Greetings, readers who know how to eat a Taco al pastor correctly. The best ones are at Los Latosos! Welcome to another edition of our “off again, off again, hey it’s on again!” single reviews column. Granted, some of them aren’t singles, but I liked them and made my stupid human collaborators review ’em. Así son mis días. 

This week’s singles come courtesy of the traffic jams in México. Man, it’s hoooooot in here!

Ah, singles, right:

The Hot Soles – Ready to Burn

Woo! New music by The Hot Soles is always welcomed and what better way to kick up the summer season (it’s been summer since february in Mexico) than this earworm, ‘Ready to burn’? Insanely catchy and always chock full of those good vibes this duo always exude in their music, let’s hope an EP or an album isn’t that far down the line. Love the video too. – Sam the spam.

Drenge -People in love make me feel yuck

About time this duo release something new. A tantalising hors d’oeuvres of what’s in store, ‘People in love make me feel yuck’ is riff heavy and, hey, it’s a sentiment the psychopath in all of us can surely agree with! No birds were hurt in the making of the video, although some severe shopping trolley damage was inflicted. Everything for art. – Sam the spanner

Collider – You didn’t think this through

Some punks back in the early 80s lost their instruments and a bunch of songs. They were never seen again. Thankfully, Collider is doing something of that order, keeping the punk swagger in the left side of the dial, with the signal being lost slightly due to the lo fi nature of this track. ‘You didn’t think this through’, aye, a lamentation I’ve made a few times. Check these lads if you are hungry for punk! – Orestes “P is for oi oi oi!” Xistos. 

Wooderson – Mint Condition / Blowhard

Where did this come from? It’s a nice surprise to get this sort of music (thanks, facebook friends for the recommendation!). Wooderson do this sort of slightly new wave alternative rock. You know the sort: bits of Buzzcocks, bits of The Cure (without King Raccoon, though) and with a bit of punk edge just to keep you on your toes (and then chop them off). ‘Mint Condition’ relishes it’s 4 and a half minute runtime to start with the pounding of drums for a slightly ominous atmosphere and some cool punchy chords for the verse slice of the song. Love the solo.

B-side ‘Blowhard’ (is it really a b-side? how can you flip an mp3?) is the faster of the two (still mid tempo), still well-dressed in atmosphere (but never baroque-like). Wooderson has a lot of ideas and the easy going pace allows the band to be in the oxic region. Sweet. –Orestes “P is for porridge” Xistos.

Odisseo – Barry

Odisseo are back with their dancey & retro songs with deeply emotional lyrics. ‘Barry’ has both legs completely split, Van Damme style, with one foot completely embedded in the 80s synth tone that is their signature sound, and the other foot in that indie sound that is so fashionable it hasn’t left the stereos of our mind. The excesses of vanity, loneliness and the acceptance that a relationship is over are the lyrical themes that ‘Barry’ dilly dallies on. –Sam.

Psychic Twin – Gonna get her / Deepest part

From the ashes of Headlights (sniff) we have Psychic Twin, who have previously delighted us with another track. This one is going to be released in a nifty 7″ in June, via Lefse Records. ‘Gonna get her’ is a pure, undiluted throwback to 80s pop. ‘Gonna get her’ is super sweet (but not treacle-like), with a breezy, refreshing as the wind sort of sound that keeps that dreamy kind of thinking the creative minds in this band have been peddling since they first picked up an instrument.

B-side ‘Deepest Part’, I know we talked about this one before. Does it still hold up? Yes, it’s a droney dream pop song that goes tribal while still maintaining that “big hug!” atmosphere. Big fan here, and, hey, we interviewed them a while ago! – Sam. 

OBE – I am the cheese baron! / Standard Fog

Hey, some post-rock for you lovers of explosive notes and long soundscapes. OBE (formerly Order of the British Empire) is releasing two tracks for you. ‘I am the cheese baron!’ tells the story of Barón Quesito de Oaxaca and his adventures down the cave of the chaneques. Well, no, actually it’s a cinematic track with a lot of noisy ideas bandied around. Equal parts post-rock and cinematic rock, it’s a fantastic call to arms. And I do like the title.

‘Standard Fog’ is a bit more Math rock, but the post-rock tricks surface eventually. The six minutes running time shouldn’t be a daunting prospect, but more like a promise of how ideas will be played with. Heck, think of them as “movements” and let’s wait for the explosive finale-. Orestes P. Xistos.

Links: 

Wooderson Facebook. Bandcamp. Twitter.

Collider Bandcamp.

Obe Bandcamp. Facebook.

Drenge Facebook. Bandcamp. Soundcloud. Blog.

Psychic Twin Facebook. Bandcamp.

The Hot Soles  Facebook. Twitter. Myspace. Reverbnation.

Odisseo Facebook. Website. Soundcloud. Twitter.