The Best Of 2020. Top50. 11 - 20

20. Burrito Panza "Autosabotaje" (p)El Genio Equivocado 

"Autosabotaje", the 4th LP of the Albacete-based quartet, is the logical progression of their previous work "El Nuevo Frente Frio". And just like its predecessor, this album is the gentle and intimate take on dreampop/shoegaze's most intelligent version.

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

Read this 

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18. Marcos Y Molduras "Te Espero En Casa" (p)Discos de Kirlian

The twee pop revivalist girl/boy duo sings odes to daily grind and troubled (or only allegedly troubled) relationships accompanied by drum machine and - surprisingly intense for this kind of music - guitars.

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17. Maria Jaume "Fins A Maig No Revisc" (p)Bankrobber 

The blueprint of Pau Vallve's production is evident on this LP by 20 years old singer/songwriter from Mallorca. But what amazes me the most is the fact that the songwriting is incredibly competent for a persont in her adolescent years. The bright and beautiful, this album is such a debut most of young songsmiths could only dream of.

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16. Dena "Ezer Sentitzeko" (p)self-released 

With Berri Txarrak calling it a day and Lisabo rarely coming up for air, I do believe the torch of the best 'loud rock' band from Basque Country #rightnow should be passed to these folks. 

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15. Matsu "Nosotros" (p)WeAreWolves 

I've been using the tagline "trippy, druggy, atmospheric" with negative connotations for years. This time I proudly use it heaving in mind something good. The best electronic album this side of Combray's "Ullapool"

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14. Not A Number "A Life Made Of Wood" (p)El Hombre Bala 

Read this 

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13. Salina "Lava" (p)Saltamarges/ Discos Delejos/ Beauty Fool 

Let's put it simple: the best post-hardcore album of the year. 

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12. Keep Out "Minimal Songs About The End Of The World" (p)Fakie 

This is how the huge fuck you to the world should sound like: dirty, noisy, chaotic, emotionaly charged, oozing with angst and anger lo-fi (I'd rather say, no-fi) manifesto. 

YTB

11. Super Gegant "Una Casa Als Aiguamolls" (p)The Indian Runners 

This album was released in the end of the year 2019 so it didn't get a chance to enter the 2019's annual polls. But this well-balanced blend of jangle pop, post punk, Superchunk and present-day Catalan indie rock surely deserves it.

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Best Of 2018. Top50 Albums. 01 - 10

The truth is the most part of the year I spent under the influence of writer’s block, the most severe in my life. In my normal condition I’ve been always writing something: the songs, the short stories, the reviews. This year I wrote 8 songs, something like 10 reviews, 2 articles and only a couple of sardonic stories – by my average annual measures it’s almost nothing. Moreover, this blog now is my only practice in English. I used to speak English on the everyday basis a few years ago but on my current day job it’s not necessary so I don’t speak it now. Thus I feel like my abilities are diminishing over time and the writer’s block only expands the inconsistency. The writer’s block ain’t the only problem. The other issue is that I have much to tell you about these albums, or, frankly speaking, way too much to tell. Every album presented in this section deserves large in-depth review because every one is the special one. And I’ve got so much feelings that it’s almost impossible for me to cut them down to the proper words. 

I do ‘the best of year’ list for the sixth time, and this is the first time when I should admit that I’m not capable of doing my work in time. So I should leave the final – and the most important – part of the list wordless. Anyway, I may speak less but my passion is still growing on (who needs the blogger that doesn’t speak anything – it’s an open question though).

10-11. SÜMA "Noble Nature" 

(p) Mont Ventoux

SPTF

San Jeronimo "El Sur" 

(p)WeAreWolves

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09. Chicharron "Cancions Clinicas" 

(p)Prenom

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08. Vol Menor "Tota Una Vida Perduda En Un Clic" 

(p)self-released

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07. Kindata "We The Transmitter" 

(p)WeAreWolves

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06.  La Estrella De David "Consagracion" 

(p)Hi Jauh USB?/ Sonido Muchacho

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05. Captains "Pure Pleasure" 

(p)Set Theory

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04. The Lazy Lies "Less Talk More Action" 

(p)U98 Music

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03. Burrito Panza "El Nuevo Frente Frio" 

(p)El Genio Equivocado

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02. Hazte Lapon "Tu Siempre Ganas pts1&2" 

(p)El Genio Equivocado

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01. Detergente Liquido "Con Miedo Al Amor Por Las Personas Sin Tiempo" 

(p)self-released

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Top20 EPs and mini albums

Honorable Mention

41 - 50 >>>

31 - 40 >>>

21 - 30 >>>
12 - 20 >>>

Sonorama 2018. Day 4

Days 1-2
Day 3

Saturday, 11th

Our last Sonorama 2018 morning started at midday with the band Repion performing on Plaza la Sal. Repion were one of these bands we decided to look at only by chance as there was no appropriate alternative at the moment. Fortunately, it turned out to be one of the best decisions as this band impressed us much. They’ve got mood, they’ve got vibe. They’ve reminded me of The Breeders (though I never had a chance to see The Breeders live) – especially when the sisters Iñesta swapped their instruments with Teresa coming in to the mic and Marina taking on drumming duties. The discovery #1 for me.

The next band to appear on Heineken stage were Los Estanques. We missed most of their performance while drinking beer on Plaza Mayor but we managed to catch two last songs of their set. Thus we found them charming enough to dive deeper into their Paisley Underground-bred music upon returning home.

Then we headed to Castilla Y Leon stage for Burrito Panza. I personally had the strong desire to see them live as they’ve got that enormous new album “El Nuevo Frente Frio” and I was guessing how they would reconstruct the sound of the album onstage. Live the band sounded more in the vein of Mercromina (albeit excluding the latter’s signature wall of post-shoegaze guitar noise). For me as a longtime fan of Albacete’s finest it was all ok. 

At the moment we were teamed up with Rafa Tuñon (leader of Paciente Cero) and his company of friends so we won ourselves a couple of beers and the good place next to the entrance of Santa Catalina building to fully enjoy what was happening around. Also I was happy to see Rafa and Joan, the co-heads of Burrito Panza’s label El Genio Equivocado, amongst those before the sunlit stage. Up to the next gig (La Bien Querida) Gloria and her friends came to the place so our company grew bigger.

In the very beginning of La Bien Querida’s show we recognized Manuel Cabezali playing bass for Ana Fernandez-Villaverde. As far as I know this was his first appearance in Sonorama since the show of his primary vehicle Havalina was abruptly switched off the power (due to technical issues or schedule constrictions) back in 2013. 

Inside our circle of friends we talked alot but amidst the talks we paid attention to the show where Ana in her yellow dress did her tiny dancing to her own songs in slightly electronic wrap-up.

We stayed there for one more timeslot waiting for Nocturnos to come out. Frankly speaking, Nocturnos didn’t sound like the band for escenario principal. Rather they sounded like the great band for a club. Nevertheless, they’ve got plenty of catchy tunes and lots of energy so their performance was one of the best for us. Somewhere around that time Rafa Tuñon walked away searching for his friends, and Glo brought us some more beer...

***

Cosmen Adelaida have peeled off their dream pop influences almost completely for this gig presenting us their post punk side only. I don't know was it their usual modus operandi as it was the 1st time I saw them live. As for ‘Joana Serrat – Nat Simons’ case being compared to La Plata they sounded way more diverse while treading the same path.

Los Punsetes were our next POI. The only motions Ariadna, the female singer of the band, did during the performance were to come onstage and to come off. The entire concert she – dressed up in the Alice in the Wonderland costume (or it was the uniform of 18th century chambermaid) – stayed absolutely immobile. But the music was highly energetic, and this difference created pretty strange effect. We stayed there until the end of their set, and then accidentally run into Coque and Pablo from Los Vengadores. We talked in the interim, and these two folks were so nice that it felt such a pity to part ways with them.

For the second time in a row I was watching the performance of Izal through the leaves of an adornment plant standing in the corner of the VIP zone. For the last 5 years Izal grew on to enter the Pantheon of the best live bands of Spain, so they gathered the crowd easily comparable to one Liam Gallagher gathered the last night. They started their gig with “Pequeña Gran Revolucion”, my favourite song of theirs, so I screamed alot and then the rest of the concert I was just standing literally in the ficus elastica tub trying to figure out what’s going on onstage. They finalized the show with the fireworks. It looked so beautiful and, eh, monumental.

We didn't dare to move away from VIP zone cos there were too many people onsite, so little changed for me for Dorian's concert. The same corner, the same ficus elastica, the same emotions, the songs that great... Just some contagious sense of yearning started to crawl somewhere inside my spine as I knew well that this would be our last show of this Sonorama.

Sonorama 2018. 10 ‘minimal font size’ bands whose shows you surely should attend

Some bands from the lower lines of the new Sonorama poster have apparently outgrown the minimal font size (Tulsa, Modelo De Respuesta Polar, Villanueva, etc) so please find below the short list of the bands and personalities who deserve it to an equal extent.

Disco Las Palmeras!

With the new effort “Calida” ((p)2018 Sonido Muchacho) the Galician power trio spearheaded by Diego Castro abandoned both the scratching noise of “Asfixia” and the ever-buzzing wall of sound of “Ultra” leaving the core of their songs peeled off almost completely. And I’m curious how it would sound live.

Floridablanca

The re-branded and re-named madrilenos Sin Rumbo switched to the sunshine balearic disco-pop. Despite they stepped aside quite far from what they were before, if you’re a fan of Sin Rumbo it’s time to convert yourself into a fan of Floridablanca.

Joana Serrat

The best Americana singer-songwriter the Iberian Peninsula ever gave birth to.

La Plata

While most eyes are set at their equally promising labelmates Carolina Durante you shouldn’t overlook young post punk band from Valencia. They have released this year their debut album “Desorden” that created considerable splash amongst the music press and, additionally, have found its place in my own record collection.

Pet Fennec

The Basque band that draw comparisons to such North American indie legends as Band Of Horses, Built To Spill and Nada Surf. As for me, kinda perfect reference points.

Burrito Panza

This year Burrito Panza have released “Un Nuevo Frente Frio” – by all means the best album in their career – and one of the best to-date. You shouldn’t miss the chance to watch at the band on the creative peak.

Cosmen Adelaida

They may look like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s young followers but this metropolitan combo has 3 full lengths along with 2 EPs (all on El Genio Equivocado) of high quality dreampop-meets-post punk in their back catalogue. They have already experienced performances on FIB, Primavera Sound and ContemPOPranea – so this year they’re gonna tick the box at Sonorama’s name.

Nocturnos

Covering the vast specter of genres from dizzy synth groove of “Rey Absolutista” to the guitar-driven rock club singalongs of “Fantasia Liberal” Nocturnos are stylistically polymorphous and amusing in every turn. Year ago they were set to perform at Sunday that made attending their show completely impossible for me. This time I’m ready to fix this honest mistake.

Ladilla Rusa

As funny as kinky this drag queen fashioned duo is going to kick asses with their trashcan aesthetics, ‘death on the dancefloor’ electropop and quirky sense of humor (“Whitney Houston, tenemos un problema”).

Cala Vento

The Catalan duo is the only band out of my wishlist that finally made it to the festival’s line up. Unfortunately, I’m forced to leave Aranda by the Sunday morning, so there’s no chance for me to catch them. You should do it for me.