle wrote a series of romantic, precious songs to which Edine put her delicate voice. Driven by the beauty of the result, Lisle topped the work off with lush, elegant arrangements that make this limited edition 7” single a small and delicious gem of adorable and refined indie-pop.

ARTIST: TEACHER TEACHER

TITLE: CAMPAMENTO DE VERANO  

SINGLE 7" [Navy Blue Colour Vinyl] ER-315

New Adventures In Pop 027

TRACKLIST: 01. Campamento De Verano 02. Hormigas 03. Pedalea 04. ¿Qué Haces Aquí? 

Sometimes the sum of two and one does not equal three. Talking about a band formed by María (CHARADES, LAS SEÑORAS, MITTENS), Cristina (LAS SEÑORAS, SHELLAC FAMILY), and Guillermo (WILD HONEY, MITTENS), we would never think that the result would be TEACHER TEACHER. Because what we’ve got here is fresh and irreverent punk-pop, playful and unbiased, that shows its respect for bands like TALULAH GOSH, THE MUFFS, FASTBACKS, HELEN LOVE, DWARVES, PARASITES and ROCKPILE, with a certain leaning toward and influence from new wave. Even the group’s name is homage to the song by ROCKPILE.

The songs are so spontaneous and fun, like “Campamento De Verano” and “Pedalea”; they transmit the same amount of energy as a revved up JUNIPER MOON. With a delicious talent for melodies, “Hormigas” gives us a super catchy chorus, while “¿Qué Haces Aquí?” enjoys the carefree feeling of youth and spontaneity of the best punk. All of this in one limited edition 7”, with all tracks coming in under the two-minute mark: urgency, speed, melodies, choruses, and all the ingredients necessary for the best pop. Sometimes, when doing sums, you multiply.