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

5 años. Participation in crowdfunding

The year 2018 marks the 5-year jubilee of this tiny music-related blog. Now I'm finalizing the string of kinda 'special issues' to celebrate this. The penultimate special issue is right here right now, and it's dedicated to 5 albums I participated in financing (in temporal order).
The sixth album, La Perra de Pavlov’s “Cronica De Un Movimiento” is the only one I’ve never received physically.

Sin Rumbo “LUZ” (p)2014

SPTF

Baden bah! “Futuro/a” (p)2014

OFFICIAL SITE

Nixon “El Ultimo Fuego” (p)2015

BNDCMP

Second “Viaje Iniciatico” (p)2015

SPTF

Proyecto Solaz “Propaganda” (p)2017

BNDCMP

5 años. 5 Albums More

The year 2018 marks the 5-year jubilee of this tiny music-related blog. So I'm in the process of making of kinda 'special issues' to celebrate this. The fourth of them is right here right now, and it's dedicated to 5 more albums (this time without ranking) I’d like to put emphasis at – reasonably, but without one common reason for all of them.

Tania de Sousa “Taniatank” (p)2014 Talka Records

This album was recorded with the help of Correos’ frontman Fermin Bouza and one-of-a-kind Fermin Muguruza. The additional amount of attention should’ve been attracted to it by this mere fact - and it did some splash at the moment of release, I recall. But the initial buzz was not prolonged for more. As the album sounds better than any given pop punk band’s ‘the best of’ compilation I could only express my regrets that it doesn’t seem to receive some continuation cos it looks like Tania quit making music now to pursue other interests in her life.

SPTF

Sin Rumbo “Forma Parte Del Espectaculo” (p)2012

My Spanish isn’t as fluent as I might want it to be. There are moments when I speak quite easily, and otherwise there are moments when I stuck like a dumbhead with no words in my mouth. This August I talked to Pablo Rodriguez-Salinas (guitar) twice, and both times were of the latter kind, to my self-depreciation. I tried to explain him that the whole Sonorama thing has started for me with Sin Rumbo’s performance back in August 2013. That performance was mostly based upon “Forma Parte Del Espectaculo”, so this album itself is a milestone in my own history of interactions with rock español.

SPTF

Moriran Todos! “Saltar” (p)2015

I bet you’ve never listened to Moriran Todos! cos the band ain't pretty active on the mainland of Spain. They’re from Canary Islands and “Saltar” is their first LP. This album has the right feel. It’s not overproduced. It’s not intended to be taken too seriously. It’s not that case, you know, when you can physically feel the burden of the commercial expectations (or expectations of any other kind) in every song. It’s kind of lighthearted album. Even if it was born too far from music epicenters – it’s hardly a reason for discarding it. The term ‘cool’ was intended for the albums like this one, and coolness never depends on place of birth.

BNDCMP

Mi Pequeña Radio “Donde Esta Lo Que Un Dia Fuimos” (p)2012 Bohemia Music

From my point of view, for this album the gap between the attention it deserved and the attention it received is the greatest of all. It seems like I am the only person (apart from its auteur David Tabueña) who still understands how good the album is. I recommended it to my friends, to my facebook and twitter followers. I put it in the 2nd place of my 2013 annual Top30 list. It all never seemed to work. The band put out another EP (which was great as well) and then quietly disbanded. As of now David plays guitar in Cycle. For him it’s all Ok today, but I still feel some kind of guilt about Mi Pequeña Radio’s ill fate.

BNDCMP

The Bright “Lineas Divisorias” (p)2015 Subterfuge

Definitely it is the most frequently listened album for me through the last 3 years. I may return to it in different moods, in different places and in different situations. This is my constant choice when I ain’t up to listen to something new. This is my constant choice when I don’t know what I want to listen to. Frankly, this is my constant choice - whenever.

SPTF

5 años. Top5 Most Underrated Albums

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 third of them is right here right now, and this time it's dedicated to the albums that appeared in my annual top lists - but on some painfully low positions.

5. Dulce Pajara de Juventud “Triumph” (p)2014 BCore Disc

Appeared in: 31-33 appendix to the main Top30
Now: if the most recent albums of Smashing Pumpkins were sounding like this one I would still love them like hell.
BNDCMP

4. Elena “Concepte Vitrina” (p) 2015 Warner
Appeared in: ‘Honorable Mention’ appendix to Top50 list
Now: the perfectly crafted album of melodic guitar-driven pop that surely deserves more recognition than it ever had.
BNDCMP

3. Ruin Man Band “Paraiso” (p)2014 Ruin Records

Appeared in: 31-33 appendix to the main Top30 list

Now: I return to this strangely attractive mix of acid jazz, primordial blues and proto trip hop more frequently than I could’ve imagined.

BNDCMP

2. Yo, Estratosferico “Potencialmente Infinitos” (p)2016

Appeared in: #30 of Top50 list

Now: through the last couple of years this album and this band grew on to be more than just an album and a band for me.

BNDCMP

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

Appeared in: 10x10 section of Top50 list

Now: as simple as it goes, the hidden gem of a nation, one of the best albums ever released in Spain.

BNDCMP

5 años. 5 great albums never reviewed here before

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 second of these is right here right now, and it's dedicated to the Top5 albums released within the last 5 years but never reviewed on the pages of this blog before.

5. The Right Ons "Volcan" (p)2013 Warner

Usually they say something like “Every track on this album could be a hit single” or “This album is brimming with hits” in case of albums like this one. And this is when they are completely right.

SPTF

4. Eladio Y Los Seres Queridos "Orden Invisible" (p)2014 Esmerarte

The Galician-born stylistic brother of this list's #2. The pack of great songs, the right mood, the touch of genius on the songs like "Los Dinosaurios".

SPTF

3. Villapellejos "Elogios Y Ampollas" (p)2015-16 Mama Vynila

Funny and charming album that reflects in equal proportions the Basque band’s interest in folk, punk, riot grrl and indie pop. Demolition Doll Rods on a slumber party with Camera Obscura.

BNDCMP

2. Senior I El Cor Brutal "El Poder del Voler" (p)2013 Malatesta

“El Poder Del Voler” is born in a juncture of the straightforward folk rock and introspective indie rock so this music is pretty simple in its core. But it works phenomenally well.

BNDCMP

1. Villanueva "Viajes De Ida" (p)2014 Esmerarte

Quite painfully overlooked on the national level, this album is a solid, bright, masterful record that redefines the boundaries of post punk-based indie rock.

BNDCMP

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.