Got reached out to today by a band from San Francisco, California. Bless how easy it is to hear music from everywhere with this thing called the internet. My new west coast friends are El Gato Dice, translated as “The Cat Says”. He may have eaten the canary. They are an indie 2-piece that is hard to pin down into any one category do to the eclectic mix of their songs. Both melancholy and manic mixed into one interesting stew. This kind of mix could be expected when you combine a man from Cleveland who grew up loving Surf and Shoegaze music with a college man from North Carolina who followed Archers Of Loaf and mash them together in the confines of San Francisco.
Their last EP that I could get a hold of is titled simply, Uno. The cover photo of a small child sitting on a huge earth moving tractor gives some insight into the contradiction of styles that is enclosed within. The EP opens with ‘Hangmen Don’t Falter’. A melancholy drumbeat starts the track, followed by country tinged guitar and the unstraining vocals of both band members plus a few more people. Picture a sing along at your favorite acoustic open mic. Fans of Camper Van Beethoven will not be disappointed.
Another highlight of the record is ‘Hold Still’. Smooth vocals over simple guitar and drums give way to a very interesting guitar solo, echo-effect vocals, and a pretty cheesy keyboard line before jumping back into the quality songmanship that started the song. You can truly see El Gato Dice’s schizophrenic personalities on this track. Not a bad thing, but it takes a few listens to accept.
The music is still a little raw and could use some better production, but the possibilities of great indie rock are in there. If you like music that keeps you interested while letting you sit back and relax at the same time, El Gato Dice may be for you. I feel this will be a record I find myself going back to often when I am looking for something different.
Hear them for yourself at: