Balun | pt

Brought together by their love of simple melodies, 16mm films, classical and folk instruments, and experimental pop music, Balún was formed in San Juan, Puerto Rico by José Olivares and Angélica Negrón. Based in Brooklyn, NY the group now includes Andrés Fontanez, Noraliz Ruíz, Leonardo Velázquez and Justin Wolf. In 2006 the band released their first album “Something Comes Our Way” (Brilliante Records) after years of self-releasing CD-Rs and MP3-EPs on different labels. This debut album received critical acclaim from various media outlets such as Allmusic.com, Textura, The Big Take Over, The Tripwire, and Flavorpill. Since then, the group has...

Pebaluna's Lauren Coleman has a common trajectory--falling in love with instruments at first touch (a ukulele), an ear trained on Aretha Franklin in her parents' car, Sundays singing in a Las Vegas Church choir. The uncommon part is what she's done with it. Lauren and collaborator Matt Embree's 2012 album Carny Life stretches comfortably between genres, conjuring Motown, reggae, Torch, gospel, folk, and funk in a way that's warm, fuzzy, and haunting. Those classic influences come together with a crafted depth owed to Lauren's personal experiences--heartache, hard-fought battles with self, the lost dog after which the band is named--and what...