Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Pela

Pela is an American rock & roll band. At a time when the word ‘America’ has never been more fraught with meaning, songs that speak to our basic feelings and emotions about life could never be more resonant. Lost amongst all the geo-political tumult are the stories of every day America; the aches and pains and the beautiful possibilities. Yet amidst this turmoil and uncertainty, new stories are being written and told by a new generation of American bands. Pela is clearly one of those voices.

Long based in Brooklyn, New York but hailing from the hinterlands of New York state and California, Pela are 4 working class artists who have struggled nobly to pursue their dream of making music, be it busking in the metros of New York and Europe, selling neckties in Times Square, tending dive bars, catering food, doing carpentry, working in the A/V department at a major record label or playing polka at Croatian weddings. Along the way, various members have put themselves through college, learned to play multiple instruments, studied jazz, toured Europe with other bands, lived in Africa, learned other languages, consumed a lot of beer, had some teeth knocked out and knocked out a few of their own.

Guided by the voices of Bruce Springsteen, Hubert Selby, Husker Du, Raymond Carver, The Replacements, Andre Dubus, The Pixies, Wilco, and the Hold Steady, amongst others, Pela’s brand of pastoral punk has been beautifully described as equal parts desperation and inspiration, which they have masterfully crafted into a signature sound. Their upcoming debut album, Anytown Graffiti, is a prism of songs reflecting the broken love, reckless hope, confusion, celebration, isolation, discovery, addiction, loss, small town stares and big city angst of American life through the eyes of 4 young men uncompromisingly living it. Achingly imploring melodies and infectious hooks permeate crowd favorites like “Lost to the Lonesome”, “Tenement Teeth”, and “Waiting on the Stairs”, while the near orchestral grace and detailed narrative of “Cavalry” is as uniquely compelling a composition as the fragile overture “Your Desert’s Not a Desert At All”. These are songs that Pela has spent a lifetime writing, songs for any town in New York, California, everywhere in between and beyond.

Pela has toured ambitiously in America over the past 2 years, playing in any room that would have them, and rewarding audiences with a passionate, and occasionally explosive, live show. Along the way they have shared stages with The Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Sleater-Kinney, Mission of Burma, Devendra Banhart, The National, The Decemberists, Gomez, Rainer Maria, and others, earning a devoted and passionate following in the process. They have previously released 2 EP’s, All in Time on Brassland in 2005, which received rave reviews, and in fall 2006 self-released an iTunes-only EP, Exit Columbia Street. They are also featured in the upcoming documentary, Rockin’ Brooklyn, alongside TV on the Radio, Coco Rosie, The National, Vietnam, The Big Sleep and others, Their song “Episodes” was featured in a recent episode of the NBC TV show Scrubs, and have had several tracks licensed for compilations. Pela will be touring the world in support of their new album. Highly Recommended!

Pela - Anytown Graffiti (album stream)
Pela - Lost To The Lonesome (from Anytown Graffiti)
Pela - Good Foot On A Bad Doorstep (from World'S Fair Acoustic Sessions)
Pela - Episodes (Diphenhydramine) (from All In Time EP)
Pela - Operator (Rustbelt Mix) (unreleased demo)
Pela - Lonsome Hearts (CWL remix)
Pela @ MySpace


Pela - Lost To The Lonsome



Bonus:
The Polyphonic Spree - The Beginning Stages Of... !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2exkz6
Aqueduct - I Sold Gold !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/249lss
The Apples In Stereo - Disovery Of A World ... + Fun Trick Noisemaker + Tone Soul Evolution !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2cms7l
CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Maximo Park - Ou Earthly Pleasures (2007)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2augfj
Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (2007)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/24o8ac
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ypbp5p
Indie Albums: Bloc Party, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Arcade Fire, Cat Power,
Wolf Parade, Badly Drawn Boy, Rogue Wave, Cold War Kids, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/yofj9o
Madlib - Shades Of Blue
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2ef75h
Ludwig Von 88 - 17 Plombs Pour Peter Les Tubes
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/2c88vv
Indie Music
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ywsplh

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great to see more and more people listening to Pela, these guys are great.

On a side note, your blog is great. What about some Canadian indie? There're some great bands in that scene.

4:43 PM  
Blogger mpm said...

just a heads up...thats not the new linkin park album.

4:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

really loved the aquaduct album. Thanks for revealing all those bands!

11:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your blog is the BEST.
Can you posted once again Aimee Mann albums The forgotten arm or Lost In Space.
Thanks in advance.

3:01 PM  
Blogger JETHRO said...

really digging pela. thanks for sharing. i visit here regularly. you're keeping my life richer. thanks.

3:55 PM  
Blogger Ziggy said...

Aimee Mann - Lost In Space
http://www.seeingamerica.com/dana/aimeemann.zip

12:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for Aimee Man.

6:52 PM  

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