вторник, 27 октября 2015 г.

BALA "Human Flesh"

BALA "Human Flesh" (p)2015 Matapadre
The last aqcuisition to-date of the brilliant Galician indie imprint Matapadre is the female duo (Anxela: giutars and vocals, Violeta: drums and vocals) named BALA
Oh, really, the girls? TWO girls? Yes, only two girls are punching hard in the rage of fury making this highly energetic and overtly psychotic [yet never dissonant] mixture of grunge and stoner rock. The vocals are mostly the howling chants with the certain words almost undistinguishably drowned in the boiling meltown of the guitar squawk. The pulse of drums beats irregularly yet unceasingly, giving the music the nerve it demands. The tracks are short so the album rushes through your ears just like the fast cold-hearted bullet*.
These chicks are the Babes In Toyland of the post-industrial civilization.
The pure rapture.

* 'bala' means 'bullet' in Spanish

The best tracks: Tripas + Chained, A.S.A.B, Joan Vollmer


среда, 21 октября 2015 г.

The Bright "Lineas Divisorias"

The Bright "Lineas Divisorias" (p)2015 Subterfuge
14 months ago two of us were standing before the Plaza del Trigo stage waiting for the first full day of Sonorama 2014 to start. Then The Bright - the band I knew nothing about - came onstage and pretty easily made our lives brighter (additionally, after their set I caught them backstage and asked for the photo, and they didn't decline).
On the new album "Lineas Divisorias" (again under Subterfuge wing) Miryam Gutierrez and Anibal Sanchez have done the same trick that Zahara or Russian Red did before them: they have abandoned their former country/folk roots in favor of [at times] loud guitars, [at times] danceable rhythms, [at times] vintage-sounding synths and [almost everywhere] absolutely timeless melodies. These songs might've been written now or 30 years earlier - the only visible difference is just the quality of production (this time arranged by renowned indie mastermind Paco Loco).
Dunno 'bout the lyrics but the music itself provides you with the freshness of the seaside breeze and the spotlessness of young souls. For me the best tracks off the album are the quite moody "El Final Del Amor" and "Tarde", but there is a lot of more lighthearted hymns of youth and beauty - including the first single "Aire" supported by delicate-yet-provocative video - that can add some splashes of bright colours to the grey everyday life.

The best tracks: El Final Del Amor, Tarde, Aire, Visceral


понедельник, 19 октября 2015 г.

Briefs #1

Unfortunately, at the moment I'm not able to post here as frequently as it was earlier due to some complicated circumstances at my dayjob, but the sun of Spanish rock still shines bright so I got an urge to write something about it, at least in brief.

First, there are some sad news.
  • In August Javier Fernandez, the former drummer of Los Piratas, was accidentally killed by police attended at the place by the claims of domestic abuse. Fernandez, who suffered bipolar disorder, was shot dead after the refusal to obey the policemen. Later the family of the musician posted a message revealing that he was just ill and was never aggressive/abusive.
  • After two cool albums and one equally cool EP Mi Pequena Radio finally called it a day as a band. I am waiting for any good news from the bandleader David Tabuena
  • Mercromina decided to finalize the second stage of their existence, with Joaquin Pascual already having solo album to be released later this year. I was lucky enough to catch their show at Sonorama.
  • Helena Miquel left Delafe Y Las Flores Azules putting the further perspectives of the band on hold. As for the time-being there are no additional notifications, let's say that from this moment on the band is just Oscar D'Aniello (Delafe) and Dani Acedo (no nickname).
  • The Asturias-based indie label Discos Humeantes has called it quits for good. The final release of this garage/punk-oriented imprint is the 2-LP comp album "Siempre Adelante: Los Primeros Anos de Discos Humeantes". You can obtain the digital version of the album here on the 'name your price' basis.