Our Brand Could Be Yr Life

トーキング・ヘッズ、B-52'sと同じく、男女混合で緩やかダンシングなアート・パンク / ポスト・パンクに挑むNY発の5人組アクト ボデガ。この5人の叡知を結集させた、15曲入りフルアルバム『OUR BRAND COULD BE YR LIFE』をCHRYSALISからリリース!

先行シングル"Tarkovski"に顕著なバンドのトレードマークであるハネる雰囲気とシンガロング出来るメロディの作り込み具合は、過去最高であると同時に、活動を進める度に濃くなってきたシューゲイザー / サイケフリークっぷりが本作でも炸裂!バンドが望んでいたという今回の音像は、アート・パンク / ポスト・パンクとシューゲイザー両方のラヴァーズをメロメロにさせるポップな作り!森で演奏するバンドが印象的なMVを見る限り、次世代のトーキング・ヘッズ、B-52'sになるかも!?

過去随一な陽の空気を持つ本作からボデガの世界観に入っていくのはいかがでしょうか!!

After one album where their itchy, angular new wave rock took listeners for a snark-filled, postmodern trip (Endless Scroll) and one where they cleaned up their sound and parked the snark in favor of a more nuanced lyrical stance (Broken Equipment), Bodega have made an album that combines the best of both albums into a sleek, snappy, and sharply witty modern indie rock record. Unlike the previous two albums, the stars of Our Brand Could Be Yr Life are the guitars. They are recorded live and tough, punching above their weight and giving the songs a live-wire excitement that was surely missing on the last record. Thats not to say the vocals of Ben Hozie (arch and insistent) and Nikki Belfiglio (vibrant and yelpy) are sidelined or that the lyrics (still anti-capitalist and very non-rock & roll) dont score the same number of points; its just that now the whole thing is wrapped up tight in a staticky, distortion-heavy ball of indie rock goodness. Songs like "Bodega Bait" or "Stain Gaze" have a grinding, tough sound thats hard not to get swept up in, "Tarkovski" jangles and slashes in a joyous collision of folk-rock and post-punk, "Born into by What Consumes" balances backwards fuzz and chiming psych, "City Is Taken" rings and rattles like Big Country-meets-glam, and "Cultural Consumer III" has sparkling Television-like give-and-take -- its a guitar lovers dream from start to finish. Even those who arent thrilled by the sounds of a well-recorded, diversely toned guitar soundscape will find that the sheer number of hooks, the pleasing variety of song styles, and the pointed lyrical stance are enough to keep the album firmly lodged in the win column. And for any who feel that the band needed to expand their sound a little, there is the relaxed ballad "Webster Hall," which swerves dangerously close to classic rock territory when the massive guitar solos begin to intertwine, or "Protean," a murky pop song that sounds like early R.E.M. thanks to the intertwined jangle of the guitars. Again, its all about the guitars. Bodega have tapped into something really powerful by relying on them to give the bands sound a boost. Our Brand Could Be Yr Life may not be the groups most exciting album (Endless Scroll) or their most immediate (Broken Equipment likely gets that nod), but it is the one fans are likely to go back to more often as it provides the richest, best-sounding release theyve had so far. ~ Tim Sendra