The Best Of 2020. Top50. 21 - 30

30. DOM "Emergency" (p)Discos Delejos 

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29. Terry Vs. Tori "Heathers" (p)El Genio Equivocado 

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28. El Relevo Aleman "La Septima Invasion" (p)Repetidor 

There's something in the music of El Relevo Aleman what I can't resist. Their proportions of grunge/ post-hardcore/ noise rock are almost ideal so everything what they do is my ear's delight.

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27. Trau "33/45" (p)U98 Music 

The 70's-tinged hook-filled slightly psychedelic indie pop from Catalonia produced by the Catalan indie pop's jack of all trades Roger Gascon.

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26. Blusa "Resonance" (p)self-released 

The Sevillians don't lower their standards with their most recent release remaining the most hidden gem of Spanish post-rock scene.

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25. Ajeeb "Toss And Turn" (p)El Hombre Bala 

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24. Trial "La Nova Olada" (p)self-released 

At the first glance this disc sounds pretty unambitious and nonchalant but when the album terminates you find yourself humming its melodic hooks, and I think it's a perfect feature.

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23. Anna Andreu "Els Mals Costums" (p)Hidden Track 

Anna Andreu, former one half of indie folk duo Cálido Home, has created this short album of exceptional beauty where space and silence is as important as words and melody.

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22. Capitan Sunrise "Dramas del Primer Mundo" (p)Jabalina Musica 

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21. Da Souza "Salsa Agredolça" (p)Bubota Discos 

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Best of 2017. Albums 31-40

<<< 41 - 50

If you do yourself a favor and listen to all these albums mentioned below the only question to get stuck in your head would be "Who the fuck are in the Top30?'

40. Eladio y Los Seres Queridos "Historias De Caza" (p)Seres Queridos
"Cantares", the gallego-speaking set of cover versions that Eladio Santos and his team put out an year ago, was rather the step aside than the natural successor of his previous (brilliant) effort "Orden Invisible". Now we've got this natural successor, and it's brilliant as well with its beautiful songs and mellow chamber/folk arrangements.
SPTF

39. Villanueva "Zoo Para Dos" (p)Sony
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38. Futuro Terror "Precipicio" (p)BCore Disc
After the conventionally sounding "Su Nombre Real Es Otro" Futuro Terror return to the more complicated structures of their eponimous debut. I consider it the right step undoubtedly as, you know, who needs one more album of conventional punk rock when you can provide them with the punk rock with a twist instead.
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37. Xavier Calvet "Firebird" (p)BCore Disc
More of Joey Cape, or more of Greg Graffin? That was my only question when I learned about the Bullitt's frontman Xavier Calvet was going to release a solo effort. The truth is, none of them - it's like the third vertex of triangle. The songs are mostly acoustic and mostly upbeat, and regarding Xavier's songwriting abilities apparent via Bullitt's discs "Firebird" is absolutely no-lose choise.
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36. Blusa "K" (p)Nooirax/ 
"Toca Breakbeat, Perro!", the previous album of sevillanos Blusa, was a cinematic post rock masterpiece. Now a trio, Blusa absorbs programming and electronics (the entities completly absent on "TBP!") and cooks the record that is more intricate and more psychedlic than the predecessor. The tracks have no names, only numbers placed in no consecutive order. It's up to listener to capture the messages, meanings and images this music produces in his mind without the prerequisites given.
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35. Agoraphobia "Incoming Noise" (p)Dotbeat
'I want it to sound like a bulldozer, like Armageddon', Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon talked to producer Bob Rock during the recording sessions for "Eight Arms To Hold You" trying to square down her intentions on the guitar sound - this trivia came first to my mind when I pushed the play button. On "Incoming Noise" the guitars are realy sounding like bulldozers and/or Armageddon so the album fits perfectly for the role of the aforementioned "Eight Arms To Hold You" and L7's "Hungry For Stink" stepchild.
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34. Ultim Cavall "Records Del Kyoto" (p)Discos de Kirlian/ Emma's House
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33. Joe La Reina "Esas Nuevas Modas" (p)Subterfuge
It's a way more complicated record than "Bailamos Por Miedo" (quite complicated itself), and it needs more time to grow on you. As I had little time since its release date to fall for it, it climbed only to the 33nd place now. Being released, say, in August it could surely climb much higher than that.
SPTF

32. Vetusta Morla "Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar" (p)Pequeno Salto Mortal
I can't make my wrapped-up opinion on "MSDL". It somehow falls to pieces. Every given song is great - and some songs are really THAT great, you know. This is the step forward for the band for sure (some new tricks, some new directions) but as a whole it doesn't sound quite cohesive for my ear.
SPTF

31. Decurs "Incendio" (p)Subpost/ Krimskramz/ Dead Stallion/ Ojala Este Mi Bisi
The level of the Catalan hardcore/post hardcore scene is unbelievable. Decurs initially appeared as absolute nonames for me but it didn't surprise me at all that the album's great cos you may choose any album amongst the pool of Catalan post hardcore albums - and it would be equally great.
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21 - 30 >>>

The Best Of 2014. Albums 11 - 20

20. Yani Como "Tu Ninca Te Aburres"
(p)Art Of Troya

With every next album (this one is sixth) my Persons Of The Year (I suppose they know why I call them so) become better and better - just like good DO Ribera del Duero wine.

19. Tania De Sousa "Tania Tank"
(p)Talka Records

With the ideological help of Fermin Muguruza and the full throttle guitar support of Correos' frontman Fermin Bouza this Pais Vasco native punk girl creates the melodic monument to the feminine power.

P.S. "She's the model and she's looking good..."

18. Proyecto Solaz "Homeoextasis"
(p)Digimusic

Named after the Lagartija Nick song "Solaz", the six-piece from Almeria released their first album in the very end of 2013. 9 noisy nervous restless tracks of experimental alternative rock with the perfect 'from intimate to earcrushing' vocals of Maria Martinez and Standstill-like rhythmical structures.

17. El Columpio Asesino "Ballenas Muertas En San Sebastian"
(p)Mushroom Pillow

Misanthropic electro-punk from the Pamplona-born post punk quintet - as cold and icy as Baffin's Island and as friendly and cheerful as an iceberg that crashed Titanic. 

You have longed for the next "Toro"? - Haha.

16. Puma Pumku "Is It In You?"
(p)Matapadre

The impressive first long play (produced by the members of Triangulo de Amor Bizarro) from the Galician psychedelic quintet is the reign of echoes, reverb, detached vocals and old-school dreampop-drenched instrumentation.

15. Sin Rumbo "LUZ"
(p)self-released

The band on the verge of 'making it', Madrid-based Sin Rumbo have changed the direction before releasing their most ambitious project yet. But despite the genre-bending metamorphoses "LUZ" could star as a perfect example of how to change the ways and methods without losing your face.

14. Carmen Boza "La Mansion De Los Espejos"
(p)self-released

"Gran artista y mejor persona. No, en serio; hago canciones" says the bandcamp page of Carmen Boza. Her album is a true gem of the semi-acoustic folk songs and 'a girl and a guitar and a tiny backing band' template. All the 11 songs here are absolutely fantastic.

13. Velcro "Hojalata"
(p)El Hombre Bala

The great collection of re-recorded and re-produced early tracks of the Canarian leftfield electrorock outfit. As I said earlier in the beginning of this year, "Hojalata" is full of great tunes and catchy choruses and happiness for everyone who's into the post-shoegaze alternative dance rock. Since then my opinion has not changed.

12. Blusa "¡Toca Breakbeat, Perro!"
(p)Sello Salvaje

The best feature that "Toca Breakbeat, Perro!" wears on its sleeves - and that makes this wordless album so exciting - is the four musicians' outstanding three-dimensional thinking and the ability to construct the compositions with almost architecturally detailed use of the sound space.

11. Las Ruinas "Toni Bravo"
(p)El Genio Equivocado

These tracks may seem simple enough but the truth is they are so perfectly constructed that could work even without vocals ("Ultimo Tren" as a proof) said I a month ago. Like Blusa, this post punk trio also has an exceptional three-dimensional creative vision - but they use it in another way: instead of creating the slowly evolving soundscapes they make 2 minutes long songs with equally fine results.

Las Resenas Casuales. Blusa "¡Toca breakbeat, perro!"

Blusa "¡Toca breakbeat, perro!" (p)2014 Sello Salvaje

In my high school years I always wanted to start a post-rock band. If I did, my band would be 15 years old to this moment. The guys from Blusa really did. And their post-rock band is almost 15 years old now. Despite such the considerable (for any band) age "¡Toca breakbeat, perro!" is only the sophomore full lenght release this instrumental quartet from Sevilla has brought to life. Accidentally this is the second post-rock album that came into my hands for the last couple of weeks - this is really large numbers for me taking in mind that I was 'cold turkey' with post-rock for... I don't know... 5 years or so. The first ring has rung for me last autumn when I received my order from B-Core Disc and they added a labelmates compilation named "Sound Of Barcelona" as a present for me, and there were a couple of post-rock bands on the list. Listening to it sitting on a passenger seat in the car that my wife Tanya drove I was thinking something like 'What the fuck! I completely don't get it why I so abruptly quit with post-rock! I have to return to it!' And now the Universe tells me the same.

So, returning to the subject... I'm not so familiar with internal sub-trends of the genre and due to this fact I'm not able to classify Blusa to one category or another like any stratification junkie would do. But the only category I'd want to put this band is 'cool things'. The music of Blusa is winding and rhythmically diversified (did I use 'rhythmically diversified' word sequence almost in every review? I should stop doing so) within a song. Also it is far from boring... 

Let's stop for a second - I just recalled why I quit with post-rock: the answer is because it became so common place that I started to find it boring. Sorry for this escapade. Ok, I'm ready to resume to "¡Toca breakbeat, perro!" 

It also has some sharpness that made me feel like this album would sound best in the empty uninhabited houses with rough walls and total absense of soft or fluffy things - it seems like the three-dimensional system of coordinates constructed by the band's rhythm section will fit the non-residential spaces the best. Within this system the guitars are swirling and flowing back and forth and coiling inward in the pre-orgasmic thrill that never rises up to scullcrushing crescendos that made A Place To Bury Strangers or God Is An Astronaut famous but never falls down to disconnected mumbling as well. Despite the sound isn't that thick and rich it doesn't seem like an issue cos Blusa's music is uplifting and driving enough to satisfy the listener without additional grease and glance, and it also has some positive vibe. Summarizing my impression I should admit that I've listened to the album two times in a row - and it was not because the player was cycled and I just missed the moment when the second cycle has started. No, my player was not cycled. I've finished the album and then started it again because this was my intention.

The best tracks: Facenda, Montebello, Acroflecha, Aruba

To listen and/or buy click HERE (Bandcamp)