#WhatsWrongWithIt. The Best of 2019, the appendix

That's why these albums didn't make it into my 2019's Top50 list.

Viva Suecia "El Milagro"
(p)Subterfuge Records
SPTF
In terms of songwriting “El Milagro” is a perfect album. Apparently there is no filler, every song is a stunner - and that’s coincidentally the main problem with it: it’s TOO perfect. It is so good you can enclose it into a capsule and send it through the space as a proof of human intelligence and fondness for beauty. But whether it was said once by Lao Tzu or by Noel Gallagher, the true perfection has to be imperfect. There should be a twist, there should be a sharp angle, there should be an accidental curveball to make a record artistically viable. But it’s so polished instead… So many people like it. All my friends like it. I’m not that guy who’s always opposed to the majority but, you know, reviews are always subjective as the reviewers are subjective. Look, I just can see the progress: the self-titled EP and “La Fuerza Mayor” were the sparks to start a fire, “Otros Principios Fundamentales” was about broadening the vocabulary, and “El Milagro” is the full-fledged demonstration of the abilities. From my point of view, only the first one was completely successful.

Leon Benavente "Vamos A Volvernos Locos"
(p)Warner Music Spain
SPTF

Another commonplace belief: the bands should evolve – and that’s true. There’s no point in constant reproduction of what you’ve already done greatly. “Vamos A Volvernos Locos” is the result of evolution. The first two Leon Benavente’s longplays worked perfectly on the unity of such opposites as the band’s melodic side (“Estado Provisional”, “La Ribera”) and their penchant for the cold-hearted electro-punk slashers (“La Palabra”, “Gloria”). Trying to find the ways of avoiding the artistic stagnation the renowned four-piece decided to abandon their hard-hitting side completely and this [considered logical by many] step has destroyed that push-and-pull effects that moved the band ahead so greatly. As a result we’ve got a beautiful and 100% accessible album that sounds kind of mono-dimensional as compared to their previous works. I only speak of music - the lyrics are still top-tier quality.

Noise Box "Here's That Bliss You Left Behind"
(p)Son Buenos
SPTF

One more album I would like to mention here is Noise Box’s “Here’s That Bliss You Left Behind”. Definitely this is a great album whose only flaw is its attempt to cover the territory too vast to be covered by the single piece of art. “Every Picture Of You Is When You Were Younger” was that good because the band didn’t try to embrace too many shoulders at once. Cohesion was its considerable advantage. The new one sounds like the neighbours of the aforementioned Viva Suecia try to pack 3 albums load of ideas into a single album. Every given song is a masterpiece but being glued together they produce rather overwhelming effect. They’re too much. They feel cramped within ‘one LP, ten songs, 5 minutes per song’ context. The last time I felt so was when I listened to “IX” by …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead so it’s no surprise that the band mentions the Texans as one of their major influences. I suppose it could be better if Jesus Cobarro & Co added a spoonful of Failure into the mix – given they took (intentionally or not) the LA-based space/grunge rockers’ method of releasing a string of separate EPs before combining them (and their names) into the whole album.

Tu Aura Brilla Mas: Let Go/ Nada Surf 15 Aniversario

Tu Aura Brilla Mas: Let Go/ Nada Surf 15 Aniversario (p)2018 Mardev/ Ernie

I’ve been the massive fan of Nada Surf since 2003 when I first observed video of “Inside Of Love” aired by the [best ever] German music channel onyx.tv. This video made me searching for the band’s records, and the first album I purchased the same year it was “Proximity Effect”. I quickly embraced their lyrical imagery and subdued bittersweet undertones that led them to stand tall amongst the short list of my all-time favorite bands. I consider “Lucky” their best effort to date as it includes the set of songs I can personally relate to both melody-wise and lyric-wise the best way possible. However, it was 2003’s “Let Go” that brought them out of the gloomy grunge-obsessed subterranean dungeons of the 90’s right into the bright light streak of the post-millennial indie rock. While their second album (the aforementioned "Proximity Effort") was declined by their label Electra it was released first in Europe. Following this the band was dropped by Electra. With two albums and one massive hit ("Popular") in the back catalogue Nada Surf were set to replicate the fate of zillion of the 90's bands that silently fell into obscurity. But the new album ("Let Go"), new hit ("Inside Of Love"), new label (the Seattle-based indie imprint Barsuk Records) and the new direction (less grunge more power pop) led them into the indie stardom in 2000's.

The band gained the substantial cult following in Europe (especially in non-English speaking countries) thanks to the lengthy tours through the Old World and both Matthew Caws’ and Daniel Lorca’s multilingual abilities. Moreover, they are really concerned of what’s going on with music in Europe. I deeply appreciate this last year's story about Nada Surf members appearing on Ebrovision festival a day before the schedule just to check out Rufus T. Firefly performing, of whom they were told it would be worth it to look at. Their European record-selling headquarters is based in Spain (the Galician finest Ernie Producciones) but anyway I was kinda surprised to know that Nada Surf were going to release the collection of cover versions made by a bunch of Spanish indie bands.

Digitally it was released over a month ago and recently it was released officially on CD. So what could I say… It is definitely one of the best cover albums I have ever listened to. What makes a great cover version great? For me, it’s when a certain band takes someone else’s song and rewrites it into their own the way you could place it into the band’s album and it wouldn’t be sounding as an alien. Thus, the final result takes the best from both summing up the original's best features and the cover maker’s own tricks. Regarding the most of the tracks here, this criterium is fulfilled completely.

For the better authenticity 8 of total 12 songs were translated into Spanish. Even for me as a person largely familiar with the original album sometimes it’s hard to separate what I know from what I hear because, for instance, “No Es Tan Rapido” sounds nothing like Nada Surf’s song – it sounds exactly like a song by Second, as well as “Nubes De Mosquitos” sound exactly like Lori Meyers’ own. The same thing I could repeat for almost every track and every band on the album be it Niños Mutantes with their newfound synth-laden sound on "Blizzard Of 77/ La Tormenta Del'77" or La Habitacion Roja with their classic post-"Ayer" warm pop-psychedelia on "Inside Of Love/ Dentro Del Amor". Be it the lush guitar-driven pop of Anni B Sweet ("La Pour Ca/ Estare Ahi") or slightly fuzzed out alternative rock of Shinova (the Basque band stepped back to the sound of their pre-"Volver" albums to make this version of "Treading Water"). Be it Villanueva's delicate rendition of "Hi-Speed Soul/ Hablemos De Soul" or the Noise Box's version of "Happy Kid" that turns the original power pop hit into the 6 minute long psychedelic pop masterpiece.

I think it’s really great achievement.

SPTF

ERNIE

Best of 2016. Albums 41-50

After all the preliminary moves and preparations it's time to present to you the 1st load of Top50 albums. So, here we go!

Previous entries:
Top10 - EPs and mini albums
Honorable mention #1
Honorable mention #2

50. Noise Box "Every Picture Of You Is When You Were Younger" (p)Son Buenos

BANDCAMP

Dreamy, foggy, blurred photographs of what was your past. The moments you're not sure if they were for real, or they are just some strange faults of your imagination. This is what these songs definitely are.

49. San Jeronimo "Salinas, 20:15" (p)WeAreWolves

BANDCAMP

The quiet semi-acoustic slowcore album that's made of beautiful sounds and distinct melodies. A good album to dive into the atmosphere of the thin air and fragile visions ahead.

48. Belako "Hamen" (p)Mushroom Pillow

OFFICIAL SITE

One of the best Pais Vasco bands creates majesty through post-punk marching rhythms, synth-generated noises, guitar bursts and occasional no-wave shrieks. The tools they use are pretty the same as earlier, but "Hamen" delivers their best melodies ever.

47. Señores "La Luz" (p)Cuatro Barbas

BANDCAMP

Less post-hardcore syncopes, more indie rock kicks? No, I'm not going to say Señores go pop. Their new album is hardly accessible for those who doesn't come to terms with Jawbox or Braid back catalogues but for me it's a nice pool to sink in.

46. Briotica "La Maldicion De Los Galacticos" (p)Warner

DEEZER

The grunge'ed, noise'ed and extremely sped-up form of shoegaze. I'd consider it a successor of JAMC's painfully underrated "Munki" LP. Full throttle from the fisrt beat to the last one.

45. It's Not Not "Fool The Wise" (p)BCore Disc

BANDCAMP

This is how to make melodic punk record without making pop punk record. The residents of emblematic BCore Disc label know how to make it perfectly.

44. Jorganes "Brokn" (p)El Hombre Bala

BANDCAMP

Less abstract hip-hop more pure electronica. Less beats more elegy. The Dilated Peoples' gloomy MC'ing allusions are [almost completely] gone and what we've got instead is the pure beauty.

43. Yes I M "#Borabora" (p)Foehn

BANDCAMP

Oceania in my head. The new record by Mario Gutierrez Brun by all means outdoes his previous work "Vietnam". It's captivating majesty can transfer you to the places where the words 'atoll' and 'haven' describe the reality much better then 'the pressures of urban lifestyle'.

42. Guerrera "Guerrera" (p)Matapadre

BANDCAMP

The hard-boiled psychedelia meets the suffocating sludge. ¡TchKung! meets the nuclear meltdown. The Santiago-based all-star team have done it again on their double-LP album.

41. Galaxina "Evasion Y Victoria" (p)Clifford

BANDCAMP

Before I ever listened to this album I assumed it's a dreampop album taking into account the bandname and the album cover. At that moment I 've already got the most part of the Top50 prepared, and I didn't want another dreampop album in my list cos it was already too many dreampop albums in there. But Galaxina's "Evasion Y Victoria" really made me to love it from the first listen cos the songs are great, and some songs are really great. Just listen to "Lejos De Ninguna Parte", for example.