I've mentioned on a handful of occasions at least, that, in doing what I do (and this goes for anyone doing reviews after ANY sense of establishment), that you will get forwarded work or find yourself requested. Usually this is third-party based communication, management or PR companies promoting their label or artist, but every so often you'll get an email directly from a performer, and these are, for me at least, more appreciated. The artist in question is going out of their way to find you, to ask you personally to work with them, to write for them and really it can be quite flattering. This happened just recently with a gentleman by the name of ALBERT BEVIA. Hailing from Segorbe, Spain...his influences are firmly embedded in the 80's, new-romantic indie, electro-pop era, which, no one really associates with Spain...lets see what he's up to on his new EP; "You"...
We kick off with "I'm Falling Down" and you're instantly hit with an assertive, guitar driven intro, before Albert sways in with his vocal and here we immediately understand the influence. His delivery has a nostalgic vibe harking back to the likes of THE SMITHS, THE CURE and JOY DIVISION...when you take the tone, his lyrical content...it's a classic combination of upbeat, indie rock and, morose story-telling with a Pollyannish perspective. In softer tracks such as "Ms. Pickles" you get more of a DURAN DURAN meets SPANDAU BALLET feel and it's more pop orientated, with more emphasis on vocal harmony and it's a really sweet little track.
Album highlight "Dear Dad (True Love Never Fades)" is for want of a better word; perfect. It's a well-blended mixture of pain and positivity not unlike NEW ORDER and ULTRAVOX in it's ironic delivery...it sounds really chirpy and has a really catchy core structure but it's an emotional, personal song and works really well, before we finish up on "His Kingdom Will Rise". Once again utilising the ying-yang style of happy, indie-pop with a lugubrious tone in his message, if only it didn't end so abruptly. Many artists this century have applied a retro feel to their sound, especially in pop music, very much focusing on synth elements, big neon tunes focusing on image, but few have genuinely captured the feel of the 80's era...Albert Bevia I believe does this incredibly well and this EP serves as a brilliant throwback to an era when the musical landscape went under one of it's biggest ever shifts in gear, probably resulting in 90% of the industry we know today. Some could argue he's 30 years too late, but, if I may quote Morissey..."What difference does it make?" [8]
The EP "You" comes out October 15 and will be available through iTunes and Amazon, check his website for details via the link below...
We kick off with "I'm Falling Down" and you're instantly hit with an assertive, guitar driven intro, before Albert sways in with his vocal and here we immediately understand the influence. His delivery has a nostalgic vibe harking back to the likes of THE SMITHS, THE CURE and JOY DIVISION...when you take the tone, his lyrical content...it's a classic combination of upbeat, indie rock and, morose story-telling with a Pollyannish perspective. In softer tracks such as "Ms. Pickles" you get more of a DURAN DURAN meets SPANDAU BALLET feel and it's more pop orientated, with more emphasis on vocal harmony and it's a really sweet little track.
Album highlight "Dear Dad (True Love Never Fades)" is for want of a better word; perfect. It's a well-blended mixture of pain and positivity not unlike NEW ORDER and ULTRAVOX in it's ironic delivery...it sounds really chirpy and has a really catchy core structure but it's an emotional, personal song and works really well, before we finish up on "His Kingdom Will Rise". Once again utilising the ying-yang style of happy, indie-pop with a lugubrious tone in his message, if only it didn't end so abruptly. Many artists this century have applied a retro feel to their sound, especially in pop music, very much focusing on synth elements, big neon tunes focusing on image, but few have genuinely captured the feel of the 80's era...Albert Bevia I believe does this incredibly well and this EP serves as a brilliant throwback to an era when the musical landscape went under one of it's biggest ever shifts in gear, probably resulting in 90% of the industry we know today. Some could argue he's 30 years too late, but, if I may quote Morissey..."What difference does it make?" [8]
The EP "You" comes out October 15 and will be available through iTunes and Amazon, check his website for details via the link below...
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