The Best Of 2019. TOP50. 21-30

30. La Linea Roja «Todo Esta Bien»

(p)Pikotako

SPTF

The band formerly known as Temas Incomodos - and more recently as simply Incomodos - underwent the second name change and released their strongest effort as La Linea Roja. Indie/alt rock at its best.

29. Apartamentos Acapulco «El Resto Del Mundo»

(p)El Ejercito Rojo/Volcan

BNDCMP

For the first time I tried to listen to it via the mobile phone speaker, and it just didn't work. The next time I used on-year headset to regain the better sound quality - and that's when that perfectly detailed shoegaze/space rock album started to shine.

28. Xavier Calvet «Crosswinds»

(p)BCore Disc

BNDCMP

The solo project by the Bullitt's mastermind who has already appeared in this list as 1/4 of Jamie 4 President. Xavier is a gifted singer/songwriter with a penchant for writing breezy folk songs with the light inside.

27. Ma Pogo «Pour Ceux Qui Ne Sont Plus La»

(p)El Hombre Bala

BNDCMP

The electro rock married with post punk and French chanson tradition to excellent results.

26. Espiritusanto «Exfuturo»

(p)Jabalina Musica

BNDCMP

This warm and sunny dreampop has grown out from "Just Like Heaven" and the sweetest moments of, dunno… Ride?

25. Side Chick «Side Chick»

(p)Foehn

BNDCMP

The rare bird in the Foehn Records' nest - a rock band. You know, when 'rock' means 'rock'.

24. El Tercer Semestre «四»

(p)Kame Hame

BNDCMP

I have no idea what the name of this album means but it doesn't matter. All that matters is the fact that eclectic post rock/math rock is gorgeous.

23. Pandorado «Seres»

(p)RockCD

SPTF

The debut album by the Leonese alt-rock quintet. Produced by Manuel Cabezali.

22. Parade «La Deriva Sentimental»

(p)Jabalina Musica

BNDCMP

The warmest effort by the longstanding indietronica project of Antonio Galvan. The beautiful songs to dive into and dream on.

21. Medalla «Medalla»

(p)El Segell

BNDCMP

The considerable step forward for the Barcelona-based loud rock combo.

31 - 40

41 - 50

HONORABLE MENTION

TOP10 EPs

Best of 2016. Honorable mention #1

To put it clear, it was a busy year. I rarely posted to this blog cos for the most of 2016 I was suffereing the writer's block but I never put myself out of the discource. So I spent a lot of time listening to the new records and a lot of money purchasing the new music - both physically and digitally. I've listened to 300+ albums - more than in any previous year. So now I'm not that easy-minded guy who tried to select 30 good records out of overall 55. Now the task is way too complicated.
Initially my aim was to select 50 best albums and say 'enough' but the more I dove into the more I felt like this aim is indistinguishable. There's huge amount of albums that didn't make it to the main Top50 list, but it would be the greatest injustice if their names were not pronounced. Respectively I've corrected the plan and added 40 more albums (that in sum with Top10 EPs and the main Top50 list will give us the amount of 100 albums in total). That's why the 'Honorable Mention' section is so wide this time. I've decided to divide the whole section onto two tiers only to keep the posts readable. There are no certain places within the tier as well as certain differences between the albums from the different tiers. All the albums within the tier are presented in alphabetical order (by band name). So you could presume all these 40 albums are allocated to the place #51.

Atlantic "1976" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
This band is the other side of one of my last year's favourites - Moonflower. And this incarnation (fronted by Josep Bartual instead of Maria Lopez) is equally great.
*walks around singing along to "...no pueda superarmeee..."*

Amaro Ferreiro "Biologo" (p)A Records
SPOTIFY
Please omit the fact that Amaro's creative abilities are often overshadowed by the stature of his elder brother. The main thing about "Biologo" is that you can listen to these songs without imagining them being sung by Ivan.

Chicharron "Postal" (p)Prenom
BANDCAMP
Very warm and beautiful indie pop/slowcore album by a Galician band. Low and Yo la Tengo influences are on the sleeve.

Como Vivir En El Campo "CVEEC3" (p)El Genio Equivocado
BANDCAMP
The freak folk pop trio is strangely attractive and beautifully quirky as ever.

Delbosque "Interferencias" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
The burgeoning dreampop/shoegaze wave meets southern psychedelia.

Doctor Lobo "Metodologia" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
The Valencia indie rock/dreampop quintet fronted by Pablo Naharro makes the big step forward since their 2014's mini album "Reiniciar".
"Mastered by Manuel Cabezali" is the trademark.

Fiera "Aljarafe" (p)Humo
BANDCAMP
The experimental duo from Sevilla makes minimalistic and uncomfortable noise rock/electro that causes dependence in high doses.

Kill Kill "Reacciones A Distancia" (p)Miel De Moscas/Gran Sol
BANDCAMP
The Spanish Black Keys with digital effects.

KUVE "Kuve 3.0" (p)EO! Musica
SPOTIFY
This work reminds me of the last efforts by Zahara and The Bright.

Lecciones De Vuelo "Caza" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
Lecciones de Vuelo play quite original mix of shoegaze and twee with distinct elements of post punk. For me, some melodic decisions are questionable - but mostly the band is good at what they do.

Los Amantes "Open 24 Hours" (p)Lucinda
BANDCAMP
The new power pop band fronted by Pat Escoin follows the pattern of any other band fronted by Pat Escoin: melody, high voltage energy, 'take no prisoners' approach. The voice of Pat is the national treasury.

Malandromeda "Os Corenta E Oito Nomes Do Inimigo" (p)Matapadre
BANDCAMP
The alternative form of hip hop from Galicia is something like the median of Delafe and Malaspecto.

Matoll "Matoll" (p)Repetidor Disc
BANDCAMP
All I know about Matoll is that they play the 90's indie rock. This album is a good reason to learn more about them.

Noiseed "Almost Human" (p)El Hombre Bala
BANDCAMP
The catchy Canarian-born electro-industrial with aggro elements (mostly in vocals).

Novedades Carminha "Campeones Del Mundo" (p)Ernie Producciones
SPOTIFY
Their best record by far. Been way too simplistic before, now Novedades Carminha have got that cool vibe that makes the heart beating harder.

Odio Paris "Cenizas Y Flores" (p)Mushroom Pillow
SPOTIFY
[At times] the lightweight drums' sound, [at times] beautifully jangling guitars and [at times] thick layers of synths give this record the possibility to cover the vast spectre of genres.

Parade "Demasiado Humano" (p)Jabalina Musica
BANDCAMP
Probably the best Parade album.

Pinocho Detective "La Vida Privada de..." (p)Delia
BANDCAMP
The angles of this record are too rounded to produce really strong emotions, but it's beautiful and pleasant anyway.

Solletico "Erra" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
The twee/indie/folk pop band from Madrid released the new album pretty quietly, and it came relatively unnoticed. But it's warm and beautiful enough to be the good companion to the glass of whisky and a twist of good grief.

Tucan Morgan "Moon Cabaret Rooms" (p)self-released
BANDCAMP
Read this

Best of 2016. Top10 albums of Q1

The 1st trimester of 2016 is gone, so it's time to prepare the first top list of the year, isn't it?! Exactly! Now, while we're still waiting for the new slabs by Leon Benavente, La Habitacion Roja and Sr. Chinarro, there's enough to embrace apart of them. The new albums of Belako, Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, Full, Miss Caffeina, Grises, Hinds, Love Of Lesbian are already out - and you know what? None of them is in my list!

10. Niño Burbuja "El Futuro No Existe" (p)self released

09. Tucan Morgan "Moon Cabaret Rooms" (p)self-released

08. We Were Heading North "We Were Heading North" (p)El Hombre Bala

07. Odio Paris "Cenizas Y Flores" (p)Mushroom Pillow

06. Parade "Demasiado Humano" (p)Jabalina Musica

05. Kasparov vs Deep Blue "Flare" (p)self released

04. Power Burkas "Llarga Vida Al Taranna" (p)BCore Disc

03. Sorry Kate "Haven Hood" (p)Foehn

02. Trinidad "Karma" (p)El Hombre Bala

01. Viva Suecia "La Fuerza Mayor" (p)Subterfuge

#SonoramaRibera2014. The Report. Day 4, 16.08.2014. All has come to an end

The day that presented us with one of the greatest shows of the year has started from the set of Ricardo Vicente. The resident of Marxophone label made the full-band performance that sounded as beautiful and confidential as muscular enough. The man on the second guitar looked like the former Havalina bass player Nahum Garcia. It wouldn't be any surprise for me if it was exactly he. 

Ricardo Vicente

After Ricardo stopped playing we stayed on Plaza waiting for Maryland. This galician band made it to TOP10 in my own list of the best releases of year 2013 but I couldn't even think that they're such great onstage! It was an absolutely fantastic show indeed! With wreckingball energy, melodies galore and sincere enthusiasm they arranged on Plaza del Trigo la gran fiesta para todos los espectadores. In the crowd before the stage we were so close to the group of girls prepared for the show - they have all these festive crackers and confettis and multicoloured spiral-twisted bands. They gave us a part of their packs so we were involved in this celebration. In sum with what occured onstage it was grandiose, by all means.

Maryland

We were so exhausted emotionally that we decided not to stay here for Sexy Zebras - and this decision later appeared as a great mistake because after Zebras' set the new 'secret show' was announced. This time there were Second. But we were not there, unfortunately.

Before the evening/night set we paved our way to Restaurante Miguel because two days ago  Javier Ajenjo gave us two coupons for free lechazo in there. Lechazo was great but what made our presenсe there unforgettable were the plates attached to the walls. All these plates were signed and decorated by the musicians who were there before: Tuya, Tachenko, PLV Havoc, Sharon Bates... Even my all-time american favourites Nada Surf. So, we were permitted to take a photo with the latest plate - one with Ninos Mutantes' handpaintings.

The evening set started for us with the Paciente Cero's set in the Hangar tent - the tiny stage situated opposite to the mercadillo. The band contacted me in twitter a week and a half before the festival and invited me to their show. I agreed.

Paciente Cero rocked. They played highly melodic alternative rock with interesting rhythmic consequences and memorable vocals of band leader Rafa Tunon. These guys are ready for the larger venues and I hope they would be invited for the next edition of the fest. After their set I approached them and told them who we are and from where we are. The guys were pretty shocked by the fact that somebody from hell knows where could attend their show.

Dos pacientes con dos rusos

Then I was forced to run like hell to catch the last two songs finalizing the actuacion of Belako. Initially I intended to see their full performance but Paciente Cero were too cool to leave them so I catched only the final part. Fortunately, the part that I managed to watch included the song "Sea Of Confusion" that I consider their best song. After Belako we came to Castilla stage to look at Juventud Juche. This trio made aggressive and essentially un-melodic punk rock. We stayed there for 2-3 songs and then moved further. The 'further' were Rick Brendan, the rock'n'roll clowns of political incorrectness and glam-rock freak-show positivism. To our surprise, it sounded better than looked and than we might imagine from such description.

Rick Brendan

Then we returned to Hangar tent to see one more young band that I occasionally followed on twitter. Versos Rotos as Paciente Cero before them showed their ability to hand over the larger venue. They sounded very clean and rich, and their songs had really catchy choruses. Some of the young female fans were detected in the crowd - for young rock band it's always good. 

Versos Rotos

Our next stop was Nacho Vegas on Ribera stage. Nacho with his guitar stood in front of the crowd. Right beside him there was Abraham Boba sitting playing on his keyboard set.

Nacho Vegas (right) and Abraham Boba (left)

We stayed there for some time and then came to VIP zone to drink some wine - an obligatory ritual for us these days. After our blood/wine balance was fine-tuned we came to Tachenko. Honestly speaking, I mostly don't like the albums of this band but their live set changed my mind on them. They were really consistent and their songs sounded much better than on albums. The perfect live band they are.

Tachenko

I don't know why and how but after Tachenko we somehow appeared in Future Satrs stage where some synth-based band was playing at the moment. It was the band Panama from Australia. They sounded like indie rock Simply Red but the songs were catchy enough to enjoy them so we spent some time there until Panama's set was over.

Panama

We spent 10 minutes or so at the main stage where Duncan Dhu were performing. This band of Basque origin disbanded in 2001, but in 2013 they returned to activity. I've tried them earlier but couldn't find my soul much into their music. But it seemed right to look at them just to show respect. 

Grises are from Basque Country as well. This year the band from Zupiskoa put out their third album called "Animal", and its quality pushed their show in 'not-to-be-missed' category for us. Grises fully met our expectations being loud, outrageous and roaring. Though mostly they showed us their electronica side but at times the band exploded with the bursts of alternative rock guitar chugging or elements of techno-dance rave.

Grises

Tired but happy we came to Future Stars to see Parade. But the show of Parade was delayed due to a) prolonged performance of Wilhelm And The Dancing Animals, and b) problems with connection. When the 'robot rock' band of Antonio Galvan finally started to play we understood that we were already too tired. So, Parade were the last band that we saw on this Sonorama.

Parade

So, say goodbye to all these sunny happy days full of great music and best people in the world! Say hi to yearlong days of grief and depression. Though... the memories are with us, ain't they?

A Quick Guide To... Jabalina Musica

Jabalina Musica is a cult indie label from Madrid. The label's roster mostly concentrates on the various sub-genres of indie pop. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Jabalina. The date was celebrated by the series of local concerts. For last five years Jabalina and its head Tanis Abellan has produced two absolutely astonishing singles collections: 'Jabalina Love Songs' and 'Dedicatessen'. These collections are published so deliciously that mere appearance of the discs could make your heart go wild. So let's start from the second one.

Graphics of 'Dedicatessen' are designed by Jesus Galvan who is the brother of Antonio Galvan, the man behind the Parade project. 

The series include the following items (in alphabetical order) all printed on colour vinyl:

1. ALDO LINARES y las mujeres
2. AMA ante el virus de la rabia
3. APENINO cerca de las estrellas
4. DOBLE PLETINA contra los amores perdidos
5. J'AIME en la noche eterna 
6. KLAUS&KINSKI a cuatro reinas moras
7. LLUM y la revuelta emocional 
8. PARADE en el estudio Ghibli
9. PUMUKY y el eterno femenino
10. SOLLETICO y el hombre de la casa
11. SOUVENIR y los finales sin fin
12. WILD HONEY Dear Cindy

Most of the bands - well-known (Klaus&Kinski, Parade, Doble Pletina) or not (Solletico, Ama) - deliver different kinds of lo-fi/synth-pop/folk pop/indie pop music with the fragile male/female vocals and general sense of the light melancholy. Even my all-time favorites Pumuky sound here like they do not want to tear the common canvas. I'm not gonna tell you that all these bands and musicians are the same or anything like that - no, absolutely. They are all different and all have their own features, but they have something in common here within this series - let it be baritone-voiced singer/songwriter Llum or quirky pop experimentators Doble Pletina, or Klaus&Kinsky who abandoned their twee in favor of loose acoustic piano-based songs.

For me, being familiar with the most of the presented musicians, nevertheless I've made one good discovery here - J'aime. His americana-tinged music is the perfect soundtrack for the rainy evenings spent home alone with a good bottle of wine.