Lo mejor de 2023. Top 50 Albums, 21-30

BC = Bandcamp, SP = Spotify, ?? = ??

30. Ajeeb "Refractions" 

BC

Fierce yet melodic alt rock with traces of metal and stoner born out of the winds of Lanzarote island.

29. Matsu "Oscilación" 

BC

The crispy raspling electronica for those who [like me] consider Combray's "Ullapool" a cornerstone album of the genre. The latter's mastermind Raul Burrueco guests on the track "Reacción" - no surprise though.

28. Belako "Sigo Regando" 

SP

The Basque quartet's new album sounds way more cohesive than "Plastic Drama" (p)2020 that gained the nationwide acclaim but for me seemed like emotional rollercoaster. The songs "Orein Orain" and "Pretty Handsome" could even be attributed as 'tender' - for the first time in over ten years of the career.

27. Los Sara Fontan "Queda Pendiente" 

BC

When their name first appeared in public, Sara (violin) and Edi (drums, he is also half of the duo Za!) swore off recording albums. Therefore, they are well known as a live phenomenon, not as a studio act.

Despite that fact, and also the fact that pedals, processors, loopers and all sorts of different digital processing tools were involved in the creative process in addition to the violin and drum kit, the result has such a lively feeling, such a natural feel - and it's truly captivating. They're just as good in studio as live.

26. Neuman "Waterhole" 

SP

For me it's the best album of Neuman, and also the manual of how to make your best album via constantly repeating yourself. It may not look like the best assessment, and I don't really get in full how it works - but without demonstrating any new tricks Paco Roman has created his ultimate set of songs showcasing everything he's great at.

25. J "Plena Pausa" 

??

"Plena Pausa" is inspired by the late Basque fillmaker Ivan Zulueta's early works archive. From my point of view, J never released such the tightly constructed music since "Encuentros Con Entidades". But whilst the mentioned album was 'heralded' as by far the worst album of Los Planetas given it had been created during the period of [mostly drug-induced] turmoil - this new solo record would more likely sit on the top of the year end lists at it apparently was made with open heart and clear mind.

24. Mujeres "Desde Flores Y Entrañas" 

SP

The fast-paced skin'n'bones rock-n-roll of the Catalan underground kings Mujeres gets thicker and mellower with every subsequent release - but those changes are rather minor and don't modify the basic concept only providing their music with better perspective.

23. Rombo "Plaers I Terrors De Confort Domestic" 

BC

Four years since the release of their previous album "Clara Montse Núria", the Rombo girls have changed a lot. First, they got them a boy in the band. Second, they stopped sounding like early Quasi (sweet melodies seasoned with lo-fi guitar noise). Now they sound much closer to the groove-focused bands like Melenas without losing their hallmark melodicism - which suggests that for Clara Molins the French chanson, especially Françoise Hardy, means a lot.

22. Lagoss "Imaginary Island Music Vol.2: Ascention" 

BC

Lagoss is a Canarian trio consisting of longtime friends Mladen Kurajica (various incarnations of GAF) and Dani Garcia (Tupperwear, Salétile) along with Gonçalo F. Cardoso from the portuguese label Discrepant Records.

"Ascension" is an instrumental album loosely based on the concept of the construction of a space elevator from the top of Mount Teide to E.T.E.S.S.A., the space station closest to Earth, by the united forces of two human civilizations - terrestrial (Guayechi) and underwater (Aguachachi).

Of course, the basic idea of this concept cannot be understood without a libretto. The human voices are present on the disc, but in a very distorted form so they don't tell any recognizable narrative. The music is strange - as always for all those three involved. I don't think any one of them have ever made music that could be described as 'normal'. Digital jazz, dub, noise, space rock, tribal, industrial, scratch, music-concrete, amon düül, if you know what I mean. But despite its convoluted uniqueness it's entertaining and sometimes enormously beautiful.

21. Bum Motion Club "Claridad Y Laureles" 

BC

They have created the best song of the year. "Deprisa, Deprisa" is super catchy with its leading synths and fresh take on "quiet/loud" dynamics. 

Overall, this album has a lot of guitars but the main melodic lines are always created by synths. It sounds different, and sounding different is always the better.

An Introduction

41 - 50

31 - 40

11 - 20

01 - 10

Lo Mejor De 2023. Top 50 Albums. 31 - 40

BC = Bandcamp, SP = Spotify

40. TOU "Creixin Els Arbres" 

BC

The Catalan artist Albert Segura mixes electronica, synth-pop, kosmische musik, early era Depeche Mode on his debut longplay to make a listener dive into some unsettling atmosphere. The track "La Guerra" could easily fit for a totalitarian sect drama's soundtrack. 

39. Charnego "Regreso Al Futuro"

BC

This indie supergroup consists of Atención Tsunami, Biznaga and Being Berber members. At the beginning of the disc it seems like Biznaga connection prevails but as it rolls on the tense electro-rock rhythms of Atención Tsunami along with overall psychotic atmosphere of their peers Disciplina Atlántico starts to dominate.

38. Sonic Beast "Accidental" 

BC

Another supergroup in this list. Bad Mongos, Bullitt, No More Lies, Illinoise, Ultramarinos Costabrava Studios, brothers Garcia, Sant Feliu de Guixols... For those initiated, each and every word here could cause an urge to grab it immediately.

37. Bons Nois "Delta" 

BC

This delicate and tight indie rock album with touches of dreampop shocks with its sonic excellentce - especially taking in mind that it was recorded by the young band entirely on their own.

36. Belén Bandera "Bamboo, Nature's Calligraphy" 

SP

A neo-classical ambient masterpiece. 70% of this disc is silence - but what a beautiful silence it is.

35. La Paloma "Todavía No" 

BC

The metropolitan quartet effectively juggles the Everclear, Weezer, Cala Vento and Triangulo De Amor Bizarro influences adding huge amounts of youthful anergy.

34. Bullitt "Major B" 

BC

For a time being I had no idea how to tag Bullitt. The term "melodic punk" gets too close to "pop punk" who Bullitt surely aren't. Power pop? Alt rock? Yes, but not really. This album helps greatly to come to conclusion, so now I know how to describe their music correctly: just imagine Bad Religion recruiting Noel Gallagher for lead guitar.

33. Triángulo de Amor Bizarro "SED" 

SP

Arguably the best TdAB album? I believe "Salve Discordia" is still at the top spot but "SED" comes close. Less emotionally chaotic than its predecessor "triangulodeamorbizarro" (p)2019, "SED" adds some new colors to the band's palette without spoiling anything they brought to perfection before.

32. Florent Y Yo "Florent Y Yo" 

SP

The songs of Los Planetas' founding guitar player are covered with haze of dreampop and lightweight psychedelia, at times sounding like if The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart turned to kraut rock.

31. Havalina "Maquinaria" 

SP

After sonically entertaining but otherwise non-consistent and emotionless "Muerdesombra" Havalina crafted their best album since "h" along with former bass player Ignacio Celma returning to the fold.

An Introduction

41 - 50

21 - 30

11 - 20

01 - 10

Lo Mejor De 2023. Top 50 Albums. 41 - 50

And now, when all the preparations are done and all the introductory statements are said, let's start the countdown.

BC = Bandcamp, SP = Spotify

50. Látigo Mantra "Fisura" 

BC

Grunge-tinged alt rock from a Madrid-based band is utterly melodic and effervescently energetic.

49. Hola Lis "Foravila"

BC

Elisa Bernal, half of the quiet folk duo Hibernales, writes songs that are equally sad and heartwarming, transmitting trauma and hope at the same time. Sonically it's a total opposite to the previous entry.

48. Gonzalo Fuster "Valentía, Lealtad Y Dignidad" 

BC

Also known as El Ser Humano, Gonzalo goes through personal turmoil. "Trauma and hope", vol.2

47. Antiplancton "Otros Cuerpos" 

BC

A missing link between León Benavente's "Vamos A Volvernos Locos" and Havalina's "Muerdesombra" is better than both referential albums.

46. Garrafa Nadal "Disputa" 

SP

It seems like there is some kind of indie rock belt conveyor installed in Manacor, Mallorca. Roig!, Jorra Y Gomorra, Da Souza, to name a few, came from the same location. Garrafa Nadal wear these connections on the sleeves but they've got enough personality for not to be mixed up with the better-known compatriots.

44/45. Coherence "Unilateral" 

BC

wud "Meant To Collide" 

BC

These two Catalan bands play post-hardcore in slightly different ways (wud are more inclined to melodic angularity while Coherence find their comfort in sonic textures) but the result is equally enjoying.

43. Katovit "Cosas Que Nunca Te Dije" 

BC

Lo-fi/ 90's indie rock finest - let's put it as simple as it gets.

42. Joaquín Pascual "Baladas Para Un Atraco"

BC

I've read a string of mixed reviews on this one, but for me this is undoubtedly the best effort by former Surfin' Bichos co-founder/ Mercromina frontman. The quite limited instrumentation only emphasizes the case of "less is more".

"El Accidente" is one of the best songs of the year.

41. Pandan-Lagl "Teatro Del Absurdo" 

BC

Juan Carlos and Cristina from El Relevo Aleman go synth-pop without abandoning their signature angular melodies more appropriate for Midwest emo. An unexpected but highly satisfying encounter of two rarely mixed genres.

An Introduction

31 - 40

21 - 30

11 - 20

01 - 10

Lo Mejor De 2023. An Introduction

This was an amazing year. I feel kind of embarrassed saying this from within the frontiers of a country that still tries to eliminate its closest neighbour and now is in the process of banning at least 10% of its population via naming the LGBT+ people extremists - but musically it was really an amazing year. I'm used to making year end lists, I have been doing it for years and years, and rarely I went through such the mind-blowing exercise trying to elect 50 best albums of the year before. Fortunately it is 50! If it was 30 I'd have my head crack open for sure.

There were at least 70-80 albums in consideration out of the total 300+ releases I listened to throughout the year: from Cabello Prieto Azabache's "No.1" released 11th of January to Gazella's self-titled released 24th of November. Due to suffocating level of competition I was pressured to erase "Planes Para Días Grises", the most recent disc of my dear friends Igloo, from the final version of the list - the painful decision I still feel sorry about - as well as some other pretty great albums like Featherweight's "Ojalá Eternidad", Carolina Otero's "POPalina", Cucudrulu's "Zozobrar A Tiempo" or Vuelve Zinc's "No Lo Merecemos". Let it be kinda Honorable Mention for them.

Moreover, I would like to mention a handful of EPs and mini albums to be singled out, such as No Fucks' "No Fucks II", The Magic Mor's "Retrato De Amor Primitivo", Nøgen's "Åben Cirkel", Alondra Galopa's self-titled and Pálida Tez's "Viaje A La Habitación Del Fondo De La Casa". They deserve your full attention despite their diminutive stature.

41 - 50

31 - 40

21 - 30

11 - 20

01 - 10

Laura Lebone "Como Las Demás" (p)2023 autoeditado

Laura Arías plays synths and sings co-leading vocals in another remarkable indie band from Cádiz area - Detergente Líquido. Also, she serves as a half of marylebone duo from Sevilla where she permanently resides. "Cómo Las Demás" ("Like The Rest Of Them", where the definite article "las" shows that all of "them" are meant to be females) appears as a collaborative project: each and every song is marked with a collab name beside Laura's own. In the first song - largely acoustic tontipop piece "Manifesto" - she restores the creative pair with her marylebone partner Mario P. Recuero. Next, Laura is accompanied by her brother Julian in the vintage bossanova of "Cruda". Then it's Juan Antonio Mateos' turn to provide her with backing vocals (by the way, he produced the whole EP and, moreover, operated most of the guitar-looking equipment) in "Sindrome De Abstinencia" - undeniably the best track here led by Juan Antonio's catchy guitar part. Detergente Líquido's mastermind Alberto Rodway appears in "Dos Historias: Un Balcon Y Una Ventana" - a classic Detergente'y singalong with strong melody and fuzzy sound. The last one is where Ernie Rodriguez comes in not only with his drumming skills but also with his rarely heard before singing abilities (though his backing vocals in the choruses are harder to recognize than Louise Post vocalizing in Foo Fightets' "Everlong" - and you feel his lower notes rather than hear them). The eponimous tender elegy effectively closes the curtain behind this tiny set of songs where Laura approves her capability to star in the leading role after all these years of starring in supporting ones.

BNDCMP 

This Drama "Loose Talk" (p)2023 Golden Robot

This Canary Islands-based band managed to sign its name into the canon of Deep Elm Records - the seminal indie label and one of the key factors in Midwest Emo bloom in the second half of the 90s. But don't expect this mini album to throw all the well-documented hallmarks of the aforementioned genre right in your face. It meets you and greets with... an acoustic guitar riff?! Yes! These six songs are entirely based on the acoustic riffage, the tight basslines and vocals balancing on the thin line between a sad sigh and a sarcastic grimace.

It strongly reminds me of "Arboreal" - the latest to date album of another loud-turned-semi-acoustic band Holywater from Galicia province. Another clear reminiscence is the [half-forgotten Georgians'] Dead Confederate "Peyote People" mini-album and its centrepiece "First Fires". 

Thus, despite their creators' emo past, these songs are not about expression of emotions, they are about keeping them inside. They're about channeling the inner tension, and they're perfect in it.

SPTF 

The Magic Mor "Retrato De Amor Primitivo" (p)2023 self-released

The Magic Mor is the band from the outskirts of Cádiz area - historically valuable harbour town, one of the southernmost trade and cultural centers of the mainland Spain. The band's leader, Juan Antonio Mateos, runs an indie recording studio Grabaciones Sumergidas in the nearby El Puerto de Santa Maria (the same cluster where Paco Loco runs his much more renowned Pacoloco Studios) where he is assisted by Ernesto "Ernie" Rodriguez - The Magic Mor's drummer. The band has three longplays full of the intelligent and tightly constructed psychedelic pop in its back catalogue. The new EP follows in the vein of the previous releases. It's melodic guitar-driven pop crafted to perfection where every little piece falls in its right place. The guitars and synths coexist successfully never blurring the essence of a song. I truly hope this 4 song EP is only an appetizer before the release of the next LP. I'll be looking forward eagerly.

BNDCMP