BCore Disc 30

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the seminal Barcelona-based indie label BCore Disc. Upon learning of this fact I made a rush decision to make the ultimate list of the label's best releases as a means of celebrating. This intention was eating me for months. Initially I intended to use 'an album a year' approach. Then 'ten albums per decade'. Then I tried to make a selection of ideological milestones, as the label broadened the array of 'goods for sale' introducing step by step not only the genres previously missing in its DNA but also the people who would be widely associated with BCore in subsequent years. Then, in contrary, I tried to single out the albums that deviated the most from the label's course. And every time it turned out to be unbearable task cuz, man, we’re talking about 350+ releases! It’s quite significant quantity - even without speaking of the top notch quality of the majority of them. It took a little while for me to listen to the most part of the back catalogue to form the weighed opinion. Before I started this I had thought I was in good terms with the label's legacy. It turned out wrong so it appeared as a path of discoveries all the way through. The final list is the mix of all aforementioned approaches. Please take in mind that one can create a plenty of equally valid lists but whatever list you make it's absolutely impossible to cover the full spectre of BCore's vast cache of jewels.

The one last thing I'd like to say: the times are demanding to frame it into the Spotify playlist but I'm the old-fashioned 'album kind of guy' and I like it the old way because it needs some more than just one song per album to tell you the story. So, this is the list of 30 essential records in their fullness, in chronological order.

Trip Inside "Trip Inside" BC008 (p)1992 listen

Corn Flakes "Tracklist" BC017 (p)1993 listen

Passion Fish "Thank God It's Friday" BC023 (p)1995 listen

Swinepox "TV Shop EP" BC024 (p)1995 listen

Xmilk "Function" BC046 (p)1996 listen

No More Lies "Seeds Of Enthusiasm" BC055 (p)1998 listen

Slang "The Day The Sun Shone Cold EP" BC062 (p)1998 listen

Aina "Aina" BC064 (p)1998 listen

24 Ideas "Discografia Completa" BC075 (p)2000 listen

Zeidun "001" BC077 (p)2000 listen

The Unfinished Sympathy "The Unfinished Sympathy" BC080 (p)2001 listen

Les Philippes "Philharmonic Philanthropy" BC107 (p)2003 listen

Standstill "Standstill" BC113 (p)2004 listen

Delorean "Into The Plateau" BC139 (p)2006 listen

Sibyl Vane "Turismo De Interior" BC142 (p)2006 listen

Madee "L'Antarctica" BC150 (p)2007 listen

Charades "En Ningun Lugar" BC153 (p)2008 listen

The New Raemon "A Propósito De Garfunkel" BC159 (p)2008 listen

La Celula Durmiente "Miente!" BC163 (p)2008 listen

Persona "Dead Make-Up" BC168 (p)2008 listen

Jeremy Enigk "Vale Oso" BC170 (p)2009 listen

Nueva Vulcano "Los Peces De Colores" BC180 (p)2009 listen

Muy Fellini "Muy Fellini" BC182 (p)2009 listen

Vistalegre "Vistalegre" BC193 (p)2010 listen

Betunizer "Gran Veta" BC248 (p)2013 listen

Eric Fuentes "Barcelona" BC255 (p)2013 listen

Bullitt "Sparks" BC273 (p)2015 listen

Cala Vento "Cala Vento" BC285 (p)2016 listen

Power Burkas "Llarga Vida Al Tarannà" BC286 (p)2016 listen

Aldrin Y Collins "Odisea En El Espacio De Confort" BC334 (p)2018 listen

b1n0 "b1n0"

b1n0 “b1n0” (p)2020 Foehn Records

Look, a lot of the critically acclaimed records of today sound like they were created the following way: all tracks were burned onto a CD, than CD was placed into a grinding machine, and finally the record was glued together from the billion silvery plastic pieces removed out of the grinding machine. If you look regularly into the Pitchfork Media’s ‘best new music’ section you know what I mean - Arca, FKA Twigs, Rosalia’s “El Mal Querer”, etc. While b1n0’s eponymous debut album apparently belongs to the same ‘cross-everything avant-pop’ subgenre of experimental music the aforementioned musicians belong to, it sounds more, dunno… human? Like, “Well, we would like the robots having got their tunes to make love to, but we still shouldn’t ignore eukaryotes”. Thus, on the Arcameter b1n0 are way closer to Moses Sumney than to Jlin.

BNDCMP

Nueva Vulcano "Ensayo"

Nueva Vulcano "Ensayo" (p)2020 BCore Disc/ La Castanya 

It's been five years since critically acclaimed "Noveleria" was brought to light. In the times of streaming such the long span of dormancy (though they’ve never been completely silent during this time) could be detrimental for any career in music but it’s obviously not the case of Nueva Vulcano. It's time to declare the following: despite the significant time gap between records little has changed for the leaders of Catalan post-hardcore scene. Picking up right where they left off back in the year 2015 they are stepping into the new decade with another piece of solid gold full of off-key vocals, angular bass lines and guitars that flow freewillingly around the rhythm section. You're not gonna confuse it with anyone else's. As far as I can see, in terms of critical acclaim "Ensayo" is destined to follow the path of its predecessors marking one more milestone in the career of the Barcelona underground kingpins.

BNDCMP

Renaldo & Clara "L'Amor Fa Calor"

Renaldo & Clara "L'Amor Fa Calor" (p)2020 Primavera Labels

Post-everything crossover pop with a human face, or the complicated music with multi-dimensional approach that tries to sound simple and lightweight - that's what it is. The pop side of trip hop (Morcheeba rather than Portishead), indietronica, sunchine/balearic pop, minimal electro, Joan Miquel Oliver - this is what came to my mind first I started to listen to "L'Amor Fa Calor". 30+ minutes later it was all over leaving the sense of weightlessness in the aftertaste.

SPTF

Gyoza "Early Birds"

 Gyoza "Early Birds" (p)2020 The Braves Records/ Ciudad Oasis/ Bandicoot Records/ other labels

The band's line-up contains a name that looks familiar: Antonio Postius. You may know him for performing the drumming duties in Mourn – the Catalan band that gained some international exposure in the recent years. Nevertheless, Gyoza and its emocore-tinged alternative rock has little in common with the drummer’s extra job both in music and in international fame potential. It’s just too edgy for getting huge even when the synths are smoothing the picture enough to add some 'big name' flavor, namely of Bring Me The Horizon. “In My Room” starts like Helmet’s “Betty”-era lost song. To round up the list of influences, there is a couple of 'Motorhead-meets-Queens Of The Stone Age' tracks closer to the end of the disc. Well, getting the parts together I’d like to describe this record in the simplest of ways: an epic win. A puzzle where every piece is in its right place.

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Vol Menor "Tota Una Vida Perduda En Un Clic"

Vol Menor "Tota Una Vida Perduda En Un Clic" (p)2018 self-released

There are persons that breathe music, drink music, find music everywhere, and infiltrate music from the air through the pores of their skin. The music flows in their veins, and you’d never know the real blood/music ratio in there. I remember that time when I saw some DVD of Ben Folds. That one where he, at home, was playing piano, singing, telling stories, sipping bourbon from a rocks glass – all in the same time, and I felt like ‘Man, this guy’s really married to the music!’ cos it seemed so natural for him to make music while doing some light housekeeping activities. Like washing dishes with one hand while playing synths with another.

Carles Cuxart is obviously one of those persons. A gifted songsmith, he has been recording and releasing albums under the moniker Vol Menor for at least 7 years. Eight albums of high quality indie pop/folk were released since – including the instrumental album “My Roy Orbison” and an experimental effort “Contracorrent A L’Instinct” that contained 27 tracks of 45 or 54 seconds each. From the very beginning he is teamed up with Roger Gascon who performs the production duties and provides additional arrangements. Roger is a devoted person as well. He fronts The Lazy Lies. He plays drums for Chet. He produces the records for his local pals. He’s the Catalan indie pop community jack-of-all-trades (who said ‘Dave Grohl’, dudes?)

Two albums in 2016. Two albums in 2017. Now we’ve got the triple (!) album “Tota Una Vida Perduda En Un Clic”. The 30+ songs in total, where each and every song could be considered the indie pop/ indie folk/ twee perfection. If you listen to all three albums in a row I bet there would be no chance for you to fall into the ‘samey!’ or ‘boring!’ kind of reaction. Some true gems (most likely “Big Bang”, “Alegria”, “Monstre”, “Victimes De Victimes” and “La Moto d’en Teo Es Un Drac De Foc”) would stuck in your mind from the first listen instead. Carles proves he’s able to write songs in different styles, different tempos, of different complexity and with different emotions – all with the ease that’s almost palpable. Such diversity within the given frames of a particular genre is what makes this album so unputdownable. 

VLMNR BNDCMP

VLMNR FCBK

Chet "Calidoscopi"

Chet "Calidoscopi" (p)2018 U98 Music

This one particular time I will be brief.

Just a metaphor.

Somewhere in the imaginary town on the imaginary map of the world of music Chet’s album “Calidoscopi” would be the Catalan compatriots’ The Lazy Lies and Vol Menor stepbrother who stands on the station waiting for the train to cross the border that divides (or unites, it depends) the lands of indie pop and alternative country to take a cup of tea abroad with Clem Snide.

The beautiful music that produces the sense of warmth and peace in my soul.

The best tracks: Els Somiadors, La Pareja Hipster del Año, Nomes Ens Queda Cantar

BNDCMP

Lullavy "Ruina"

Lullavy "Ruina" (p)2017 self-released

Sometimes you need just a few seconds to fall for something so i fell in love with the Lullavy's "Ruina" within the first 5 seconds of "Quien Este Ciego Para Ver". 

Just to put some reference points: if you ask me what albums released within the new millenium I consider the best then I'd tell you it's Rival Schools' "United By Fate" for years 2001-2010 and The Jealous Sound's "A Gentle Reminder" for the years 2011 to-date. These albums are closely related to post-hardcore, and despite being, you know, 'radio-friendly' in certain terms they represent successfully what this genre has converted into since its early times.

"Ruina" is not radio-friendly (if we're not talking about iCat.cat - for this radio station it surely is a piece of pie) but it shouldn't scare you off cos it has the distinct emotion through rawness - the same emotion the early records of The Appleseed Cast or Braid had. It's so fucking great when the band you know nothing about builds the song and sound of such the natural greatness that it knocks you off and stomps you down. There's nothing about lush production, there's nothing about experementation in experementation's sake. The trio uses quite minimalistic approach to create the melodies that are burning inside while being locked within the 3-4 minute guitar-driven song - sometimes harsh and loud, sometimes tiny and subdued.

By the way, it's totally my fault that I wasn't learned of Lullavy before as a) the band has 'the family ties' to WANN whom I like alot, b) the album was recorded by Frank Rudow (of Manta Ray fame), and c) the album was mixed and mastered in the Canarian La Caterva Grabaciones where some of the great albums (for example, Pumuky's "Justicia Poetica") were baked.

The best tracks: Este Silencio, Intruso, Quien Este Ciego Para Ver, La Contencion

FCBK

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P.S. When I tried to find a video to any of the songs from the album the youtube's 'artificial intelligence' has led me then to the videos by Jawbox, Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate.

P.P.S. When I come into the Ultra-Local record store in Barcelona the next time I will wear the "Catalan post hardcore wanted" plate across my forehead.