OLA PODRIDA
BELLY OF THE LION (WESTERN VINYL)
Belly of the Lion, is David Wingo's much anticipated sophomore effort under the name Ola Podrida. Chockfull of unsentimental love songs, the album pulses with the burgeoning sexuality borne of feral adolescent summers spent in the sprawling suburbs of the South.
It's hard not to be wooed, as the songs gingerly lay to rest the calamities that inevitably befall an adventurous heart.
The album sounds so organic and well-ballaced, it's hard to believe Wingo wrote and recorded most of it alone in his apartment.
Rather than creating overwrought studio jams, Wingo's years of recording soundtracks seem to have taught him how to use the perfect amount of restraint, while still delivering rich guitar textures that compliment his unforgettable vocal melodies and magnify the impact of his abstract narratives.
If Pink Floyd had been influenced by Bedhead and Flying Saucer Attack, they might well have crafted gorgeous shimmering gems like "We All Radiant" and "Monday Morning." As tracks like "Donkey" swell, almost to the point of bursting, it's easy to be reminded of Jeff Mangum's heartbreaking croon.
Alternately, the gently driving rhythm and fragile vocals on "Lakes of Wine" project a hypnotizing mood that seems to summon the spirit of Nick Drake, while "Roomful of Sparrows" with its pastoral shoegaze rock feels like the best song Kevin Shields never wrote.
Ola Podrida has played throughout the US, including shows with Fleet Foxes, Explosions in the Sky, She & Him, Beach House, and many more.
The album has already received praise from Pitchfork, Spin, Pop Matters and UK papers to follow next month include NME, Mojo, Uncut so far with more tbc soon.
Daviid Wingo is well known for his gorgeous soundtracks for films by David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls, Snow Angels), Todd Rohal (Guatemalan Handshake), and Jared Hess (Gentlemen Broncos).
"Ola Podrida is a cohesive, confident album full of folky, quiet guitars and thoughtful lyrics that coalesce into complete songs.
But what sets the group apart from similar acts like Iron & Wine and Paul Duncan is its cinematic flair: Wingo treats his words like images, so that the music acts like a soundtrack that gently reinforces their meaning and impact." - Pitchfork (8.0) / "..this is what I'd hoped Grizzly Bear's Yellow House would sound like.Ola Podrida isn't just a strikingly accomplished debut-it's near-essential listening for anyone who's been taken with the recent turn in some parts of the indie cosmology towards folkier and more countrified sounds." - Stylus Magazine / "Ola Podrida have beaten Sufjan Stevens to the punch and recorded an aural-love letter to singer David Wingo's Lone Star state." - Pop Matters.