Detergente Liquido "Tu Tampoco Eres Como Antes"

Detergente Liquido "Tu Tampoco Eres Como Antes" (p)2020 

This is my seventh review in the times of crisis (for those who are reading this in the year 2230: these are the months of 2020's coronavirus outbreak and as of now while we're still somewhere in the middle of the process we have no idea where for the god's sake it all may lead us) and previously I rarely managed to sustain such density of production. Well, if not now, when?
"Tu Tampoco Eres Como Antes" ("You Are Not Who You Used To Be, Too") is a tiny record, a 4 song EP - and the fact I'm translating the title is important cos the substantial part of the band's charm lies within their lyrical content. "The One Who Thinks About Leaving Is Not Aready Here" is the name of the first track. What do you think? Sounds great, right? I myself think it's great. Moreover, the things are not so lopsided as the most sceptical of you may consider, and the phrase "substantial part" doesn't mean "to the extent where you have to take a microscope to discover any other advantages". On the previuos release "Con Miedo Al Amor Por Las Personas Sin Tiempo" the band reached the point where the importance of the lyrics is harmonized completely with the competence of instrumental part - and they're still working on it trying to evolve further. I believe, as of now Detergente Liquido is the most musically intriguing indie pop band of Spain what is evidenced perfectly by this EP.

FCBK

BNDCMP

Atalaya Roja "Quemad Las Naves!"

Atalaya Roja "Quemad Las Naves!" (p)2020 self-released

If I finally managed to start a band to play the songs I had been writing for my entire life, for good or bad that band supposedly would play something like this: the guitar-driven lyrics-centered rock music that sounded pretty 90's. And if I only worked up the courage to enter a studio to record an album the result most likely would be like this: a pack of songs (half in my native language, half in English) that bear some DIY aesthetics avoiding excessive studio trickery, sound experiments or flirtations with today's fashion trends. Neither pretty clean nor quite hook-heavy - but it would be very 'right in your face'. Love it or leave it - the former is ok but the latter's not gonna kill me. Would it be gorgeous, or ideal, or perfect? I suppose, no. Besides, it wouldn't be targeted at gaining much attention. It would rather be about trying to find like-minded persons to connect to. Just like "Quemad Las Naves!" probably - at least from my point of view - is.

P.S. As revealed once in an interview, the name of the band is traced back to one of best places in the world for me personally: El Medano's Montana Roja, TF. You know, when driving down by TF-64 from Granadilla de Abona it fucking makes me shiver every time I see that piece of coastal area that lies directly below - always lit by the sun and stroked with the seashore ripples...

FCBK
BNDCMP

Palo Alto "Self Defense"

Palo Alto "Self Defense" (p)2020 self-released

Hey, what a hidden gem they are! Unclassifiable Sevilla-based quartet crerates a strange amalgam of Hood, Blonde Redhead, Kodaline and "m b v"-era My Bloody Valentine. Though the abovementioned referential names could hardly be considered a breakthrough in contemporary indie music, the introspective southerners - under surveillance of Tero Heikkinen (Kindata) - have managed to create something fascinating. These are the new fresh sounds of intellectual pop music with plenty of hooks and the aftertaste of innovation.

FCBK

BNDCMP

Breis "On"

Breis "On" (p)2020 Sweet Song/ Producciones Acaraperro

“M”, the previous release of Breis, apparently was Manolo’s attempt to create a ‘magnum opus’ of sorts, a career-defining record meant to demonstrate all of his skills at their fullest. I don’t think it turned out a success, honestly. While listening to that record I almost physically felt like one of my favourite Spanish singers/songwriters just tried too hard drowning himself into piles of details and overtones. There are some good news: fortunately, “On” is completely free of this flaw. It sounds like Manolo Breis returns to what he does best: the sincere and soulful roots-rock songs with touches of ‘classic’ rock-n-roll. It's way more streamlined. There's nothing extra here, at least nothing more than you need to. It showcases all the best strengths of its auteur with no palpable stress or tension, acting as a successor rather to 2013's "Invisibles" than to more recent "14 Pla De Palau" or "M". 

FCBK

BNDCMP

Capitan Sunrise "Dramas Del Primer Mundo"

Capitan Sunrise "Dramas Del Primer Mundo" (p)2019 Jabalina Musica

What amazes me the most in this album is the sound of guitars. The guitars here are tiny. They are minimal. Some of them sound like these are the pre-recorded tracks initially intended to be deleted after all the rest was recorded and finalized, and finally made it into the album only by mere coincidence. But it’s not a coincidence. This is how indie pop goes. It might have got guitars, it might haven’t, and it might have got the guitars like these, heh. This genre is kind of democratic. So it’s not fair to emphasize something that isn’t pretty important. Let’s emphasize another thing: it’s a talkative, verbal, long-winded album with good sense of humour and top-tier melodies. So these songs might have been played with forks, spoons and fishing lines with a sleepy voice mumbled over – and it wouldn’t damage them at all. 

FCBK

BNDCMP

Bay City Killers "Delivery Of Goods"

Bay City Killers "Delivery Of Goods" (p)2020 The Braves Records

They’re from Mallorca, but they might’ve arisen from any part of flyover country in America. Their music resides in the vast territory that unites the four decades of alternative rock. This album was recorded with Eric Fuentes as a producer, and then mixed and mastered at Ultramarinos Costa Brava studios by the brothers Victor & Santi Garcia (even if you haven't delved much into Catalan rock music you outta know that these credits are kind of unmistakable quality mark). At times their sound gets pretty close to that of Buckcherry (I’d also mention The Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady as the reference points) – but if the Buckcherry are more of a party then Bay City Killers are more of a statement. It’s not a fiesta, it’s a troubled man in a troubled world. The frontman Jose Serrano sings like he really cares. Like he FUCKING cares. Like he lives out every line of the lyrics, and it really should move the listener. These are the kinds of songs we all really need now as the times we live in are strange.

FCBK

BNDCMP

Havoc "Espiritu"

Havoc "Espiritu" (p)2020 Subterfuge

When the world has turned its face to trap, raggaeton and loose post-everything experimentation it became visibly harder to sustain the noticeable career in guitar-driven rock music. Thus, a swarm of indie rock bands started to abandon guitar-oriented sound in favor of digitalized cross-pop genre-bending – whether in pursue of zeitgeist or out of the fear of being swept away by the relentless march of time. “Espiritu” is the physical (yet not released physically until now) evidence of one simple postulate: you don't have to change your way if you know well where you're going to. It's got the perfect production (Yon Vidaur, the guitar of the band, was also at the helm), the album sounds impeccably clean but never over-polished. It's got great songs. When a song needs some harsh guitars – it’s got them. It sounds so fresh that you don’t have to link it with the previous decades to find its roots in the past. This is the newborn child of this particular moment.
I have never listened (I don't know why, really) to english-speaking releases by PLV Havoc, the previous avatar of Pedro Gracia Perez de Vinaspre. But speaking of his shorter named vehicle, the gradual ascent is apparent: every consecutive album is better than its predecessor - and man, we are talking of progression that started with the fabulous "Lo Saben Los Narvales"!

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