BEAUTIFY JUNKYARDS

Prog Folk • Portugal

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Beautify Junkyards biography
Beautify Junkyards are a Portuguese psychedelic folk band from Lisbon, currently consisting of vocalist/synthesist Jo�o Branco Kyron, the mononymous vocalist Martinez, guitarist Jo�o Moreira, bassist Sergue Ra, drummer Ant�nio Watts and former Espers member Helena Espvall on cello and guitar. Formed in 2012, Beautify Junkyards stemmed from Kyron's previous band Hipn�tica, an eclectic electronic indie unit. Facing a period of artistic stagnation after releasing five albums, most of its members retreated to Ra's house in the Alentejo countryside to record covers of some of their favourite folk and krautrock artists, performed outdoors in the fields and captured by a mobile studio. This new artistic direction signalled a name change, which Hipn�tica took from a sign above a Toronto dumping ground noted by media theorist Marshall McLuhan ("Help Beautify Junk Yards - Throw Something Lovely Away Today"). The group takes primary inspiration from British acid folk, German kosmische musik, the hauntological vibes of the Ghost Box record label, and Brazilian Tropic�lia, influences the band integrated on their 2013 self-titled debut, which featured interpretations of songs by Os Mutantes, Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Roy Harper, Linda Perhacs and Kraftwerk.

Beautify Junkyards began to showcase their own atmospheric compositions by their 2015 LP, The Beast Shouted Love, where shades of jazz, electronic and library music infiltrated their increasingly original voice. The band signed to Ghost Box after impressing Jim Jupp and Julian House with their sophomore work and contributing two tracks to the label's Other Voices single series. The sextet entered the Belbury canon with their 2018 album, The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards, which introduced Helena Espvall into the lineup, replacing founding member Jo�o Paulo Daniel. 2021 saw the release of Beautify Junkyards' fourth album, Cosmorama, followed by another two-track single a few months later, featuring a collaborative cover of the Incredible String Band's "Painting Box", performed with Jupp and Eric Zann's electronic project Belbury Poly. The first work to incorporate guest musicians since their debut, Cosmorama showcased vocalists Nina Miranda (of Smoke City), Alison Bryce (of Lake Ruth) and Martinez, who replaced Kyron's wife Rita Vian, along with harpist Eduardo Raon (formerly of Hipn�tica).

As of this writing, the band's most recent activity was the 2022 lathe cut single Verde Pino, a Daphne cove...Beautify Junkyards are a Portuguese psychedelic folk band from Lisbon, currently consisting of vocalist/synthesist Jo�o Branco Kyron, the mononymous vocalist Martinez, guitarist Jo�o Moreira, bassist Sergue Ra, drummer Ant�nio Watts and former Espers member Helena Espvall on cello and guitar. Formed in 2012, Beautify Junkyards stemmed from Kyron's previous band Hipn�tica, an eclectic electronic indie unit. Facing a period of artistic stagnation after releasing five albums, most of its members retreated to Ra's house in the Alentejo countryside to record covers of some of their favourite folk and krautrock artists, performed outdoors in the fields and captured by a mobile studio. This new artistic direction signalled a name change, which Hipn�tica took from a sign above a Toronto dumping ground noted by media theorist Marshall McLuhan ("Help Beautify Junk Yards - Throw Something Lovely Away Today"). The group takes primary inspiration from British acid folk, German kosmische musik, the hauntological vibes of the Ghost Box record label, and Brazilian Tropic�lia, influences the band integrated on their 2013 self-titled debut, which featured interpretations of songs by Os Mutantes, Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Roy Harper, Linda Perhacs and Kraftwerk.

Beautify Junkyards began to showcase their own atmospheric compositions by their 2015 LP, The Beast Shouted Love, where shades of jazz, electronic and library music infiltrated their increasingly original voice. The band signed to Ghost Box after impressing Jim Jupp and Julian House with their sophomore work and contributing two tracks to the label's Other Voices single series. The sextet entered the Belbury canon with their 2018 album, The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards, which introduced Helena Espvall into the lineup, replacing founding member Jo�o Paulo Daniel. 2021 saw the release of Beautify Junkyards' fourth album, Cosmorama, followed by another two-track single a few months later, featuring a collaborative cover of the Incredible String Band's "Painting Box", performed with Jupp and Eric Zann's electronic project Belbury Poly. The first work to incorporate guest musicians since their debut, Cosmorama showcased vocalists Nina Miranda (of Smoke City), Alison Bryce (of Lake Ruth) and Martinez, who replaced Kyron's wife Rita Vian, along with harpist Eduardo Raon (formerly of Hipn�tica).

As of this writing, the band's most recent activity was the 2022 lathe cut single Verde Pino, a Daphne cover released in conjunction with Beautify Junkyards' first live performance film Cosmorama - Moving Images.

- Gordy, August 2023read more