Muy Cansado

Come to the show and pick up the album if you haven't already. It was in the CMJ Top 200 in January and February and a song will be featured in the indie film, Fat, due out soon. We hope to roll out some new music we have been working on and may have more announcements soon as we look to shake things up.

They were horrific. My sister ran the race and I can say the experience of being in downtown Boston shortly after the bombs went off was terrifying. After the tragedy the Boston community banded together to offer relief. As a small contribution, we have donated our song, Not For Nothing, to Allston Pudding's fundraising Mix Tape. Benefits go to the One Fund, which directly benefits victims of the attacks. The Mix Tape has already raised thousands of dollars. If you have the means, please consider giving - Allston Pudding Marathon Relief Mix Tape

Or give direct atThe One Fund

Everything about the album comes back to the title – the recording, the lyrics, the band. It took two years to make the album.

The lyrics express turmoil: “Waiting for something to make this whole thing not for nothing.” “Push and pull and fall apart.” “Try so hard but it’s not much better.”

We try to overcome: maybe we get there, maybe we don't. Letting go can be triumph or defeat, but at times it is both.

Let It Go was the 16th most added album to college radio playlists the week of its debut and charted on the CMJ Top 200 for 3 straight weeks. We appreciate the support. We hit New York in April and have our first Boston show of '13 in May. In the meantime, if you click below you will find two more live videos from our December show at Redstar Union. <3

All of the links are also on the buy tab of this site. The album is streaming on bandcamp. Let It Go was the 16th most added album on the CMJ Top 20 adds list last week and is currently ranked #124 on the CMJ Top 200. It was plugged by Boston Music Award winning blog Allston Pudding and as one of the most anticipated releases of 2013 by Bradley's Almanac. Anti-Music used it's Singled Out feature to profile the trackPredisposed. Indie Pulse plugged Not For Nothing as the song of the day and interviewed Chris.

You can view this video on our Media page as well.

You can buy our new album, Let It Go, at the show. If you can't make the show, the album will be on sale January 22, 2013. This is also our first show featuring our new drummer Reyna Herrera. Come out and give her a warm welcome. Cheers!

For everyone that couldn’t make the big party, Let It Go officially drops January 22, 2013. There will be links in the “Buy” tab to iTunes and Amazon and we’ll post links in this News section as well. As for retail locations, we will keep you posted.

Some local scribes wrote us up before the CD Release Party –

• The Boston Herald
• Boston Band Crush
• Boston Metro
• The Boston Phoenix
• The Noise
• Inbound Sounds (Boston.com)

We also made radio appearances at 107.3 WAAF’s Baystate Rock, 9.15 WMFO’s the Dweezil Show and On The Town With Mikey Dee and internet radio savants, UnRegular Radio.

We are excited to for the big release in ‘13. Show announcements soon. Enjoy the end of days.

It is our third official release and our second LP, or full length album. For those keeping track, our first release was 2008's LP, Stars & Garters. Our second release was 2010's EP, Love & Fear. The CD Release Party and Street Release is Friday November 9th at the Middle East Upstairs with Naked on Roller Skates, Sarah Rabdau and the Self-Employed Assassins and Old Jack. Those attending the show will be able to purchase a physical copy of the album prior to it's official online-retail release in January 2013. It will be a special night. Naked On Roller Skates is also releasing an EP and it will be our final show with drummer Jon Ulman. We hope you can make it.

Ignore the sleepy Spanish name, Boston’s Muy Cansado is full of energy.

Usually a roaring power pop-meets-noise band, the trio went acoustic in a video shoot last week at the Herald. Not really one for the unplugged thing, Muy Cansado figured out how to chill its music down nicely.

Ahead of the band’s show at Friday at Church, I present Chris Mulvey, Lisa Libera and new drummer Reyna Herrera without the usually pulsing amps, pedal boards and full drum kit. Check out the locals'new LP “Let It Go" to the power of a fully operational Muy Cansado.

View the video here

Muy Cansado is a three-piece indie-pop band from Boston. They released a really great new record called Let It Go last week and I recently featured them as the Song of the Day on the site. I wanted to learn more about the band and I had an opportunity to ask Chris Mulvey [guitarist and primary vocalist] a few questions over email. Thanks, Chris for taking the time to do this and best of luck to all of you with the new record.Your music has been described as “indie pop” and "effervescent pop rock".

How do you describe your style and approach to making music?

I like the description "effervescent pop rock" - we are trying to create pop-oriented rock music. I love the intersection of pop and rock: something with a rock aesthetic, but is catchy and sticks in your ear. For us, music is all about satisfying your ears. Our approach to music is to create songs we think sound as good as possible. Naturally our taste and influences pepper the music. Lisa and I come from a base of Pixies, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Radiohead and The Beatles. However, when we get excited about contemporary artists, like Animal Collective or The Press, and they can be just as inspiring.

Growing up, did you want to be a musician? Did you come from a musical family?

I always found music fascinating and loved it from a young age, but there were no musicians in my immediate family. My mother and grandfather sang a lot around the house, but neither were trained singers. I loved to sing in elementary school music class; however, singing was not popular with young boys, so I used to pretend I wasn't into it. I started playing guitar right before high school and that's when I knew I wanted to be a musician. I actually avoided picking it up earlier because I feared if I started, I would never stop. Turns out I was right.One of my favorite songs is "Not For Nothing".

Do you have a favorite song on the record? Why?

My two favorites are Not For Nothing and Predisposed. Writing Not For Nothing marked a change in our sound. We finished that song up just after writing the songs for our EP Love and Fear. When Not For Nothing took form, it seemed like an exciting departure from everything we had written before and set the table for the rest of the songs on Let It Go. It was a watershed moment with regard to our songwriting, so it is definitely a favorite. Predisposed is also a favorite, because it was a song that was born out of turmoil. Someone close to me had a traumatic event and this song idea came out of it. But that struggle continued in the songwriting process until one day we let go of our perception of the song we were trying to write and just played. The result was the song you currently hear. It was something we could only do with trust.

The record is called "Let It Go" and you have indicated that a theme of anxiety and release run through the lyrics.. Is anxiety something you have dealt with personally? Was there something going on during the writing that contributed to this?

Anxiety is something that everyone goes through. I think it's part of being human. A large part of people's lives is dealing with anxiety. Do we let it consume us or enrage us, or are we able to let go of things, or even better channel them into something positive? A lot of the songs invoke anxious imagery or wording, but there is release all around (if not just in the music). On a personal basis, I have definitely dealt with anxiety, but I am not sure any more than the average person. During the writing of these songs I definitely focused more on lyrics than I had in the past, so I suppose that means that they are more personal. With regard to the title, "Let It Go," there are so many things that the term can mean. It can be a positive and empowering thing and-or a deflating and defeating thing. I love duality.

Your harmonies with Lisa sound really great. What's your process? Do you write these together?

Lisa and I write all of the songs together. She has been my songwriting partner for years and she is great. In terms of process: the songs typically start with me in a room with an acoustic guitar. Once I develop a chord progression and melodic idea that I am excited about, I bring it to Lisa. She writes her own harmonies and-or counter melodies (as well as her own bass lines). She has an incredible ear for harmonies, so the process is usually fun and exciting for me - I get to hear her open up the songs into a new space.

What is the best advice you ever got?

The best advice I ever got was to do things you love doing. It sounds cheesy, but if you love what you're doing, then it becomes easy.

Top 5 things you have learned from being in this band?

I have learned so many things from being in this band, but here are five of them:

1. To be patient and take my time to do something right. 2. To collaborate with other people holistically. 3. To stay focused. 4. To win arguments. 5. To lose arguments.

What's your favorite guitar to play and why?

Right now I play both a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Telecaster. The Telecaster is new to me, so I am definitely more excited about it. I did not own it during the recording of Let It Go, so that's not what you're hearing on the album. Let It Go was recorded primarily with the Gibson and an Ibanez Artist.

Who has influenced your playing style most?

The one person that most affected my guitar playing was Eric Kniffin, my guitar instructor throughout college. I was already playing guitar for years when I met Eric, but he opened me up to the endless possibilities of music.

Any bands/friends in Boston that we should check out? What makes them so great?

Guillermo Sexo put out an EP last week and are one of my favorite local acts. I want to describe them as post-punk, but their originality is their appeal and they have their own distinct edge. Sarah Rabdau and Self-Employed Assassins are an awesome act that I love catching around town. They are pop, but so much more. Again - a wildly original act. I am looking forward to the album they are currently working on. Kingsley Flood is a phenomenal americana act that is releasing an album in the next few weeks. They have made some waves over the years and put on a stellar live show. There are so many great acts in Boston. The city is overflowing with talent, which is a great source of inspiration.

Today Chris Mulvey from Boston rockers Muy Cansado tells us about "Predisposed" from their brand new album"Let It Go," which was released this week. Here is the story:

After a traumatic event happened to a loved one I sat down and came up with the chord progression and melody for Predisposed. The initial idea was tossed off and subdued and is now captured at the beginning of the song. I showed the idea to Lisa and she immediately came up with the counter-melody and harmonies. We sat on the idea for months before kicking it around in the rehearsal space. Our early attempts to flush out the song did not click. After a few months we had one of those "Aha" moments. The three of us seemed to simultaneously break into the bombastic dancesection of the song, which became the second and verse and chorus and third verse. Afterward, we reinserted the subdued first verse from my initial idea and that was that.

The lyrics were next. The first verse and chorus came quick. The line "I'm trying not to feel so predisposed" is the thought of trying not to have preconceptions and predispositions, which gets harder as one gets older and more jaded. "A pause that moves too slow" is the kind of pause you experience talking to a creepy person. The "light that's dimmed real low" references a nervous flicker in a light or a light glimmering lowly during an interrogation. The idea was to attempt to capture surreal nervousness, similar to what you'd find in a David Lynch film. The chorus flowed pretty naturally and depicts frustration – not wanting to reach forever, trying hard with little result, and so frustrated you are climbing up walls.

The second verse took longer to write, and the lyrics are more hopeful. They reference music ("the buzzing in me ears"), dancing ("moving all around"), and hope. "Letting go" is also in this second verse and is a theme throughout the album. At the end of the song are my favorite two lines "I want to feel a love like no one knows / A quiver in a pause that will not go." The word "quiver" substitutes "shiver," in a line that is almost identical to a line from the first verse. However, "quiver" makes this pause desirable. The reference here is being stuck in the moment right before a first kiss – the "quiver in the pause that will not go." That moment is the "love" no one knows: without the pitfalls, troubles and setbacks that come afterward; only the anticipation of something fantastic, life changing and beautiful. At the end of the song Lisa and I triumphantly land on that idea through the words "will not go." I don't want to leave this moment.

I had never heard of this band from Boston until a couple weeks ago. Chris from Muy Cansado contacted me about the new record and I was immediately drawn in by the band's sound. They released a fantastic new record yesterday called Let It Go. I have a Q&A with Chris that will get posted here soon so stay tuned.

Forget your 11th grade Spanish, Muy Cansado is a happy band. It should be. The locals release second LP “Let It Go” tonight in the Middle East’s upstairs room. Lead single “Not For Nothing” is a little slice of rock ’n’ roll heaven. “It’s like Radiohead by the way of Prince in terms of the production,” singer/guitarist Chris Mulvey said. “An airy, roomy sound from the guitar, but capturing the tight drum sound of dance music” Yeah, that about sums it up. But don’t take his word for it. Head to the Middle East and see the band with Naked on Roller Skates, Sarah Rabdau and the Self-Employed Assassins and OldJack for $10.

Finally! Muy Cansado has been working on their latest, Let It Go, for what seems like ages. This will actually be a sort of pre-release party, as the album doesn’t technically come out until January. They couldn’t wait any longer though, and anyone attending the show at the Middle East upstairs tonight will have a chance to purchase a physical copy before anyone else. The album is more of the same from Muy Cansado, which is to say that it’s built around incredible songwriting, big, beefy bass lines, and hooky indie rock guitars. It’s more of the same, but improved, and saying things like “definitely worth the wait” may seem cliche, but it is.

Muy Cansado seem in a rush to play a hometown CD release show for their second full-length, \"Let It Go.\" The official national release isn\'t until January, but with the Boston-based pop-rock trio\'s last album coming out so long ago -- their debut \"Stars & Garters,\" was issued in 2008 -- they\'re quite ready to air their wares.

\"We wanted to just get it out,\" admits singer and guitarist Chris Mulvey. \"These songs took a while. We began recording in March of 2011. The first five songs were the most challenging we\'ve ever done. There were parts of the recording process that were super-smooth and easy. Then there was a time when we just couldn\'t do it because of everyone\'s schedule.\"

But Mulvey says there was no pulling of hair or anxiety.

\"We didn\'t want to start rushing and not get what we wanted. We thought about releasing the five songs as another EP but decided to go full-length.\"

A couple of older songs were added before they recorded two new songs and found themselves in new sonic territory.

\"The title track is significantly different. Before we were writing very Bob Dylan-y,\" says Mulvey. \"But with \'Let It Go,\' we thought we could make it disjointed and dance-y. Once we got cooking, we got really excited. It took us out of our normal element. It was kind of a trip.\"

Then it was time to let it go and get it out.

\"It did feel drawn out,\" Mulvey says of the process, \"but it never felt exhausting. Getting it done sometimes just takes time.\"

The beat goes on

After Friday’s gig, drummer Jon Ulman will be replaced by Reyna Herrera. “Jon was a huge part of the CD,” says Mulvey. “When you’re in a trio, everybody plays a real big part. He moved us toward the more dance-oriented sound. He had to play the CD release show.”

If one record-release party is enough to get our attention, a double record-release party is enough to get its own Playlist. This Friday, November 9, at the Middle East in Cambridge the smooth dance-able rock of trio MUY CANSADO and the bouncy alt-rock of NAKED ON ROLLER SKATES team up to drop buckets of new jams on Cambridge. Muy Cansado may be Spanish for “very tired,” but their new album Let It Go is anything but, with \"Not For Nothing\" the WFNX Boston Accents Song of the Day for 11.08.12. Meanwhile the Skates’ new EP, Songs from a Wooden Box, recalls the guitar-mad glory days of Central Square’s ’90s heyday and once again highlights the vocal talents of Leesa Coyne. Rounding out the mix are two seasoned tracks repping the rest of the night’s bill, an atmospheric number from SARAH RABDAU & SELF-EMPLOYED ASSASSINS and a close-out contribution from Dan Nicklin\'s merry band of soul misfits, OLDJACK.

This trio couldn’t be more opposite than what their band name translates to (Muy Cansado is “very tired” in Spanish for those unfamiliar). On the contrary Muy Cansado’s music is bright, alert, rousing—so much so that listening now makes me want to jump up and dance around with a big smile on my face! I’m impressed with their dynamics and catchy indie pop flare. This super trio is Chris Mulvey, Lisa Libera, and Jon Ulman—a combination of musicians who create a beautifully layered sound that you would expect with a larger ensemble. For example, one of their tunes reminded me a bit of Arcade Fire—a seven-piece group as opposed to this three-piece. But it’s not about the quantity of performers but rather the songwriting and these songs are all stellar; plus Chris and Lisa’s harmonies are simply magical. I was going to call out the songs that I loved, but in all honesty I loved every track—and a special thank you to the band for their song “Let It Go,” which I happened to hear EXACTLY when I needed to. See—they’re magical. Muy Cansado you’ve got yourself another new fan!

Muy Cansado are on a roll. Hot on the heels of the fantastic “Not For Nothing” single, the band recently debuted “Predisposed.” It’s another gem. This one opens with call-and-response vocals filling the gaps between sparse guitar chords. The tension builds into some tight harmonies before busting into a laid back indie-meets-disco groove. Muy Cansado have a knack for marrying disparate musical styles into unique, cohesive songs. “Predisposed” is no exception.