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Hi Sorry State fam! Feels like I have been absent from class forever, but I guess I only missed one week. I went on vacation to Bermuda for a full week. I go to our local beaches every year for 4 nights typically, and it’s gotten kinda boring. So it was super extra amazing to go someplace special for a week, and it’s my favorite place I’ve ever been in terms of beauty and beaches and relaxation. I’ve been three times now, and the first time was literally 20 years ago. It’s only 3 hours away and is pretty much directly parallel to Charlotte. It’s a gorgeous, clean, quiet, friendly place with mind blowing beaches and coves where you can go way out in calm, crystal clear turquoise water and still be only four feet deep. And you can see lots of pretty, colorful fish just by looking down. No snorkel required.
Something that makes Bermuda extra special is that the sand has a pink tint to it because of coral reef that has broken up and washed up on shore over many years. I’ve been to other tropical places like the Bahamas and Jamaica and the only similarity to Bermuda is there is pretty water there too. But it’s very different in just about every other way. Now, it’s not that cheap to eat or buy groceries, and there is no coffee culture. So getting an iced coffee was no easy feat, but it’s very easy and cheap to get around the island in very nice air conditioned buses. They still won’t lead you to iced coffee.
It was kind of a bitch because my passport expired and Bermuda is British territory, so you do need a passport. But damn, I’ve never been through such a laid back and chill customs process. Highly recommend. One drawback is there is not a single vinyl on the island. I looked. But like I said, I was ready to go home and get back to my normal life, my records, my cats, and my staff pick. Which I promise I am gonna get to right now.
I wrote about the band Pura Manía early this year when they put out their Extraños Casos De La Real EP. They took me by total surprise with their big anthemic energy and just overall great songs. The band is from Vancouver and Mexico City. So I went back in time to take a listen to their 2016 LP, Cerebros Punk, and it kicks ass. So much ass. All the elements that made their later music so good started on this album. So it turns out that they’ve never not been good. The riffs on this thing are a key component to making this record interesting and impressive and so damn likable. Hot damn, do they know how to write a good song. The songs are hooky and catchy with big energy, and woah-oh-oh’s that get the juices flowing. They sound like a hardcore band, but more musical, more experimental, with a dose of weirdness. They insert some weird bits here and there, mostly at the end of the songs, that could pass for sound effects but could just be them in between takes.
The music can go in so many directions because there is a lot of versatility in the riffs. Sometimes they sound a little bit dungeon punk, a little bit pub rock, even a little power pop, but they maintain a toughness throughout. The tough gritty vocals keep the music in the punk temperature range, but they have some fun and play around with other sounds at the same time.
My absolute favorite track is the album closer, Cerebros Punk. I absolutely love the lead riff on this one. So catchy and so versatile. Ranks high on the danceability meter, and balanced so well with the more raw vocals. It’s a banger and worthy of a few listens in a row. This may be one of my favorite tracks of the year. At first I wasn’t super keen on the backing vocals, but the more I listened they grew on me. That guitar riff is what makes it. It’s so catchy. The catchiest on the album. You could write so many punk or indie songs around that riff. You could speed it up or slow it down depending on the genre, and it would work.
Another great track is 1000 Años Despues del Hombre. There’s a great big intro that sets the tone for the rest of it. It has a darker feel to it. It’s full-on, fast and fun, with a killer repeating riff that leads you to its close. The high energy is perfectly maintained by the next track, Grandes Esperanzas. This speedy track delivers some strong woah-oh-oh’s. It’s the best two-song run on the album. And right around the corner is my favorite track that I’ve already talked, Cerebros Punk. After the few songs that precede it, they knock it out of the park with that one.
This is a great album! If we have any left, give it a go! You won’t be disappointed. And if you are, listen to it 2 or 3 more times to correct that.
Thanks so much for reading! Until next time..
-Angela