En Directo. GAF Y La Estrella De La Muerte in SKIF XVIII, Saint Petersburg, 17/5/2014 - Part One

When I learned about GAF would come to Russia to participate this year's SKIF festival in Saint Petersburg it was really nice shock cos GAF is not only the Spanish band, but it is also the band from Canary Islands, the corner of the world that I truly adore.

Also, in the middle of the spring Andrey, the friend of mine, has opened the doors of his own bar+LP shop+concertplace named 'culture bar VInyllaSky'. So he ivited me to visit his place which is situated in Saint Petersburg as well. I decided to reach both aims in one time, so my story should be divided into two (or even three) sub-plots almost fully separated.

The plan was as follows:

1. Early in the morning of 17/05 me and my mujer Tanya should leave Moscow by plane to land in Saint Petersburg airport at 11 am. 

2. Right after landing we should go to Andrey's bar and spend some time there with the master.

3. At 8 pm we should get to Vassilievski Island to find where SKIF XVIII would be taking place and see the show of GAF.

4. To return to the bar.

5. To drink with Andrey.

6. To fly back to Moscow early (really early) Sunday morning.

Additionally, not to take this life too easily, in the very beginning of the last week I fell ill with the flu but all the tickets were already bought and all the pacts were confirmed so I had no right to step back.

The first sub-story is about Andrey's bar.

I felt like I should present something to Andrey. And the truth is that I had something to pesent him. Back in 2013 I had purchased two EPs by Pumuky issued within the singles collection of Jabalina Musica records: 'Jabalina Love Songs' and 'Dedicatessen'. But later I consequently bought the full editions of both of these collections which led to the fact that I became the owner of two copies of the same Pumuky EPs. 

The EPs were not ever used and look fine...

From the street

Inside

Yes, these two EPs

Tanya points it out

In the smoking room (just posing)

...much as the place where they now live. VinyllaSky is such the nice place for every music lover who's on  the music of intelligent kind.

Later that night when all the stuff walked home and Andrey closed the door, we opened a bottle of scotch and started listening to these EPs. The reaction was really positive so Pumuky became one step closer to the show in Russia, I suppose ))

BCore Disc

From now on I'm one of the authorized BCore Disc bloggers.
It's cool because they have really nice roster.

Las Resenas Casuales. Baden Bah! "Aleph"

Baden Bah! "Aleph" (p)2012 self-released

The members of this Salamancan four-piece are not that young chicos, but you could say they're 20-something guys because their music is young, upbeat, and vital. The entity called Baden Bah! sporadically exists for almost 30 years (at least the band members confirm so in their press kit bio) but the first album was produced only in 2009. Then it took three more years to record the sophomore release called "א". The cover art may disturb the moralfags (in fact, it's a variation on a painting "L'origine du monde" by Gustave Courbet).

The band is indie to the core wearing DYI aesthetics on their sleeves, but despite the fact their music is not crust or noise or anything like that. It's very clearly played and smartly produced power pop. The voice the band's primary vocalist Juan Carlos Lopez Encinas "Jimmy" reminds me of the 22-Pistepirrko's P.K Keranen. The songs are intelligent and catchy, and they are mostly free from the excessive mood changes and nervous breakdowns. In such cases they usually say something like 'every song from this album could be a hit'. But the Baden Bah!'s lack of careerism and the vow for independence would not make it possible.

The best tracks: Dichosos, Hace Falta Poco, 75 Pesetas, A 3am Del Suelo

Las Canciones Ocasionales. Eric Fuentes "Amb L'Algua Al Coll"

A couple of months ago Eric Fuentes, the ex-leader of the band The Unfinished Sympathy has produced a triple (!) album "Barcelona" via Barcelona-based cult indie label BCore Disc. The song "Amb L'Algua Al Soll" I consider the best song of 2014 so far.

Las Resenas Casuales. Neuman "If"

Neuman "If" (p)2014 Subterfuge

The Murcian band speraheaded by Paco Roman came to recognition in the beginning of the current decade, after two respective albums "Plastic Heaven" & "The Family Plot" were issued in 2010 and 2011. It was not a quick rise to fame due to the fact that Paco was writing the songs all the 2000's through without bringing them to the light of day.

"If" is the Neuman's fourth album in last 5 years. In fact, every album of Neuman makes me curious of what kind of music the band really makes. All the songs are in the 'good-to-great' range, the Paco's English is great - but what they really play, eh?  There are too much directions, too much stylistical approaches, too much courses taken. And "If" is not an exclusion. Just take a look what we have here: quasi-neo-psychedelia? Yep - "Battle Starship". Mid-western folksy roots-rock? You're welcome - "A Branch In The Forest Full Of Stars". Old-school Tom Petty-like choruses? Of course - "Oh No". Pro-britannic jangle-pop with retro touches? The opening "Turn It". Quiet acoustic guitar/voice pairing? The album's namesake "If" is for you... And we are far from approaching the terminal station of this train!

Neuman are well-known for their penchant for writing the long slowly evolving songs like "Plastic Heaven" or "Wandoword" from the previous albums - and the new album also has one. It is called "Kids" and it is just in one step from being a gospel. And it is preceded on the album by - what? - a lullaby!

You see the scheme, do you? Almost every - oh no, really 'every' without any 'almost' - song has its own mood and its own breath, and despite the overall quality of writing and production the album doesn't seem to be cohesive. I think it is just too eclectic. As this story repeats for the fourth time, it makes me think of maybe this is the band's aim - to be as eclectic as possible.

But there's something what you can't take away from the band: the great songs of Neuman are really great.

The best tracks: Tell You, Too Pretty, Kids

Neuman on Subterfuge

Las Resenas Casuales. Rufus T. Firefly "Grunge"

Rufus T. Firefly "Grunge" (p)2014 Origami

Rufus T. Firefly has the long ongoing liaisons with Manuel Cabezali, the captain of much more renowned band Havalina, and last year Rufus has found himself in the nest of Origami Records - the same place where Havalina's albums are coming from. So, there's something about the facts. Rufus is really not the one person. It is Madrid-born quintet (formerly quartet). And despite English name of the album it is not in English. And, eventually, there's nothing here about the grunge.

"Grunge" is neither longplay nor EP, it is something in between. Being almost 30 minutes long, it contains 6 songs and 2 interludes. The music is perfectly orchestrated and has a melancholic mood. Even if the songs have the standard timing of 3-5 minutes, they seem to be more lenghty - and it's really good because you have enough time to be embraced by them. Sometimes it's almost post-rock - but to name the album "Post-Rock" instead of "Grunge" would be considered silly.

The standout track is "Tengo Una Pistola". This is the only song on the album which makes kinda 'pop relief' in this un-pop album with its simple and distinct melody along with the fuzzed-out bass lines and electornica sounds in the background.

For the rest of the album, this music is definitely not for clubs, it is for theatres and/or halls.

The best tracks: Tengo Una Pistola, Subir A Por Aire, Error Lento

Las Resenas Casuales. El Mato A Un Policia Motorizado "La Dinastia Scorpio"

El Mato A Un Policia Motorizado "La Dinastia Scorpio" (p)2013 Limbo Starr (in Spain)

With the nonsense name and unorthodox appearance the band from La Plata, Argentina delivers strangely attractive music in the vein of Pixies mixing Black Francies' angular melodic structures with lightbodied psychedelia and noise rock.

'Lazy' or 'relaxed' are the best words that can describe the music of Santiago Motorizado and his allies. The lazy guitar parts, the elastic rhythms, the tight basslines and the relaxed vocals are mixed here to the perfect results. Despite the terms 'noise' and 'psychedelic' used in one phrase may remind you of some bands whose music hardly being rhymed with 'pop', the music here is nevertheless easily accessible and got absolutely nothing to alienate the occasional listener. And a translucent cloud of a hazy druggy flavor sweetly wraps up the landscapes of El Mato's songs which are unbearably catchy. Even the few tracks you may consider sleepy at first - like "Nuevos Discos" or "Noche Negra" - may at last attract you cos in fact they have the stones in their pockets.

"La Dinastia Scorpio" is the fourth effort af the band and it seems like it's dedicated to feelings and issues of the youth (chicks, booze, music, you know). But even if you're in a weak position at Spanish with the Argentinean pronunciation (maybe just like me or even worse) the music here speaks for itself regardless of the lyrical content.

Excellent.

The best tracks: Chica De Oro, Mujeres Bellas Y Fuertes, Noche Negra, El Fuego Que Hemos Construido