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All Hail the Mighty DOPO
There's something afoot in the sunkissed land of Portugal these days, but it mostly seems to be skimming under the radar. In a country best known for exporting wine and Cristiano Ronaldo, there's also a great deal of fantastic music being made on the edge of the Iberian peninsula. There's an article for Foxy D in the works about this new Portugese underground, but I want to take a brief moment to highlight the band who I think is the best of the bunch. And with that, I give you DOPO.
The quintet has only been around for a little over 2 years, but in that time have produced a handful of wonderful releases. Best of all, they're all available free via the net label, testube (more on that later). You can't beat free, especially when it's this damn good.
First up is their EP "Last Blues, To Be Read Someday," from late 2005. Sometimes these guys remind of of (VxPxC), who I love dearly, but they're treading in decidely more psychedelic realms. There's also a heavy whiff of ocean air permeating these recordings. While it's especially obvious on "Seaweed," the real stunner is the harmonium-drenched "Lifting the Valleys of the Sea." Beautiful stuff. Check "Last Blues.." out here: http://testtube.monocromatica.com/releases/tube030.htm
 Now, more exciting is the release of their first full-length, back in January of this year. "For the Entrance of the Sun" is a minor masterpiece, and one of the year's best so far. It's in the same vein as the first EP, but is a more fully-realized version. At times, the empathic jangle of electric guitars mixes perfectly with romp-and-stomp drumming, reminiscent of early Dirty Three. It's an absolute delight. DOPO up the ante, though, through added instrumentation and mesmerizing drones (see: "17 Ways to Kill a Man" or the title track with its hints of Volcano the Bear). Get "For the Entrance of the Sun" here: http://testtube.monocromatica.com/releases/tube063.htm. A CD-R edition was also released via Lovers & Lollypops, which is worth it strictly for the genius artwork from Gean Moreno.
And just a quick additional note, but Pedrio Rios, one of the main masqueraders behind DOPO also does some intriguing solor work as Branches. More on Portugal soon, but in the meantime devour some DOPO.
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