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 Lesbian “Cuentos 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. McEnroe “Tu Nunca Moriras” (p)2008 Subterfuge

36. Carmen Boza "La Mansion De Los Espejos" (p)2014 self-released

35. Muy Fellini “Muy 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. Havalina “Las Hojas Secas” (p)2011 Origami

25. Unicornibot “Mambotron” (p)2011 Matapadre

24. Villanueva “Viajes De Ida” (p)2014 Esmerarte

23. Aina "Bipartite" (p)2001 BCore Disc

22. Sr. Chinarro "Perspectiva Caballera" (p)2014 VEEMMM

21. Igloo “02. Transicion De Fase” (p)2009 Ernie

20. La Habitacion Roja “Fue Electrico” (p)2012 Mushroom Pillow

19. Muy Poca Gente “En Flor” (p)2001 Grabaciones En El Mar

18. Delorean "Apar" (p)2013 Mushroom Pillow

17. Manta Ray “Estratexa” (p)2003 Acuarela

16. GAF & La Estrella De La Muerte “Sunriser” (p)2013 Foehn

15. Nudozurdo “Tara Motor Hembra” (p)2011 Everlasting

14. Madee "L'Antartica" 2007 (p)BCore Disc

13. Hazte Lapon “No Son Tu Marido” (p)2015 El Genio Equivocado

12. Celere “Al Dia Siguiente” (p)2012 not on label

11. Leon Benavente “Leon Benavente” (p)2013 Marxophone

10. Love Of Lesbian “1999” (p)2009 Music Bus

09. Linda Guilala “Psiconautica” (p)2016 Elefant

08. Rufus T. Firefly “Magnolia” (p)2017 Lago Naranja

07. Deluxe “Fin De Un Viaje Infinito” (p)2007 Mushroom Pillow

06. I Am Dive “Ghostwoods” (p)2012 Foehn

05. Vetusta Morla “Un Dia En El Mundo” (p)2008 Pequeno Salto Mortal

04. El Hombre Burbuja “Nadando A Crol” (p)2000 Everlasting

03. Pumuky “El Bosque En Llamas” (p)2009 Jabalina Musica

02. Los Piratas “Ultrasonica” (p)2001 Warner

01. Oso Leone “Mokragora” (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.

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5 años. The big thank you to other music blogs

The year 2018 marks the 5-year jubilee of this tiny music-related blog. So I'm going to make a string of kinda 'special issues' to celebrate this. The first of them is right here right now, and it's dedicated to my pilots.

***

When I started digging into the Spanish rock music 11-12 years ago I was not learned of anything that could help me to speed up the process. Frankly, I never intended to dig into that deep – I only wanted to find the records of the man under Deluxe moniker. And I searched superficially through the internet to retrieve finally an absolute zero as a result. I got links to different things in array from the special releases of everything to the elite prostitutes – except what I really wanted to find. Then I started digging deeper and quickly realized there was a lot of Spanish-language indie music blogs. Some of them were ‘multinational’ while others were dedicated fully to the local music scene. They all were the ‘mp3 pirates’, and they became my guiding lights. Thanks to them, I completed the mission of finding the Deluxe albums and discovering a lot of cool bands to fall for.
As my tastes changed over the years I switched from the ‘multinationals’ to the latter category. As these years were marked by 'the copyright wars' in Internet, I could observe how my favorite blogs had been changing names, switching the host platforms, getting blocked, or dying. Do you remember El Blog De La Ardilla Roja? Indiecanciones? They were pretty prominent at the time but probably didn’t manage to convert themselves into something more appropriate in terms of copyright legislation. But there were (and they still are) two sources that, unbeknownst to themselves, helped me more than others on my way, and - leaving their ‘mp3 pirate’ flakes behind - successfully transformed themselves into the useful and appropriate resources #rightnow.

These are El Mundo De Tulsa and Mister Pollo mp3:

El Mundo De Tulsa
Señor Pollo

Without them both my life would never be what it is now, really. All my gratitude and respect goes to them.

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

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SBTRFG

Bay City Killers "The Distance"

Bay City Killers "The Distance" (p)2017 Red B Records

The inflammable rock band from Mallorca - fast, loud and ballsy. Bay City Killers go full throttle from the very beginning of "The Distance" and drive ahead with the fast and furious rhythm section, edgy guitars and the cracked voice of the frontman Jose Serrano at maximum speed until the end of the road. The guys position themselves alternative/punk, but their alternative/punk contains a good doze of southern rock so the album sounds pretty american. Pretty midwestern states kind of american. Kinda highway drivin', roadside bar hard drinkin'. I'd like to see them live cos I bet live Bay City Killers easily could get the water boiled remotely.

The best tracks: Lights On The Road, The Grave Of The Fireflies, Walking On The Edge

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Avernessus "Azul Terminal"

Avernessus "Azul Terminal" (p)2017 self-released

In the run-up of my visit to La Palma island I've undertaken a brief search for the local bands and discovered a band that exists starting from 1996. Though for the most of their career Avernessus stayed out of the public eye this never prevented them from making interesting music. "Azul Terminal" is their 4th studio album and it presents the band being comfortably located somewhere in between the stripped-down folksy rock of the Canarian pals Mento ("Volar"), the piano-laden arrangements of the Catalan lostlings Cyan ("Camisa", probably the best track off the album) and... Izal??? ("Turkia DF", "Aterriza"). The stylistic fluctuations within the album don't get the listener's attention blurred, so all ten tracks of "Azul Terminal" flow along flawlessly, leaving behind some true gems for your ears.

The best tracks: Camisa, Aterriza, Volar, Aprendiste

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Diola "Diola"

Diola "Diola" (p)2017 BCore Disc

Built upon the ashes of experimental rock combo Unicornibot (whose last effort "Mambotron" (p)2013 Matapadre) is commonly regarded as a masterpiece), the Pontevedra-based trio diola explores more distinct sounds and more streamlined structures. And if you listen to the album on the run, in the car, or in any other situation where you ain’t fully concentrated on what you’ve been listening to you may think it’s a punk rock record. And, you know, in a certain measure it’s true. But it’s only a part of the truth. In fact it’s a kind of ‘punk plus’ record – it’s a punk rock record the same way the Clockwork Orange’s ‘milk plus’ was the milk. Yeah, of course - but not only the milk. So calling “Diola” punk is the intentional narrowing of the spectrum that cuts most of the sense of it. They are broader than one simple label you may stick to them: they are punk plus the sense of nuance, they are primordial hardcore plus the sense of melody, they are experimental rock plus the sense of humour. Their songs - though quite convoluted with all these quirky changes in dynamics and time signatures - never seem to run out of control.
If you're not familiar with Unicornibot (though it's clearly your fault), you can find the best reference points for diola in the fellow BCore Disc residents Betunizer, Cuello and Power Burkas. So if you like any of them (most probably if you like any of them - you like them all), diola is the new entry for your 'frequently played' tracklist.

The best tracks: Nivel Experto, Charo, Match, La Gozadera

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Havalina "Muerdesombra"

Havalina "Muerdesombra" (p)2016 Ernie Producciones

This is the first Havalina album where, whilst listening, you may go to the kitchen to make yourself some tea and then start brushing your panels after noticing some spots on them, and then to be like: ‘Gosh, I've been listening to Havalina! How many songs I've missed?’ “Muerdesombra” has everything you may want from the band - the great melodies, the intricate guitar work, the sound that can take you far far away, the rhythm section that could beat the shit out, the crisp production – it’s got all you need except nerve. It’s got little emotional lows – and in reverse it’s got little emotional highs. For everyone else it could be the favorite album of Havalina, but for me at the time it’s just too plain being compared to any other release in their perfect back catalogue. Maybe it will grow on me a bit later.

Ernie Producciones
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Disciplina Atlantico "Gran Oriente"

Disciplina Atlantico "Gran Oriente" (p)2017 Limbo Starr

I've never considered myself a massive fan of post punk, but obviously some of the albums I adore the most are based upon it: Igloo's "#2. La Transición de Fase", Villanueva's "Viajes de Ida", to name a few - and now Disciplina Atlántico's "Gran Oriente". The most frequently talked fact about Disciplina Atlantico is the band's close connection to Ornamento Y Delito. It's hard to avoid the similarities in both bands' sound - call it the family ties or DNA - but Disciplina Atnantico stands out as a valid creative force and deserves to be reviewed without any comparisons or accusations of being derivative.
This is loud. This is disturbing. The guitars are buzzing and clanging and scraping the strings of your nerves. The synths are pouring some frosty suspense to the picture, and the voice of Ricardo is splattering with sarcasm - it sounds like he's not in good terms with the things he sings about. Even when he narrates neutral or positive subjects (like, for instance, revealing "A Woman Under The Influence" to be his favorite John Cassavetes' movie) it sounds like there's a false bottom to  it.
This music wasn't made to please you in the easiest of ways. Rather it's made to test you, to sort you out: are you in, or should you get the fuck out.
For me, I'm surely in.

The best tracks: Confeti Sobre Fondo De Sangre, Esto Huele Como Espiritu Adolescente, Pantano (Mierda De), Una Mujer Bajo La Influencia

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Disciplina Atlantico in Limbo Starr

Villanueva "Zoo Para Dos"

Villanueva "Zoo Para Dos" (p)2017 Villanueva, under Sony Music licence

Q: What is the best album I never wrote about for these 3.5 years here?

A: Villanueva's "Viajes De Ida".

Q: Did I expect much from Villanueva's new album?

A: Exactly.

Q: Did I get what I wanted?

A: It's complicated.

The core of the complication defined with this internal monologue lays in major change of the sound. "Viajes De Ida" was post-punk'y rocky edgy album with marching rhythms and chopping shout-outs like these from "Bombas Nucleares": "Y hay bom - bas nu - clea - res en la habitacion - sera - mejor - mejor para los dos..." Apparently a musician can't always stand on the same grounds for three years - and it was senseless to expect him to pick up right where he left off - but I didn't expect that for Josete Diaz, the mainman behind the Villanueva moniker, the grounds were to change so drastically.
Teamed up now with Marti Perarnau and Ramiro Nieto (man, these guys seem to be literally everywhere!) Josete delivers the album which is miles away from his previous effort. First, gone are the chopping shout-outs like these from "Bombas Nucleares". Second, say 'Hi!' to the synths. There are lots of synths here. They're not dominating, but they're omnipresent. They're literally everywhere. Third, Josete's velvet baritone, which is the considerable part of the band's attractiveness, is still here.
Summing up the above, this album is much more lightbodied and lighthearted than the predecessor, and if you liked "Viajes De Ida" much you may find it hard falling in love with "Zoo Para Dos" from the first listen. But it's fresh and charming, and definitely you should give the album a chance. Chances are you'll just surrender to this charm.

The best tracks: Ella, El Dia Que Tu No Estabas, El Jardin De Las Delicias, Hoy Es La Ultima

Viva Suecia "Otros Principios Fundamentales"

Viva Suecia "Otros Principios Fundamentales" (p)2017 Subterfuge

Within the last 1.5 years they rose from relative nonames to one of the country’s best live acts jumping by the way from local indie imprint Clifford to the much more renowned label Subterfuge. The last year’s perfect “La Fuerza Mayor” was the demonstration of abilities. The new album should become the confirmation of the high-level stability. Is it so? Definitely yes. But could there be something more to it? 

Sure. As a listener, I can’t say I’m satisfied the same way I was satisfied by “La Fuerza Mayor”. Even trying to eliminate the impact of novelty effect which was present a year ago, I can’t deny the fact that there are some questionable moments on the album. For example, the track "El Nudo Y La Esperanza" sounds like it’s penned and recorded by Second. I mean, exactly like Second, you can almost hear the voice of Sean Frutos as your mind automatically replaces the voice of Rafa Val with Sean's. The next track “Nunca Estamos Solos” sounds like it’s a Pumuky’s “Plus Ultra” companion. The track #5, in its turn, has the roots somewhere in "Una Semana En El Motor De Un Autobus" area. And that's exactly where I see the problem.

One of the strengths of “La Fuerza Mayor” was its unity. Well, it’s obvious that you can make 6 songs within some tight stylistic frames – but you can’t put 11 tracks inside the same frames without making the listener bored. This threat the band happily avoids – there’s nothing to be bored on here. But the side A tracks being set together are somehow blurring the first impression because they differ. They really differ. And I can’t escape the feeling something could have been done better just by simple change of the song sequence as the side B is pretty close to perfection. 

Anyway, it’s not a subject of ‘sophomore slump’, or any overestimated expectations. This is the competent work of the well-trained band with the big choruses, walls (and waves) of sound and palpable emotions.

The best tracks: A Donde Ir, Nos Ponemos Con Esto?, Hemos Ganado Tiempo, Aprendemos A Nadar

Leon Benavente "En La Selva"

Leon Benavente "En La Selva EP" (p)2017 Warner

As per Abraham Boba's recent interview, "En La Selva" pairs "2" the way as "Todos Contra Todos" paired the eponimous Leon Benavente debut. Despite the apparent similarities, there are some differences here. Hardly a mere song from "Todos Contra Todos" could be named high point for the band, or a fan favourite. Taking this into account, TCT seemed like an optional addition, an attempt to tell a bit more about something that was untold (or told insufficiently) on the main album. Here we've got at least two tracks - "Maestros Antiguos" and "Se Mueve" - that stand tall amongst the band's best. Moreover, "Siempre Hacia Adelante" adds the new colours to the Leon Benavente's pallette, as the band has never created something like this before. 

Monte Del Oso "Existen Moscas Que Se Relajan Durante El Vuelo"

Monte Del Oso "Existen Moscas Que Se Relajan Durante El Vuelo" (p)2016 Farmway

With the influences on their sleeves - early Superchunk, Sugar (for the advanced-level listeners I've got some more names: Edsel, Tsunami, Lotion) - Navarra's finest Monte Del Oso released the second album via the Farmway Records imprint. The first album was the pure delight, and the successor follows its way. I don't have much words in fact, as it's the kind of music where my heart really is, and when I listen to this music now I'm recalling alot of things like hanging out with my old music-oriented pals in university campus with tons of booze and completely no chicks, or collecting the compact cassettes with the handwritten credits and lyrics, or sticking the Henry Rollins and Dinosaur Jr. posters to the wall in my rented room (and you can't even imagine what it took to get Dinosaur Jr. poster in the deep suburbs of the 90's Russia)... We all know this emotion called nostalgia, and for me it turns into the bittersweet feeling when my youth is long lost and gone, but right now I've got something that relates Today's Me to these [not always] good old times.
Yet another brilliant album by Monte Del Oso. It's all you've got to know.

The best tracks: Las Personas Son Maravillosas Pero Yo No, Lo Nuestro Es Otra Cosa, Viva El Espiritu Deportivo

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Sr. Chinarro "El Progreso"

Sr. Chinarro "El Progreso" (p)2016 El Segell De Primavera

In the middle twenties of his fruitful career Antonio Luque found his new voice in melancholy. On the previous album "Perspectiva Caballera" he changed the direction from the vigorously paced and upbeat stride of the albums "¡Menos Samba!" and "Enhorabuena A Los Cuatro" to more subdued and sad semi-acoustic singer/songwriter rock. The new album should answer the question was it just the one-off excercise or a new trend for the renowned musician. 

Fortunately, the new album is 100% perfect again. "Perspectiva Caballera" was [arguably] the best Sr. Chinarro's album in years, and "El Progreso" is at least on par with the predesessor. Produced by the longtime friend J (Los Planetas) it delivers mostly the same emotions but in the slightly different way. The arrangements here are definitely deeper, broader, lusher and sometimes edgier but melodically it can be considered the logical progression of the "Perspectiva..." ideas (which, in its turn, can be considered the logical progression of such songs as. for example, "Quiromantico" from "El Por Que De Mis Peinados" and "La Cruz Verde" from "El Fuego Amigo"). The quality of the songwriting and the melodic intuition of Antonio is flawless, and we can only pray for this perfection to be prolonged on the subsequent Sr. Chinarro releases.

The best tracks: La Fiebre Del Oro, El Castigo, Fase Lunatica, El Progreso, Efectos Especiales

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Sorry Kate "Haven Hood"

Sorry Kate "Haven Hood" (p)2016 Foehn

A mix of all with everything where nothing is what it seems. The fractured, the shattered, the strangely attractive and absolutely mindblowing release of Madrid-based experimental rock combo. Freak folk, dubstep, glitch, abstract hip hop, dreampop, psychedelic rock, kraut rock, etc. - all amalgamated into one strange brew which causes the hypnotic effect to the listener. An adventurous listening indeed. During the first couple of tracks you have to adjust your mind and auditory nerve fibers to embrace the sound, and then sound embraces you, and you feel like it's the greatest kind of music you've ever heard.

The best tracks: Slave Mistake, Playing Dead VHS, Lo Bueno se Termina

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Nocturnos "Hemos Visto Lobos"

Nocturnos "Homes Visto Lobos" (p)2016 INUIT Prod.

If the previous album of Nocturnos ("Pequenas Esperanzas") was more or less straightforward indie pop/rock, then the new effort is sin duda more diversified both rhythmically and sonically. The digitally-generated effects and dance beats have won over the familiar guitar sound on the most of the tracks. While "Fantasia Liberal" (track #2) and "Exclusiva Universal" (tracks #11) sound like they're recorded during the "Pequenas Esperanzas" sessions, eight tracks in between them are decorated in the different sub-genres of modern electronica-based indie pop with the wide range of influences: from such compatriot colleagues as Miss Caffeina, Love Of Lesbian (in their latest incarnation), Nino Burbuja, El Ultimo Vecino to the international charttoppers Balthasar. As on previous Nocturnos' efforts all the songs here are undeniably melodic and beautiful. But something in me starts crying when one more cool guitar-oriented band abandons guitars in favor of synthesizers.

The best tracks: Fantasia Liberal, Lo Sabes Bien, Navaja Y Filo, Exclusiva Universal

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