BC = Bandcamp, SP = Spotify, ?? = ??
Fierce yet melodic alt rock with traces of metal and stoner born out of the winds of Lanzarote island.
29. Matsu "Oscilación"
The crispy raspling electronica for those who [like me] consider Combray's "Ullapool" a cornerstone album of the genre. The latter's mastermind Raul Burrueco guests on the track "Reacción" - no surprise though.
28. Belako "Sigo Regando"
The Basque quartet's new album sounds way more cohesive than "Plastic Drama" (p)2020 that gained the nationwide acclaim but for me seemed like emotional rollercoaster. The songs "Orein Orain" and "Pretty Handsome" could even be attributed as 'tender' - for the first time in over ten years of the career.
27. Los Sara Fontan "Queda Pendiente"
When their name first appeared in public, Sara (violin) and Edi (drums, he is also half of the duo Za!) swore off recording albums. Therefore, they are well known as a live phenomenon, not as a studio act.
Despite that fact, and also the fact that pedals, processors, loopers and all sorts of different digital processing tools were involved in the creative process in addition to the violin and drum kit, the result has such a lively feeling, such a natural feel - and it's truly captivating. They're just as good in studio as live.
26. Neuman "Waterhole"
For me it's the best album of Neuman, and also the manual of how to make your best album via constantly repeating yourself. It may not look like the best assessment, and I don't really get in full how it works - but without demonstrating any new tricks Paco Roman has created his ultimate set of songs showcasing everything he's great at.
25. J "Plena Pausa"
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"Plena Pausa" is inspired by the late Basque fillmaker Ivan Zulueta's early works archive. From my point of view, J never released such the tightly constructed music since "Encuentros Con Entidades". But whilst the mentioned album was 'heralded' as by far the worst album of Los Planetas given it had been created during the period of [mostly drug-induced] turmoil - this new solo record would more likely sit on the top of the year end lists at it apparently was made with open heart and clear mind.
24. Mujeres "Desde Flores Y Entrañas"
The fast-paced skin'n'bones rock-n-roll of the Catalan underground kings Mujeres gets thicker and mellower with every subsequent release - but those changes are rather minor and don't modify the basic concept only providing their music with better perspective.
23. Rombo "Plaers I Terrors De Confort Domestic"
Four years since the release of their previous album "Clara Montse Núria", the Rombo girls have changed a lot. First, they got them a boy in the band. Second, they stopped sounding like early Quasi (sweet melodies seasoned with lo-fi guitar noise). Now they sound much closer to the groove-focused bands like Melenas without losing their hallmark melodicism - which suggests that for Clara Molins the French chanson, especially Françoise Hardy, means a lot.
22. Lagoss "Imaginary Island Music Vol.2: Ascention"
Lagoss is a Canarian trio consisting of longtime friends Mladen Kurajica (various incarnations of GAF) and Dani Garcia (Tupperwear, Salétile) along with Gonçalo F. Cardoso from the portuguese label Discrepant Records.
"Ascension" is an instrumental album loosely based on the concept of the construction of a space elevator from the top of Mount Teide to E.T.E.S.S.A., the space station closest to Earth, by the united forces of two human civilizations - terrestrial (Guayechi) and underwater (Aguachachi).
Of course, the basic idea of this concept cannot be understood without a libretto. The human voices are present on the disc, but in a very distorted form so they don't tell any recognizable narrative. The music is strange - as always for all those three involved. I don't think any one of them have ever made music that could be described as 'normal'. Digital jazz, dub, noise, space rock, tribal, industrial, scratch, music-concrete, amon düül, if you know what I mean. But despite its convoluted uniqueness it's entertaining and sometimes enormously beautiful.
21. Bum Motion Club "Claridad Y Laureles"
They have created the best song of the year. "Deprisa, Deprisa" is super catchy with its leading synths and fresh take on "quiet/loud" dynamics.
Overall, this album has a lot of guitars but the main melodic lines are always created by synths. It sounds different, and sounding different is always the better.
