Brazil Connection #5 - Loomer

2013 was a good year for music. Great records were released, some good new bands debuted, we got the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack… and My Bloody Valentine released their first record  since Loveless, 21 years later. Fans all over the world were ecstatic to hear new material from the band, and the album did not disappoint at all, managing to sound current even after all those years.

2013 also saw the release of Loomer’s first LP, You Wouldn’t Anyway. Loomer are a band from Porto Alegre, a city I like a great deal. They started out in 2008 and have also released two EPs with five songs each, improving their sound with each new release. Named after a My Bloody Valentine song, the influence is crystal clear from the first notes of “Slow Dream”, the opening track.

But that’s not to say that Loomer’s music is a carbon copy of Kevin Shield’s band. There has been a string of artists influenced by the original “shoegaze” bands recently, and while I appreciate the resurgence of that kind of sound, sometimes it can seem that bands are trying too hard to emulate their heroes. That is not the case here, though, as Loomer brings their own bag of tricks to the table without ditching the distortion, the many layers of sound, and the ethereal melodies. I particularly liked how they handle the vocals and backing vocals on the record, definitely one of the highlights for me. And like was the case with mbv, the songs on You Wouldn’t Anyway sound like a proper evolution of the genre, instead of a record out of time.

Since recording the album, the bassist Liege Milk left the band, being replaced by Fernanda Schabarum. The band is completed by Stefano Fell (guitar and vocals), Richard La Rosa (guitar), and Guilherme F (drums). They have been playing all over Brazil for the past year, and I hope that they will have new material to show soon.

You can listen to Loomer’s music in a variety of ways on their label, midsummer madness’ website.  The vinyl record looks especially nice, and with some luck I’ll be able to pick it up next time I’m in Brazil. You can also listen to You Wouldn’t Anyway on Spotify, but beware of at least another band with the same name, whose albums get mixed up with our Loomer on the service.

You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.