Yuko Yuko - Cultlove (2014)

Once again, I find myself braving the rental market of Portland after 5 blissful years living within the city's large Forest Park. It's a demoralizing process, especially for an introvert, because for any one potential prospect you are met by a sea of home-hungry go-getters. Add a 65 lb chow-mix into the picture, and you'll be lucky if they even run your application.

Facing such a situation makes one long for the simpler times of childhood, when a phrase like "security deposit" was from a language more foreign than Spanish, in which you could at least count to 5 and say a couple swear words.... a time where one's biggest concerns included getting up early enough on a Saturday morning to watch Camp Candy.

Yuko Yuko's music harkens back to this age of simplicity. The solo project of a young Netherlander named Elias, who interestingly enough is signed to a Mexico-based label called Bad Pop. One of many releases, "Cultlove" has that early 1980's synthpop vibe...  when the genre was still a bit weird and not too dance-oriented. Think Soft Cell recording a demo in their bedroom, or the obscure new wave synthpop band, Trees. I'm really loving the track "Angel Jane", definitely a nice track for hot and hazy summer evenings where sleep encroaches slowly. 

8 tracks.

Yuko Yuko - Cultlove 

Monster Rally

So yesterday I broke my computer's screen. Real bad like, so I could not see a damned thing. It being a macbook this is a major set back, especially considering my renewed unemployment. Regarding the blog here, the issue is that only that computer can easily access my collection of music, therefore I cannot post anything that would require me to upload it myself. However, it just gives me an excuse to spout off about something neat from bandcamp. Monster Rally has three free releases on bandcamp, and the other day I downloaded them all and was rather impressed. The name does sound familiar, so I recognize that is how they could have caught my eye and it could have been a blog I follow that posted about them. Anyway, they make some dreamy, breezy tunes that quite intentionally summon images of old films about pacific islands laden with beaches. Some of the tracks even feature the added element of the warm crackle and pop of vinyl and skipping sound to which the medium is prone. The songs are calm and elegant and I've found them a nice way to enjoy these waning summer days. I can't resist saying I was shocked to see what seems to be the Uniroyal giant tire on the album art the Color Sky 7" as that really sits along Interstate 94 to the west of Detroit and my grandparents met each other while employed at that company (it no longer exists independently).

To be had here:




Color Sky 7" (2010)













Palm Reader (2010)












EP (2010)