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NOS Primavera Sound 2019

  • Hugo Lima / NOS Primavera Sound

It’s starting to be too common: no matter how warm and sunny it is in the week leading up to the festival, NOS Primavera Sound (NPS) is doomed to be ruined by at least one day of rain. The first day did not look promising after the announcement of the passage of depression Miguel (no, not the rnb star who performed there a couple of years ago) through the north of Portugal. Flights were cancelled, Ama Lou and Peggy Gou could not reach Porto in time to perform, strong winds and rain showers threatened to turn Parque da Cidade into a muddy mess, the gates were opened almost an hour later than it was scheduled.

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NOS Primavera Sound 2019: printable timetables, our preview and playlist

It doesn’t matter how conservative or liberal you are: people are naturally resistant to change, especially if the previous form of what’s changing was so dear to them. We get it: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Judging by the tone and content of most comments we can find online about this year’s Primavera lineup, both in Porto and Barcelona, folks ain’t happy about “the new normal”. Yes, some of the biggest pop artists in the planet have claimed most of the spots with the big font in it. Yes, there’s a shortage of loud, extreme music we often found at the long gone ATP stage, and every year there are less and less historical, cult indie rock bands reforming for a Primavera performance. But, other than that – tiny specks on a lineup of over 120 bands in Barcelona and over 60 in Porto – has it really changed that much? Is the Primavera DNA gone? (Was there really a “Primavera DNA” to begin with?)

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Bolachas Now Playing

#190: Cate Le Bon, “Reward”

Time for the yearly meeting of the Cate Le Bon Appreciation Society, on the occasion of the release date of the Welsh songwriter’s fifth album, “Reward”. The goddaughter of the 90s Welsh indie pop of Gruff Rhys et al has long outgrown her own scene, and her exquisite avant-pop reached a level of uniqueness that makes it impossible to lump her together with anyone at all. It’s yet another magnificent record from Le Bon and we’re thrilled to live in the same era as she’s making music.

In this week’s playlist: new tracks by Alex Lahey, Lydia Ainsworth, Carly Rae Jepsen, SAMIA, Stef Chura, Los Retros, Faye Webster, Okey Dokey, Night Beats, Amyl and The Sniffers, Institute, Black Mountain, Earth, Bill Callahan (smog), Mavis Staples, Dylan LeBlanc, Frankie Lee, Justin Townes Earle, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Doug Tuttle, and Los Coast.

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#189: The Felice Brothers, “Undress”

In the beginning of the month, Americana heroes The Felice Brothers quietly released “Undress”. Their new collection of songs focuses on, well, 2010s USA, and it turns out to be possibly their most cohesive album – and its fantastic harmonies make it one of the catchiest records of the year so far.

On this week’s playlist: new songs by Ryan Pollie, Olden Yolk, David Berman’s Purple Mountains, Sam Cohen, Mikaela Davis, Pearl Charles, Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation, The National, Lowland Hum, Native Harrow, William Ryan Fritch, Michael Fracasso, Tōth, Luís Severo, Mega Bog, Joseph Shabason, Aviva le Fey, Little Mazarn, Shannon Lay, Matt Kivel, and Siskiyou.

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Bolachas Now Playing

#188: Jackie Cohen, “Zagg”

If you’re immediately sold on a record just by knowing Matthew E. White has put a finger on it, we don’t need to convince you further. If, on top of that, you’re a fan of Jonathan Rado-produced albums (like the most recent Father John Misty, Weyes Blood, Whitney, or Alex Cameron), you’re in for a treat. Fortunately for everyone else, Jackie Cohen’s debut LP is much more than its indie dream team of producers. We’ve been anxiously waiting for it to drop since we first heard (and featured) “FMK” back in March, and now it’s all ours.

Plus: new songs by Pile, Idles, The Dream Syndicate, Black Mountain, Alex Rex, John Southworth, A.A. Bondy, Kelly Finnigan, The Teskey Brothers, Buddy & Julie Miller, Old Man Luedecke, John Prine, Carl Anderson, Johnathan Rice & Courtney Marie Andrews, Kacy & Clayton, Kassi Valazza, Lola Kirke, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alex Cameron, Olympia, Mara Connor & Langhorne Slim, and Joe Kaplow.