26 September 2010

Moscow Olympics - beko 12 (2009, Beko Dsl)

These last years, South East Asia became unexpectedly from European eyes, the treasure island for everything about melancholic twee pop. With bands like Sunny Summer Day, Annemarie or Leach Me Lemonade seemed to have the regional leadership but with Moscow Olympics, now the Philippines make a strong impression too.

With releases on Fraction (Sweden), Lavender (Sweden) and Lost Music (UK) before this free single on Beko Dsl (France) are not newcomers and have already established themselves as a very convincing twee / shoegaze band. Probably, their closest recent counterpart would be the wonderful Morning Paper - with who they shared a split single -, and listening to their music you can easily feel how much the Sarah Records discography, shoegazer bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine or Moose, or the dreamy side of Galaxie 500 had an impact on the genesis of their identity.

You may think Moscow Olympics are offering a kind of nostalgic indie twee shoegaze pop but the Manila four people band (Aj, Jojo, Melanie & Richard) is instead extremely convincing, impressive and seductive, and have a deep understanding and mastership of their songwriting. Under the walls of shoegaze guitars and rhythms, there are nice melancholic introspective vocals and romantic melodies à la Brighter / Northern Picture Library that will trouble your heart and move you. 

"To Keep The Avenues Open" and "The Farthest City (Train To Kiev Demo)" are not songs you'll fall in love with at first sight and rapidly consume. It's the contrary, they are understated, dreamy, profound compositions which need several listens to unfold their subtlety and emotional richness. And these are not songs you'll easily forget, there is depth and a special ethereal charm with Moscow Olympics which make them stand out of the other bands populating this genre and promise them to the status of future intimate classics, loved cheerfully (like their heroes). The last times I felt such an originality and a fresh perspective in this kind of music it was with Morning Paper and Pia Fraus.

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