Sonorama 2016. 10 Hidden Treasures Of The Festival

The new edition of Sonorama will start in less than one week. So it's time to get yourself prepared. Almost 5 days, a lot of bands and a couple of additional stages - all this could make quite troublesome to observe all interesting things that would occur, so Spanish redes sociales recently started to produce some guides to help the audience to get through less-known names - the guides like this or this. Or this. 

If everybody else is doing it, so why can't I? Please find below my version of such guide - the list of 10 bands that might be overlooked but surely deserve your attention.

Thursday, 11th:

Clara Plath (Escenario Carson Camping, 19:00)

Led by the just-married couple of Clara Plath (vocals, guitars) and Roberto Lopez (guitars, synths, backing vocals), this up-and-coming band from Murcia is going to blow the pieces of your brains all over the General Guttierrez Park territory with their 90's grungy indie rock.

Copiloto (Escenario Burgos, 19:50)

Failing to achieve the mainstream success with his albums #2 & #3 (respectively, "Un Segundo Luminoso" and "El Inicio, El Desencanto y El Circulo de Confianza", both on Grabaciones En El Mar) though seemingly standing on the verge of it, the Aragonese singer/songwriter Javier Almazan somehow slowed the things down with his Copiloto project, but his abilities are still strong - which was evidenced by his most recent release "Los Puentes Hundidos" ((c)2015 Grabaciones En El Mar).

Igloo (Escenario Burgos, 22:30)

Standing tall amongst the best Spanish bands that never made it to the top, the Galician quartet Igloo without any doubt deserves to perform on the main stage. Anyway, the convoluted (and not always fair) ways of fame could just make this band one of the best kept secrets in the Spanish rock history.

Friday, 12th:

The Trunks (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

Last year The Trunks were performing on the Red Bull Tour Bus stage before the pretty limited audience. This year they got the chance to attract much more people with their energetic and tuneful alternative rock on the Sonorama's most emblematic showcase.

Papaya (Escenario Charco, 15:45)

With the voice that can't be confused with someone else's, the tight melodies and the gentleman-like appearance, Chilean-born Canary inhabitant Yanara Espinoza appeared as one of the greatest discoveries of year 2015 with the debut effort "No Me Quiero Enamorar" ((p)Jabalina Musica). Definitely, it wouldn't be your smartest decision to omit her live performance.

Detergente Liquido (Escenario Carson Camping, 18:00)

Along with their pals Homeless and MOR right now before our eyes Detergente Liquido are resurfacing the indie scene of Cadiz. As fresh as funny, this band will surely do everything they can to make you fall for them.

Saturday, 13th:

Amatria (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

An year ago (or so) Joni Antequera got his first hit single with "Chinches", the track off his third album (first under the wing of Subterfuge). The funny thing is that "Chinches" is probably the worst song he ever recorded. But the rest of his songs are much better, and his show seems to be the perfect way to start the saturday's program.

Paciente Cero (Escenario Burgos, 19:00)

These guys were so great two years ago, and they only got better since then (this is the case when the less words the better).

Sunday, 14th:

Carmen Boza (Plaza Del Trigo, 12:00)

I can [as proudly as humbly] declare this 'I loved her before she was famous' thing. Carmen Boza is great, and I'm pretty sure that her show will be the unforgettable one.

Viva Suecia (Escenario Carson Camping, 21:00)

The auteurs of the best album of 2016 so far and one of the most promising young bands right now - how much reasons do you need to consider it necessary to attend their performance?

The Best Of 2015. Editor's Pick

See also:

11x11 (EP's and mini albums)

10x10

9x9

8x8

7x7

6x6

5x5

4x4

3x3
2x2

Dorian "Diez Anos Y Un Dia" (p)I*M Records Buy Listen
Igloo "Igløø2" (p)Ernie Producciones Listen/Buy

Before the name of the one and only best album of the year 2015 is revealed I should declare two more albums that really made my year. In fact, for me and my small family these are the most played albums at home or in our car (or in a car rented while travelling by Spain). It is my decision to put them in the separate category as the songs they contain (mostly) aren't new. But these are not the compilations in the pure sense of the term because every old song is rethought, remade and refaced. In other words, both bands made some kind of the cover versions of their own songs in a way which was apparently different to these bands' modi operandi.  So I have no idea how to treat these albums in terms of categorization.
Anyway, this is not the most important thing about "Diez Anos Y Un Dia" and "Igløø2". The main thing is that Igloo and Dorian sound absolutely natural in the new found formats and it gives an additional dimension to their art. Which means that if they were already three-dimensional before this, then now they are the tesseracts.

Igloo "IGLØØ2"

Igloo "IGLØØ2" (p)2015 Ernie Producciones

Igloo have done the same trick that Dorian did a month before them: they took a look upon their career with some extracted songs being refaced, rethought and reimagened - and supplemented with one brand new song (the gorgeous "La Reina Ourensana") along with two cover versions - Family's "El Bello Verano" and "Sugar Baby Love" originally by The Rubettes (#1 UK hit single in 1974). With three last tracks as electro remixes ("Todo", "Han Solo" and "Sin Mentiras") the rest of the songs are the quieter, milder and more stripped-down renditions of original versions - I can't say they're acoustic versions, I'd rather say they're 'acousticized' if there'd be the word.
As for Dorian, the songs chosen to appear on this album are not necessarily the best songs of Igloo, and honestly speaking, the 'election algorithm' for me is unclear. But it's not the point because the band managed to achieve something important that probably could not be achieved through the main hits and 'best in career' songs: it feels like Beni Ferreiro and his pals opened the door and let you inside their living room with its warm frendly and soulful atmosphere. Just imagine yourself sitting in some place that is not your home but it feels like home, that's it.

The best tracks: La Reina Ourensana, El Bello Verano, Hada, Han Solo (Rework by David Kano)


ERNIE PRODUCCIONES

Los recuerdos de Sonorama 2013

Just spent some time editing the [mostly poor quality] photos I've made with my mobile phone till Sonorama fest in August.

Sin Rumbo:

Cyan:

Igloo:

Leon Benavente:

Pumuky:

Havalina:

Stay:

Xoel Lopez & his band:

The New Raemon & Maga:

Mi Pequena Radio:

Garamendi:

Dorian:

The Best Of 2013. Albums 10 - 4

10. Cyan “Delapso” (p) Sony/BMG

Under the wing of the international major label the Barcelonians Cyan have perfected their sound for the 3rd album, having now all the components in the right proportion and delivering the stark guitar/piano-pop melodies (both easily sing-alongable, as "Philippe Petit", and not so easily distinguishable, as "Solo Es Una Herida") brushed with ethereal strings and translucent electronica.

09. Maryland “Los Anos Muertos” (p) Ernie Producciones

From the very beginning of their 3rd album the band do it full-throttle: the drums are banging, the guitars are ringing and buzzing, and overall picture makes me recalling the international punk-rock acts such as Alkaline Trio, for instance, or the 1st album of the fellow countrymen Mi Pequena Radio. 

It seems to me that the Galician indie-label Ernie Producciones, who are also the home of such the renowned musicians as Julio De La Rosa or Ninos Mutantes, make no faults at all in selection of the artists they promote. Really, I haven't ever listened to the bad album with the 'balancing man' stamp on it.

08. Dorian “La Velocidad Del Vacio” (p) PIAS

The first impression: Dorian started to move towards the Great Britain islands, so it's no surprise that "La Velocidad Del Vacio" was recorded with Phil Vinall (the british producer who worked with Elastica, Black Box Recorder and Placebo, to name a few) behind the dashboard. But the experience of the band prevented them from being another Bastille or someone like that, and Marc Gil and his companeros got no problems with self-determination. The sound of the album is a bit colder in comparison with the previous effort "La Ciudad Subterrania" but their electronica truly have the heart. And the small amount of guitar noise.

07. Igloo “04. El Conjunto Vacio” (p) Ernie Producciones

The previous album of the Galicians (yes, they're also on Ernie Producciones) Igloo was much more straightforward rock, but the band is inclined to improve the sound with every subsequent release, and in terms of the sound palette "El Conjunto Vacio" is the major step forward. This album isn't easy, it doesn't wear all its insides on its sleeves. You should listen to it deeper and deeper, and then even much deeper to reach the comprehension of what Beni Ferreiro ans his pals have created for us. Gone is the sheer post-punk of the previous releases, let's meet the best rock band of Gattaca.

And don't forget the best cover of the year!

06. Mucho “El Apocalipsis Segun Mucho” (p) Marxophone

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away there was the band who almost reached international success, and the band was The Sunday Drivers. After the dismissal of the band in 2009 the leader Jero Romero launched successful solo career, and the other members teamed up with Martin Perarnau from Underwater Tea Party and started Mucho. “El Apocalipsis Segun Mucho” is the second full lenght work of the band. It's the concept album dedicated, as you might see from the title, to the end of the world. 'The end of the world according to Mucho' is accompanied by the pleasant melodies you can easily sing along with. What really makes this album so good is the Mucho's ability to create the song that is lightbodied enough to attract listeners while being not too conventional at the same time - in the wide pallette of rhythms, tempos, dynamics etc.

05. Ivan Ferreiro “Val-Miñor – Madrid. Historia Y Cronologia Del Mundo” (p) Warner Music Spain

“Val-Miñor – Madrid. Historia Y Cronologia Del Mundo” is also the concept album of sorts. It was conceived as the vehicle to transfer the solipsist vision of its auteur to the grateful listeners. So it is probably the most personal album of Ivan Ferreiro. The good thing about "Val-Minor..." is that Ivan rejected the sound and rhythms of cheap cabaret ballroom which was usual on two of his previous works: "Mentiroso Mentiroso" and "Picnic Extraterrestre". The bad thing - the album doesn't contain the direct hit of "Cancion Humeda" or "Fahrenheit 451"-like grandeur. Despite this fact, the album has shown that creative form of today's Ivan Ferreiro is somewhere between 'mighty' and 'omnipotent'. You can't resist to the atmosphere of his travel, and you simply fall into - and it doesn't matter whether or not (or how) you relate to the world named 'Ivan Ferreiro'.

04. Miss Caffeina “De Polvo Y Flores” (p) Warner Music Spain

Luckily I can just repeat something I have said previously: "With the new album "De Polvo Y Flores" ("Of Dust And Flowers") Miss Caffeina distinguished almost unbelievable level of melodicism. The songs 'Gigantes', 'Venimos', 'San Francisco', 'MM' and especially 'Hielo T' got such the armour-crashing choruses that it seemed like the band had written them for the pan-universal song contest where Miss Caffeina would be the only contestant from planet Earth". 

Vertigo, sparkles and the pack of melodies any given renowned hitmaker would kill for.

Sonorama Ribera 2013. The Aftermath

Just uploaded some hi-res photos of Igloo, Mi Pequena Radio & Sin Rumbo to my Flickr account:

Igloo set

Mi Pequena Radio set

Sin Rumbo set

All photos were taken by Tanya.

Sonorama Ribera 2013. The Report. Day 3, 17.08.2013. El final and other hesitations - Part 1

Day 3 schedule: 

Plaza del Trigo: Igloo, Angel Stanich, Izal. 

Red Bull: Tres Notas Project, La Doble Fila, Raisa, Mi Pequena Radio. 

Carson Camping: Andres Garrasparri, Sethler. 

FutureStars: Margot, Musst H, Trajano!, Garamendi, Llum, Wiggum, Los Madison, Ultima Experiencia. 

Castilla y Leon: McEnroe, Havalina, Pony Bravo, The New Raemon & Maga, L.A. 

Ribera del Duero: Stay, Xoel Lopez, Standstill (presenta Cenit), Supersubmarina, Estereotypo. 

 The 3rd day of Sonorama should start for us at midday with Igloo. Then would be some time to walk along the town before the set of Mi Pequena Radio on the Red Bull. Carson Camping aside, in the evening we should be on the first line at the Castilla y Leon stage, where Havalina would destroy our ears with the possibly loudest show of the 16th edition of Sonorama. Then - Xoel Lopez, el unico man of sorts. And after Xoel's there would be only three obligatory POIs for us: The New Raemon & Maga, Supersubmarina and L.A. We were not prepared to the fact that saturdays are the dias de mercado in Aranda. So we had lost some time searching for appropriate parking place. 

When we came to Plaza del Trigo Igloo were already there. The band was plugging in, the technical personnel was sticking the Sonorama stickers along with Carson ones on the equipment. Then the band started playing. They played 3 songs and then abruptly stopped playing and walked off the stage. People got stuck unconscious. Minutes had passed away, at least one third part of the crowd seemed to pass along with the minutes. It was good for us so we could get much closer to the stage. The stage was empty for 8 or 10 minutes. I have noticed that there were 9 songs in the set list - as long as the set list was at the arm's lenght from my eyes. So the band finally walked from behind and started playing. With four albums (and one EP where they covered not less than "Twin Peaks theme") in the back catalogue they had plenty of great songs to play. Led by the charismatic leader Beni Ferreiro the band was as powerful as intimate. Beni looked pretty shy saying 'Somos Igloo' to the crowd. Also, he mentioned the trainwreck tradegy in Santiago de Compostela as the band members are the province of Galicia natives, and dedicated a song to the victims. The consistensy of the band's sound and the quality of songs quickly made Tanya the massive fan of Igloo as a whole and of Beni Ferreiro personally.

Igloo

After the show we had some time to kill before the next stop. We walked down the river Duero to have a can of beer (me) and of orange drink (Tanya). When we came to the Red Bull Tour Bus the sun was in zenith ruthlessly burning the skins of the spectators who were pressing themselves into the walls of the houses. Mi Pequena Radio was the fourth band (the first three were Deluxe, Love Of Lesbian and Tulsa) I had discovered in rock en espanol years ago when their first album "Esquiando Hacia Arriba" was out. Having the new album issued less than a year ago this band led by 'migrant bird' (Huesca -> Madrid -> Barcelona -> back to Madrid) David Tabuena was one of the last ones to be confirmed for Sonorama 2013. As I have mentioned before, the Red Bull Tour Bus escenario was really the bus, so the musicians should get on it for the show and later get down after the show - and in that moment one could manage to interact with them.Taking this in mind I got one more matryoska for David. Mi Pequena Radio had the brief stint of popularity earlier this year when the glorious Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper and the captain of the national football team posted the video for the song "Valor Galactico" in his Facebook page, and the next day marked the 20,000 youtube views for this video. David and his guys played the songs mostly from the latest LP called "Donde Esta Lo Que Un Dia Fuimos" for the empty square and the audience somewhere in the shadows. I considered it not fair for such a great band doing such the great work and for the hit "Valor Galactico" I stepped off the shadows in the center of square and made a song-long tribal dance. Sadly, my heroic performance was less than well-documented by anyone including my beloved wife.

Mi Pequena Radio onstage

When the band stopped playing I placed myself closer to the ladder on the rear side of the bus. David came down, I came to him shouting "David!!!" and put the matryoska in his hand. He looked really surprised to know that his band had the fans in the dark and snowy Russia. Tanya came and hugged and kissed him, and finally we took a photo together. It was fine.

 

  David & me