La Sera
La Sera posts are a bit like buses. You wait patiently for ages for a blog post and then a review of "Hour of the Dawn" arrives shortly afterwards...
Once upon a time there were three girls from Brooklyn - Cassie Ramone, Katy Goodman and Frankie Rose - who played in a band. Vivian Girls - for it was them - burst into my conscience with their eponymous debut album back in 2008. Here was a band with a kick-ass attitude from over here (seeing as I'm now "here") that so reminded me of the energy, passion and "Do It" attitude of the likes of The Slits, The Raincoats, Kleenex/LiLiPUT and all those other great bands (whom I don't have time or room to mention - although I'm sure they'll crop up from time to time) that helped shape my formative musical years...
Vivian Girls first two albums, the aforementioned "Vivian Girls" and 2009's "Everything Gone Wrong" were short, sharp and full of lo-fi, garage-band wonderfulness. But it's 2011's "Share the Joy," with it's added textures - that is the album I keep coming back to...
So of course the critics who originally championed the band obviously hated it - how dare the album feature a couple of songs that lasted - shock horror - six minutes... And before you knew it, the band had faded from the scene before finally calling it a day earlier this year...
But Vivian Girls certainly left a lasting impression.
Which is my roundabout way of saying that Katy Goodman's band La Sera matters...
It's strange that some of the criticisms that were laid at the floor of Vivian Girls' "Share the Joy" can be seen as foundations for La Sera's 2011 eponymous debut - a totally enthralling mix of jangling guitars, sixties-influenced indie-pop melodies, gorgeous harmonies and bittersweet ballads. More importantly, La Sera gave Katy an opportunity for her criminally underrated vocals to take centre-stage. 2012's sophomore follow-up, "Sees the Light", built on the strengths of it's predecessor; It's more confident and expansive. There's some added folk influences and even a hint of frothy calypso. Everything though is once again coupled to an irresistible mix of reverbed guitar, indie attitude and musical references that hark back to the tristesse of those classic girl groups from the sixties.
And now Katy and La Sera are back with their brand new album, "Hour of the Dawn." The band's label, Hardly Art - themselves a purveyor of many a fine act teased us (as if we needed teasing) with the ferocious rawness that is the album's opener, "Losing to the dark"... And if like me you want your opening track to make a statement - then is this the track for you. "Losing in the dark" kicks off with a howl of reverbed, fed-back guitar, accelerates to 160 km/h (or 100 mph for the metrically-challenged amongst you), before Katy spits out the most snarling, vitriolic put-down of lyrics:
Vivian Girls first two albums, the aforementioned "Vivian Girls" and 2009's "Everything Gone Wrong" were short, sharp and full of lo-fi, garage-band wonderfulness. But it's 2011's "Share the Joy," with it's added textures - that is the album I keep coming back to...
So of course the critics who originally championed the band obviously hated it - how dare the album feature a couple of songs that lasted - shock horror - six minutes... And before you knew it, the band had faded from the scene before finally calling it a day earlier this year...
But Vivian Girls certainly left a lasting impression.
Which is my roundabout way of saying that Katy Goodman's band La Sera matters...
It's strange that some of the criticisms that were laid at the floor of Vivian Girls' "Share the Joy" can be seen as foundations for La Sera's 2011 eponymous debut - a totally enthralling mix of jangling guitars, sixties-influenced indie-pop melodies, gorgeous harmonies and bittersweet ballads. More importantly, La Sera gave Katy an opportunity for her criminally underrated vocals to take centre-stage. 2012's sophomore follow-up, "Sees the Light", built on the strengths of it's predecessor; It's more confident and expansive. There's some added folk influences and even a hint of frothy calypso. Everything though is once again coupled to an irresistible mix of reverbed guitar, indie attitude and musical references that hark back to the tristesse of those classic girl groups from the sixties.
And now Katy and La Sera are back with their brand new album, "Hour of the Dawn." The band's label, Hardly Art - themselves a purveyor of many a fine act teased us (as if we needed teasing) with the ferocious rawness that is the album's opener, "Losing to the dark"... And if like me you want your opening track to make a statement - then is this the track for you. "Losing in the dark" kicks off with a howl of reverbed, fed-back guitar, accelerates to 160 km/h (or 100 mph for the metrically-challenged amongst you), before Katy spits out the most snarling, vitriolic put-down of lyrics:
How about you have another drink
So you can pass out in the backseat of my car
Another night I'll have to slap you across the face
So you don't sleep there, oh what a star
What a pain it must be to have to always be with me...
The song feels like a cathartic moment, a release - indeed, interviews with Katy suggest this is the case and that somewhere, someone's ears aren't so much burning as are lying on the ground in two small piles of smouldering ashes...
There's a noticeable change of pace on display here and guitarist Todd Wisenberg's frantic fret-work is a key reason, but the over-riding impression is that Katy Goodwin has thrown off the shackles and exorcised some inner demons...
There's a noticeable change of pace on display here and guitarist Todd Wisenberg's frantic fret-work is a key reason, but the over-riding impression is that Katy Goodwin has thrown off the shackles and exorcised some inner demons...
If the previous albums paid homage to sixties influences, "Hour of the dawn" is a heady mix of post-punk, C86 and guitar pop. "Summer of love" kicks off with a riff that convinces you that it's going to morph into a garage-band romp along the lines of (Dum Dum Girls') "Bhang Bhang", before a subtle change of pace and melody turn this into a nigh-on perfect pop-song full of jangling guitars and soaring multi-dubbed vocals. Now, I'd mentioned previously that if nothing else, as a platform La Sera gives Katy's beautifully fragile voice chance to shine... but this album truly reinforces what an achingly beautiful voice Katy Goodman posses - it feels like the added pace, texture and depth on display here complements rather than competes.
Every song on this album is a nailed-on classic, full of sweeping choruses, glorious harmonies and swirling guitars - in fact it's churlish to try and name a favourite... "Fall in place" and the way that the song falls away, only to launch into another trademark ascending chorus before burying multi-layered vocals behind the guitars; "Kiss this town away", with it's delectable change of place, deep, dark foreboding vocals and a riff that wouldn't sound out of place in a Smiths' song; "10 headed goat wizard" which has the rhythm and style of a great alt-folk song. Or "Running Wild", with it's a downbeat lyrics juxtaposed to truly thrashing guitars and uptempo rhythm that just rips along at full-tilt...
Seriously I could go-on, but let's just leave it here with the thought that "Hour of the Dawn" is the most exhilarating breath of fresh air, and arguably one of the indie-pop albums of the year.
La Sera Website
La Sera (Hardly Art)
"Hour of the Dawn" Vinyl/CD, iTunes
Every song on this album is a nailed-on classic, full of sweeping choruses, glorious harmonies and swirling guitars - in fact it's churlish to try and name a favourite... "Fall in place" and the way that the song falls away, only to launch into another trademark ascending chorus before burying multi-layered vocals behind the guitars; "Kiss this town away", with it's delectable change of place, deep, dark foreboding vocals and a riff that wouldn't sound out of place in a Smiths' song; "10 headed goat wizard" which has the rhythm and style of a great alt-folk song. Or "Running Wild", with it's a downbeat lyrics juxtaposed to truly thrashing guitars and uptempo rhythm that just rips along at full-tilt...
Seriously I could go-on, but let's just leave it here with the thought that "Hour of the Dawn" is the most exhilarating breath of fresh air, and arguably one of the indie-pop albums of the year.
La Sera Website
La Sera (Hardly Art)
"Hour of the Dawn" Vinyl/CD, iTunes
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