With a name that’s translates from Spanish as “Young and Sexy”, you might expect more of a smooth tropicália-inspired DJ than a honeysuckle sweet singer/songwriter duo. Hailing from Caracas, Jóvenes y Sexys channels some of that coastal South American relaxation-vibe with their latest EP entitled Bruno and provides a nice alternative to all that overexposed chill-wave stuff for your next beach trip.
Call me old fashioned (or maybe it’s the result of being confined too long in my freezing cold apartment watching the never-ending Portland drizzle), but there’s not much I can think of right now that would beat a springtime park walk with some pleasantly strummed guitars and delightfully candy-coated vocals playing in the headphones — and that’s exactly what you get from this Venezuelan group. Opening up the four song EP is “El Reloj” which, if Google Translate can be trusted, is an appropriate title for a song featuring a Cuckoo clock acting as a background metronome. Lightly sung in that restrained fashion I like so much, vocalist Loocila rarely ventures outside an octave range, making “El Reloj” an easy Spanish sing-along for us musically handicapped folk. One of the two tracks featuring English lyrics, JyS cover of the Breeder’s “Divine Hammer” is an album highlight for me. With Loocila’s slight Spanish-accented rendition of Kim Deal’s lyrics “I’m just looking for the / for the one divine hammer / I’ll bang it all day / Oh the carpenter goes bang” (maybe Thao can help her out) recorded over a much more mellower guitar line than the original, there’s not much to dislike about this charming cover.
Now these song’s aren’t going to appeal to the listeners who solely like boundary pushing bands (you know, the Animal Collectives, the Deerhoofs and the Xiu Xius – who, ironically, are all listed as influences), but there is something to be said for listenable tunes that you can enjoy just as much as your children.
To give you a sample, you can listen to “El Reloj” below and, if you like it, you can download the full EP from their myspace page.
