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среда, 12 сентября 2018 г.

5 años. Top50 albums 2000-2017

The year 2018 marks the 5-year jubilee of this tiny music-related blog. Now I'm finalizing the string of specials to celebrate this. This is the ultimate one - Top50 albums of the newer history of Spanish rock music as I see it. For good or bad this is what it's like. Initially I've tried to create this list with quite objective approach avoiding my personal affections and taking into account such things as impact on the scene instead - but quickly found it impossible. So that's what came out as a result.

50. Love Of LesbianCuentos Chinos Para Niños Del Japon” (p)2007 Naive
49. Delafe Y Las Flores Azules "Trompetas De La Muerte" (p)2010 Warner
48. Sexy Sadie "Butterflies" (p)2000 Subterfuge
47. Pau Vallve "Abisme Cavall Hivern Primavera I Tornar" (p)2017 not on label
46. Disco Las Palmeras! "Nihil Obstrat" (p)2011 Matapadre
45. Second "Fracciones De Un Segundo" (p)2009 Warner
44. Ivan Ferreiro "Mentiroso Mentiroso" (p)2008 Warner
43. Joe La Reina "Bailamos Por Miedo" (p)2014 Subterfuge
42. Triangulo De Amor Bizarro "Triangulo De Amor Bizarro" (p)2007 Mushroom Pillow
41. Nadadora "Luz Oscuridad Luz" (p)2010 Ernie
40. Half Foot Outside "Heavenly" (p)2008 Limbo Starr
39. Mercromina "Bingo" (p)2003 Subterfuge
38. Izal "Magia Y Efectos Especiales" (p)2012 HOOK
37. McEnroeTu Nunca Moriras” (p)2008 Subterfuge
36. Carmen Boza "La Mansion De Los Espejos" (p)2014 self-released
35. Muy FelliniMuy Fellini” (p)2007 BCore Disc/ Underhill
34. Russian Red "I Love Your Glasses" (p)2007 [PIAS] Spain
33. Pumuky "Justicia Poetica" (p)2015 Jabalina Musica
32. Dorian "El Futuro No Es De Nadie" (p)2006 [PIAS] Spain
31. Power Burkas "Llarga Vida Al Taranna" (p)2016 BCore Disc
30. Los Planetas "Encuentros Con Entidades" (p)2002 RCA-BMG
29. L.A.Heavenly Hell” (p)2011 Warner
28. Berri Txarrak "Jaio.Musika.Hil" (p)2005 GOR Diskak
27. Christina Rosenvinge "Tu Labio Superior" (p)2008 Warner
26. HavalinaLas Hojas Secas” (p)2011 Origami
25. UnicornibotMambotron” (p)2011 Matapadre
24. VillanuevaViajes De Ida” (p)2014 Esmerarte
23. Aina "Bipartite" (p)2001 BCore Disc
22. Sr. Chinarro "Perspectiva Caballera" (p)2014 VEEMMM
21. Igloo02. Transicion De Fase” (p)2009 Ernie
20. La Habitacion RojaFue Electrico” (p)2012 Mushroom Pillow
19. Muy Poca GenteEn Flor” (p)2001 Grabaciones En El Mar
18. Delorean "Apar" (p)2013 Mushroom Pillow
17. Manta RayEstratexa” (p)2003 Acuarela
16. GAF & La Estrella De La MuerteSunriser” (p)2013 Foehn
15. NudozurdoTara Motor Hembra” (p)2011 Everlasting
14. Madee "L'Antartica" 2007 (p)BCore Disc
13. Hazte LaponNo Son Tu Marido” (p)2015 El Genio Equivocado
12. CelereAl Dia Siguiente (p)2012 not on label
11. Leon BenaventeLeon Benavente” (p)2013 Marxophone
10. Love Of Lesbian1999” (p)2009 Music Bus
09. Linda GuilalaPsiconautica” (p)2016 Elefant
08. Rufus T. FireflyMagnolia (p)2017 Lago Naranja
07. DeluxeFin De Un Viaje Infinito” (p)2007 Mushroom Pillow
06. I Am DiveGhostwoods” (p)2012 Foehn
05. Vetusta MorlaUn Dia En El Mundo” (p)2008 Pequeno Salto Mortal
04. El Hombre BurbujaNadando A Crol” (p)2000 Everlasting
03. PumukyEl Bosque En Llamas” (p)2009 Jabalina Musica
02. Los PiratasUltrasonica” (p)2001 Warner
01. Oso LeoneMokragora (p)2013 Foehn

Yo, Estratosferico "Aves Raras"

I am biased. I should declare it beforehand cos I know this time I can’t be objective. Frankly, there’s nothing to do with objectiveness in my reviews from the very first moment I started doing it. But this time I’m biased quite significantly even by my habitual measures because sometimes you run into the things that make you happy on a molecular level and you can’t stand it just letting it loose.
The 21st century spoiled the term ‘emo’ making it some kind of the death sentence, a black mark. People forgot it was first coined back in the 80’s, and initially it was an abbreviation for ‘emotionally charged hardcore’. All through the 90’s it had being used for the bands of the Sunny Day Real Estate and Braid streak (later these bands were framed into the ‘2nd wave emo’ subgenre to separate them from those like Rites Of Spring and Embrace with whom frankly they had little in common). And I don’t get it completely how it all jumped from The Appleseed Cast’s “Mare Vitalis” to sticking the 'emo' tag to My Chemical Romance shit albums in two year span.
The Guadalajara-based combo started making records back in 2014. With one EP and two [too cool to go unnoticed] longplays in the backpack the guys set the most recent 6 track EP "Aves Raras" to be their most ambitious record. Initially a four piece, now Jose, Diego, Oscar and Manu recruited the longtime friend Alberto “Tito“ Sanz (formerly of Thomb - the local band with the 'family ties' to Yo, Estratosferico) as the second guitar player to build up the sound they wanted to recreate with due precision.
Structurally the songs on “Aves Raras” come close to post-hardcore as they’ve got these stop-start dynamics, unusual time signatures and the kind of riffing usually labeled ‘angular’. Tone-wise the EP relates – on par with all the previous works of the band – to the 2nd wave emo rock as the voice of Jose is charged with emotion galore. His trademark singing style makes him one of the most memorable voices of the scene. Finally, the EP befriends the jangly edgy guitar playing style of post-millennial indie rock. Summing it all up the EP produces the full-bodied brooding and cathartic impression. If there’s an allegory to describe the difference between “Aves Raras” and the previous albums I’d like to suggest this one: imagine the band that usually played in the extremely small room stepping out into the greater hall. They might play the same music but it would sound quite different as there’s more space and air in there.
The EP contains two tracks the closest Yo, Estratosferico ever get to a hit: “Oporto” (a city or a metro station?) and “Todo Madrid Habla Mal De Ti”. But my by far favourite track is “Palido Y Salvaje” – the most unconventional and uncompromising track on the album. The most post-hardcore track. The most 2nd wave emo track. I’d like to live in the world where “Palido Y Salvaje” could be a massive hit.

вторник, 6 февраля 2018 г.

Maryland "Resplandor"

Maryland "Resplandor" (p)2018 Subterfuge
Everything changes.
Sometimes I am afraid of the changes cos they may be wrong. The guitar-based bands switch to synths. The rock bands start playing some sick jazz. The bands disband. The bands lose the members. The good bands leave the equally good labels. The musicians die. 
The Viguese alternative rock quartet Maryland didn't manage to avoid some changes - a couple of years ago they were a quintet, for instance. It's been too long since their last album "Los Años Muertos" to keep the things intact. But, fortunately, this didn't impact the the core things. They're still that loud and that melodic as they used to be, and they're still that Maryland I fell in love 5 years ago. Spearheaded by the Castelo brothers - Ruben (vocals, guitars) and Pablo (bass, backing vocals) - the band skipped over the past years and picked up right where they left off producing high quality alternative rock squeezed out of the junction of power pop and punk. In the ever-changing world this is kinda good news.

The best tracks: Disculpas Aceptadas, Sueño Lucido, Nueva York, Arde