HEAVENLY BEAT HONEST

What a catchy song. It's really nice. Great groove. Great everything. What's wrong with that? Nothing. It's anti-wrong: it's right. It's good. It comes from ex-Beach Fossils bassist, John Peña (I love an "n" with diacritical tilde), in actual fact known for his solo music as Heavenly Beat. And I'd say that he's chosen a suitable name for his project, at least going by 'Honest' anyway: heavenly beat, heavenly groove, heavenly yes.

It comes from his upcoming second album, Prominence (the first being his debut of last year, Talent), scheduled for release 14th October dis yeer on Brooklyn-based label Captured Tracks. Apparently it's a song that expounds on the admission of guilt after infidelity. Can't hear any lyrics that discuss it but that's all I know. Sorry. On the other hand, it sounds great musically.

Beginning with some frantic nylon-string guitar sounds - something that becomes the theme of the song, a skipping heartbeat that goes with a guilty conscience I suppose - it soon descends into a lush journey of sounds. The beat is fresh and understated, aided quite substantially by the constant shuffle of shakers and with the groove of a melodic bassline. Peña's vocals are breathy and faraway, soaked in reverb, nearly whispered.

There are some lovely little melodies in this. Sometimes they come from simple three-note ditties on guitars, palm-muted snippets of funk, and synth horns, other times they are plaintive tunes on a harmonica or drips of a steel drum. At like 2:11 there's a really nice acoustic solo that's all slide and string buzz, a small touch of wild-west folk in the midst of an indie-pop gallop. Lusciously flowing, it is as danceable and groovesome as it is nice to chill to - but it doesn't overpower you. It's understated throughout, strangely innocent in its resignation to guilt - 'Honest' is a good word for it.

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BEACH FOSSILS CARELESS [LIVE]

Who said guitar music was dead? Anyone...? Probably no-one at the moment, but I guess someone said it at one time. And after that it's likely that someone said "who said guitar music was dead?" What's the point of this contrived extrapolation? I don't know. I'm sorry everyone. But guitar music is alive. "The band" as a concept is alive.

Fulfilling that statement is Brooklyn-based quartet Beach Fossils, a band that is very much alive - the proof being in the breakneck-speed, adrenaline-infused live performance of their song 'Careless'. I found this a few days ago and stuck it on my list but my list is like so damn long, so it's taken me a while to get to it - but I like that; each song I come to on the list is like a rediscovery of something good.

I haven't heard the studio version of this song - soz. It's ok though. Don't need a comparison. This live session for LIVE AT BRAUND SOUND (a series of live recordings, derr) is loud and exciting, just how I like it. Get yer ears round this.

Echoing guitars sweep the verse of cobwebs, jangling beside fretting vocals whose reverberations seem to bounce off the walls. Driving it along, like a pair of well oiled V8 engines, are the bass and drums - the former whose pneumatic pattern judders powerfully forward, the latter whose unceasing beat is brutal and induces severe headbanging.

In other words, it's NICE. It brings 80s jangly guitar pop together with pogo-stickin' city punk to create a nostalgically charged banger; it's strange, mellow yet with not-so-mellow sensibilities, like seeing a leaf floating down a stream but on that leaf is drawn an angry face. That kind of vibe. I like it.]

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Visit their artist profile page on Captured Tracks