Best of 2016. Albums 31-40

Previous entries:

Top50. Albums 41-50
Top10 - EPs and mini albums
Honorable mention #1
Honorable mention #2

40. Keep Out "Spicy Mud Cake" (p)Polar

BANDCAMP

Electrified and contaminating, this album is like the bottle of Molotov cocktail ready to explode thrown into the trash container full of the construction debris and chemical production paraphernalia.

39. Shinova "Volver" (p)Warner

SPOTIFY

Switching from punching alt-rock to more folk-tinged song constructions doesn't change the main thing about this Basque band: they specialize on hymns, not songs. All these tracks are born to set flames to stadiums. Sometimes this approach leads to the great results.

38. Escuelas Pias "Nuevas Degenarciones" (p)El Genio Equivocado

BANDCAMP

The synth-driven branch of indie pop that's called 'indietronica' is something of a common place in Spanish music since the first successes of Elefant Records. But some true pearls are still appearing seemingly out of nowhere. This duo is one of these pearls.

37. Modelo De Respuesta Polar "Dos Amigos" (p)self-released

SPOTIFY

As introverted as gorgeous and as subdued as sublime, the new album of Modelo de Respuesta Polar (initially released via the crowdfunding campaign) presents Borja Mompo's band on a peak of the creating form.

36. Hola A Todo El Mundo "Away" (p)Mushroom Pillow

SPOTIFY

These are the pop songs. These are the tight guitar-driven pop songs. I'm unaware about the intention but for me this 'away' is somewhere where the R.E.M's "Shiny Happy People" were born.

35. Sidonie "El Peor Grupo Del Mundo" (p)Warner

SPOTIFY

Call it irony, call it self-indulgence but for Marc Ros and his pals it's a kind of a cheap trick to name their best album "The Worst Band In The World". The bleak Beatlesque melodies themselves can't make me love it as I'm not the fan of The Beatles, but the irresistible lighthearted elegance this album was created with - surely can.

34. Biscuit "Biscuit" (p)La Castanya

BANDCAMP

"Biscuit" reminds me of Nerf Herder, Against Me! (before gender reclassification of their front[wo]man) and The Hold Steady. But mostly it reminds me of Bullitt's "Sparks". And it's really nice cos I like "Sparks" alot.

33. El Lado Oscuro De La Broca "Poderosa" (p)El Genio Equivocado

BANDCAMP

The most inflammable band in El Genio Equivocado roster fires on all cylinders in the sophomore release. Just like on the previous album, "Poderosa"'s sound is the sound of a crashing aircraft backed with the most brutal form of post-punk.

32. Les Cruet "Pomes Agres" (p)Bankrobber

BANDCAMP

I ain't learned about the themes Les Cruet are exploring in their songs cos the lyrics are 100% Catalan. Anyway, this harsh angry shrieky primordial punk album with sratching gnashy vocals is a good soundtrack to the modern society demise despite the things they are singing about really.

31. Doble Pletina "Asi Es Como Escapo" (p)Jabalina Musica

BANDCAMP

The best ever pop music for those who don't like pop music.

A Quick Guide To... Jabalina Musica

Jabalina Musica is a cult indie label from Madrid. The label's roster mostly concentrates on the various sub-genres of indie pop. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Jabalina. The date was celebrated by the series of local concerts. For last five years Jabalina and its head Tanis Abellan has produced two absolutely astonishing singles collections: 'Jabalina Love Songs' and 'Dedicatessen'. These collections are published so deliciously that mere appearance of the discs could make your heart go wild. So let's start from the second one.

Graphics of 'Dedicatessen' are designed by Jesus Galvan who is the brother of Antonio Galvan, the man behind the Parade project. 

The series include the following items (in alphabetical order) all printed on colour vinyl:

1. ALDO LINARES y las mujeres
2. AMA ante el virus de la rabia
3. APENINO cerca de las estrellas
4. DOBLE PLETINA contra los amores perdidos
5. J'AIME en la noche eterna 
6. KLAUS&KINSKI a cuatro reinas moras
7. LLUM y la revuelta emocional 
8. PARADE en el estudio Ghibli
9. PUMUKY y el eterno femenino
10. SOLLETICO y el hombre de la casa
11. SOUVENIR y los finales sin fin
12. WILD HONEY Dear Cindy

Most of the bands - well-known (Klaus&Kinski, Parade, Doble Pletina) or not (Solletico, Ama) - deliver different kinds of lo-fi/synth-pop/folk pop/indie pop music with the fragile male/female vocals and general sense of the light melancholy. Even my all-time favorites Pumuky sound here like they do not want to tear the common canvas. I'm not gonna tell you that all these bands and musicians are the same or anything like that - no, absolutely. They are all different and all have their own features, but they have something in common here within this series - let it be baritone-voiced singer/songwriter Llum or quirky pop experimentators Doble Pletina, or Klaus&Kinsky who abandoned their twee in favor of loose acoustic piano-based songs.

For me, being familiar with the most of the presented musicians, nevertheless I've made one good discovery here - J'aime. His americana-tinged music is the perfect soundtrack for the rainy evenings spent home alone with a good bottle of wine.