El Relevo Aleman "Königsberg"

El Relevo Aleman "Königsberg" (p)2014

The third long play of the Madrid-based rock outfit El Relevo Aleman is their most complex work to-date. The frontman Jose Carlos Peña is also the drummer for the perfect '2nd wave emo' band Cusin. In El Relevo Aleman he is backed by all-female rhythm section that consists of Christina Arroyo (bass) and Zutoia Rios (drums). This trio plays tight guitar-driven rock music that stands both legs in American 90s/00s indie/alternative movement. So, if you're into such bands as Archers Of Loaf, Built To Spill and especially Pedro the Lion - then "Königsberg" with its angular guitar parts brought to the foreground of the mix and the quiet but emotional vocals is definitely your piece of pie. Since the roots of my music tastes were fed by the same fertile soils (before my 'rock español' immersion I was - and still is - the die-hard fan of aforementioned bands and lots of their peers) I shouldn't have missed this album. Luckily I discovered it by a chance a couple of months ago and quickly fell for it because in comparison with the band's previous efforts "Etica Protestante" and "El Mundo Antiguo" it sounds better produced and more mature, and contains more memorable songs.

By the way, it was nice to see Bottomless Pit in their Facebook 'Interests' section - this band formed by Silkworm members Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett after the drummer Michael Dahlquist untimely passing rarely appears in someone's lists.

The best tracks: El Equipo Español de Curling, El Terror Bolchevique, La Gravitacion Universal, Los Visigodos

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