Sr. Chinarro "El Bando Bueno" (p)2020 Mushroom Pillow
I do believe "El Bando Bueno" might easily be considered the career's best for Sr. Chinarro as it's got everything for that. It's ideal, undoubtedly. Regarding his earlier legacy (let’s say, every album up to “Enhorabuena A Los Cuatro”), I mostly like all these albums but there always are the songs that I don’t like. This is the album where I like every particular song. I insist on there is no weak song on "El Bando Bueno". But for me personally, I still love his saddest, bleakest, most brooding releases (namely "Perspectiva Caballera" and "El Progreso") more than this one because this one sounds a bit too comfortable. It sounds like the man is... happy?
Today I've tried to count up the money I spent on purchasing the new music this year but quickly understood it was an impossible task. And what is more important - it was totally senseless. No matter how many Euros it took - it was the best investment ever. However many hours I spent listening - it was the best thing I could do.
'Less dramatic, more Centro-matic' I wrote on "This Is How We Fail" 3 months ago, and I wrote it for the following reasons: 1) the new album doesn't contain such tragedy-filled tracks as "Daily Bread", and 2) the sound of the album is so perfectly shaped that you almost can imagine the room where it was recorded - the same thing as for Denton, TX uncrowned lo-fi kings' records (though Poomse are quite far from lo-fi now). I'd consider this album less obscure in comparison with "Poomse vs. the Kingdom of Death" and in many aspects more refined, so to speak.
08. Atencion Tsunami "Silencio En La Retaguardia" (p)Records Del Mundo
These men are the chameleons. If you ain't familiar with Records del Mundo family, I'm going to tell you they are same people who created the astonishing "Sillas Voladoras" under the name Incendios and "Pensamiento de Paz Durante Un Ataque Aereo" under the name Paracaidas last year. These projects differ considerably one from another in everything but the team. Different names, different genres - the band is the same. "Silencio En La Retaguardia" is the most unpredictable work of the troupe. Visually both legs in contemporary danceable indie rock, Atencion Tsunami manage to jump 3 miles higher what you may think about while seeing 'contemporary danceable indie rock' tag.
07. Lost Tapes. "Let's Get Lost" (p)Mushroom Pillow
I thought it could be just some good companion to La Habitacion Roja's "Sagrado Corazon" LP when I ordered the latter from the Mushroom Pillow online shop. I had a fear that the single LP might be damaged while travelling 4000 km alone and felt like I needed to choose something more to add some durability to the mail package. So I've chosen the debut album by LHR guitar player Pau Roca's side project LostTapes. All hail the small momentary decisions! This record doesn't even try to hide its influences but wears them proudly instead. Post-shoegaze Cool Britannia's (The Boo Radleys, Wedding Present), the 2000's indie pop (The Radio Dept.) along with the evergreen classics (New Order and Tears for Fears) are mixed in this palette to produce the colours of unique brightness and rare authenticity.
06. Sr. Chinarro "El Progreso" (p)El Segell De Primavera
...lo-fi? No, mostly it's no-fi. Fuck Wavves, fuck Hinds. It's the real spontaniety and the real sincerety transmitted to this world through the mind and soul of the real riot grrrl...
"Desertico" made me to dive into the dreampop whirlpoop this year. It may remind you of Catherine Wheel, it may remind you of Rufus T. Firefly, it may remind you of Havalina (it's no surprise it is co-produced by Manuel Cabezali) - with all components in right proportions and right places. "Desertico" is about the textures and thin atmospheres, about slow moves and 'where would they cruise at within the next seconds?' wonderings. "Desertico" is like the puzzle. Just try to solve it.
With the shiny melodies and a lot of segues that interconnect these shiny melodies into one solid blast of noise pop/shoegaze majesty, with the stunning hooks you will be humming for months, with the wall of sound and the intricate guitar work the Galician band took a giant leap ahead on the new release. It's a conceptual album, and its name probably relates to drug consumption (I don't really know, but for me the word 'psychonaut' is a romantisized synonym for 'junkie'). Initially I wasn't up to listen to it because I thought it might be some kind of psychedelic indie pop. But then I decided to listen to literally EVERYTHING, and it turned out to be really great with all these aforementioned shiny melodies, stunning hooks and the wall of sound that could make Kevin Shields proud.
The last night of Sonorama'2016 I placed my feet at the first line before the Carson Сamping stage, and from my left side there were three cheeks who looked like, you know, classic teenage Love Of Lesbian fans. For my eyes and ears Viva Suecia were far from overwhelming popularity due to the fact the music of Murcia-based quartet is introspective and slow-burning and visually has no connections with the pop side of the world. And it was kinda real surprise for me to see these gurls beside me knew all the verses and all the names of bandmembers. And they were not alone! It was a real surprise to see this band ready for crowds as I thought Viva Suecia could be just the subject of a small cult following. Now the band is seemingly one step before the indie sub-world stardom, and I hope they'll take this step without making concessions and the major pitch, roll and yaw corrections.
Three quarters of the year are gone. The summer is gone. The vacation is gone. The creative spark is gone. Even the hope is partly gone. And it's raining out there for hours. But there's always something to keep you going.
40. Edui Bercedo "Historias De Calor" (p)Los 80 Pasan Factura
39. Parade "Demasiado Humano" (p)Jabalina Musica
38. Higinio Orduña "La Cuesta Del Recinto" (p)Discos Imaginarios
23. Murciano Total "Enquinias" (p)El Genio Equivocado
22. Delbosque "Interferencias" (p)self-released
21. Retirada! "Victoria Derrota" (p)self-released
20. Bestlife (Under Your Seat) "Invincible Anymore" (p)self-released
19. Cala Vento "Cala Vento" (p)BCore Disc
18. La Habitacion Roja "Sagrado Corazon" (p)Mushroom Pillow
17. Kasparov vs Deep Blue "Flare" (p)self-released
16. El Tercer Semestre "33 1/3" (p)Aloud Music
15. Leon Benavente "2" (p)Warner
14. Monte Del Oso "Existen Moscas Que Se Relajan Durante El Vuelo" (p)Farmway
13. LostTapes "Let's Get Lost" (p)Mushroom Pillow
12. Power Burkas "Llarga Vida Al Taranna" (p)BCore Disc
11. Big Summer "Trigger" (p)El Genio Equivocado
10. Poomse "This Is How We Fail" (p)Espora
09. Sorry Kate "Haven Hood" (p)Foehn
08. Pasavento "Tuvo Su Momento" (p)self-released
07. Sr. Chinarro "El Progreso" (p)El Segell De Primavera
06. Joan Colomo "Sistema" (p)BCore Disc
05. Trinidad "Karma" (p)El Hombre Bala
04. Viva Belgrado "Ulysses" (p)Aloud Music
03. Berlina "Desertico" (p)Grabaciones A Montones
02. Linda Guilala "Psiconautica" (p) Elefant
01. Viva Suecia "La Fuerza Mayor" (p)Subterfuge
The new list is twice as long as the previous [semi-annual] version. There's a lot of 'old friends' in there (and the leader is still intact), but some newcomers have made it to the top10 in the third quarter. The most unexpected of them is, without a doubt, Pasavento's mini album "Tuvo Su Momento". Produced by the men of many talents Marti Perarnau and Ramiro Nieto the debut release of Madrid-based combo fronted by Ignacio Quintero is the noise pop perfection in the vein of Teenage Funclub and their peers with the beautifully jangling guitars and sublime melodies. Never heard of them before the moment when this album suddenly appeared in one of my friend's Facebook post, but now Pasavento are in the forefront of my 'bands to watch' list.
Also I should point out "This Is How We Fail", the perfectly crafted new album of Poomse (this time on mallorcan indie label Espora Records). Less dramatic, more Centro-matic - and it seems like to-date this album received more reviews from international reviewers than from local ones. The song that you may find below fucken blows my mind.
There's still over 60 albums to come out up to the end of the year... A lot of stuff to listen to (and to choose the best from).
Sr. Chinarro "El Progreso" (p)2016 El Segell De Primavera
In the middle twenties of his fruitful career Antonio Luque found his new voice in melancholy. On the previous album "Perspectiva Caballera" he changed the direction from the vigorously paced and upbeat stride of the albums "¡Menos Samba!" and "Enhorabuena A Los Cuatro" to more subdued and sad semi-acoustic singer/songwriter rock. The new album should answer the question was it just the one-off excercise or a new trend for the renowned musician.
Fortunately, the new album is 100% perfect again. "Perspectiva Caballera" was [arguably] the best Sr. Chinarro's album in years, and "El Progreso" is at least on par with the predesessor. Produced by the longtime friend J (Los Planetas) it delivers mostly the same emotions but in the slightly different way. The arrangements here are definitely deeper, broader, lusher and sometimes edgier but melodically it can be considered the logical progression of the "Perspectiva..." ideas (which, in its turn, can be considered the logical progression of such songs as. for example, "Quiromantico" from "El Por Que De Mis Peinados" and "La Cruz Verde" from "El Fuego Amigo"). The quality of the songwriting and the melodic intuition of Antonio is flawless, and we can only pray for this perfection to be prolonged on the subsequent Sr. Chinarro releases.
The best tracks: La Fiebre Del Oro, El Castigo, Fase Lunatica, El Progreso, Efectos Especiales
The solo analogue electronica project of Nudozurdo's Leo Mateos. These great tunes (imagine something between Depeche Mode's "Some Great Reward" and Dorian's "La Ciudad Subterranea") accompanied by the familiar plaintive vocals of Leo should be the good intermediate POI for the one who's waiting for the next Nudozurdo release - but it's not good, in fact. It appears to be fucking good.
09. Guerrera "Mauna Loa"
(p)Matapadre
A supergroup of sorts (Guerrera represents the members of the local Galician indie bands - such diverse as melodic indie/grunge-oriented Holywater or blackened crust/hardcore Ictus, for example), this band is the energy, the fury and the rampage all incapsulated and wrapped up in psychedelic/ sludge/ progressive thunderstorm.
08. I Am Dive "Wolves"
(p)Foehn
A total opposite to Guerrera, I Am Dive's new album is the quiet slowcore mixed with ambient IDM and dreampop, a perfect soundtrack to the lonely hours spent on the thin border between the reality and the dream.
07. Sr. Chinarro "Perspectiva Caballera"
(p)VEEMMM
In the 2010's Antonio Luque has come to the 'album per year' schedule. But despite the short interims between albums the last one contains some visible changes to the renowned musician's usual template. On his most recent work Antonio sounds like he was bitten by Bill Callahan. So, "Perspectiva Caballera" is the most cohesive album in Sr. Chinarro's history - and probably the saddest one.
06. Niños Mutantes "El Futuro"
(p)Ernie Producciones
Though "Las Noches de Insomnio" and "Naufragos" contained some truly great songs, but they did not work for me as albums. So "El Futuro" is their first album in years which contains some great songs and works very well as a whole.
05. Sidonie "Sierra Y Canada"
(p)Sony/Octubre
The best bittersweet pop album of the year. "These songs surely will make sing and dance along and get stuck in your head for [at least] months", I wrote 8 months ago. And now I must admit that it works just like I predicted.
04. Poomse "Vs.The Kingdom Of Death"
(p)Foehn
With two albums in Top10 and absolutely fantastic Karen Koltrane short album, Barcelona-based Foehn Records is the 'Champion of All Indie Labels' in 2014. The Poomse's album was the first released by Foehn this year - in the very beginning of February, so this album follows me all the year through. With the songs like "Empty Sea", "August, 2011" and especially "Daily Bread" it's the best companion for the old school indie rock fan like me.
