The semi-annual report: TOP30 albums, TOP10 EP's and more...

First of all I should emphasize the fact that 2015 is the hell of the year - at least its first half. My head's got totally wound up with the albums listed below - not only because of the albums that confirm the abilities (or even set the watermarks much higher than before) of their creators (Pumuky, Havalina, Reina Republicana, Zahara), but also due to some great discoveries like Cuzin, Monte Del Oso, Homeless, Detergente Liquido or Moonflower. It's always so nice to find the new jem in the ocean. And this always makes me wonder how many great things I'm missing.

1. Pumuky "Justicia Poetica"

2. Anni B Sweet "Chasing Illusions"

3. Cuzin "Problemas Epicos"
4. La Maravillosa Orquestra Del Alcohol "La Primavera Del Invierno"

5. Reina Republicana "El Despertar"

6. Breis "14 Pla de Palau"

7. Homeless "La Ciencia Lo Sabe"
8. Monte Del Oso "Esto Tiene Que Doler"
9. Zahara "Santa"

10. El Lado Oscuro De La Broca "Beta"
11. Havalina "Islas De Cemento"
12. Clara Plath "Grand Battement"

13. Maicalles "DSPRXR"

14. Nueva Vulcano "Noveleria"

15. Detergente Liquido "Ponte En Lo Peor. Llamame El Lunes"

16. Alborotador Gomasio "Los Excesos De Los Ninos"

17. Pasajero "Parque De Atracciones"
18. Dorian "Diez Anos Y Un Dia"
19. Bullitt "Sparks"
20. Moonflower "Road Trip"

21. Igloo "Igloo2"

22. La Maniobra de Q "El Dano Esta Hecho"

23. <lo:mueso> "Hoiden Limother Petity Vefucker"
24. Disco Las Palmeras! "Asfixia"

25. Copiloto "Los Puentes Hundidos"

26. Correos "Seres"

27. Combray "Ullapool"

28. Jorganes "Science Was Wrong Before"
29. AMA "Nada Dos Veces"

30. L.A. "From The City To The Ocean Side"

10 best EP's and mini-albums (in alphabetical order):
Big Summer "Big Summer"
Estartega Pencherjevsky "Sentinel"
Fifteen Years Old "Abecedario"
Jon Koldo L. Salas "Tardes De Arena"
Paciente Cero "Viene"
Paracaidas "Pensamiento De Paz Durante Un Ataque Aereo"
Pedro Parque "Victoria"
Proyecto Solaz "Proyecto Solaz EP"
Seward "Second Two: Chapter Home"
Vufalo "El Jinete Electrico"

20 more albums to listen to (in alphabetical order):
Automatas "El Infierno Y Otros Miedos. Introduccion"
Axolotes Mexicanos "Holi <3"
Boreals "Boreals"
Blacanova "Regiones Devastadas"
Christina Rosenvinge "Lo Nuestro"
Diego Hdez "Autotrophic Music"

Dover "Complications"
Febrero "Ya!"

Grushenka "La Insoportable Levedad Del Ser"
Les Suecues "Educacio Fisica"
Lupulo "Lupulo"

Maronda "Vibraciones"

McEnroe "Rugen Las Flores"
Mi Capitan "Drenad El Cena"

Murciano Total "Quereres Y Dejenes"

Nudozurdo "Rojo Es Peligro"
Ocellot "Jelly Beat"
The New Raemon "Oh, Rompehielos"
Tulsa "La Calma Chica"

Wilhelm "How High Lily?"

And let's just finalize these long lists with the standalone song that is yet to appear on an album.

Lo Mejor del Ano - EPes y mini-albumes/ Best of 2014 - EP's & mini-albums

Before I start revealing my annual Top30 list of the best Spanish albums I'd like to present to you the teaser. So please find below my list of Top10 EP's - in no particular order (with Karen Koltarne as winner anyway):

Karen Koltrane "Plantas De Interior" 
(p)Foehn Records
This is the classic Foehn album - intelligent, warm and thinkful. The say they play synth pop. I'd rather say Karen Koltrane (the name of this four piece only seems to be the name of a single person - and there are no females in the band either) play something like trip-hop for smartasses. The slow motion beats, the melodies that evolve in minutes, the pure electronica and lo-fi ambient. The album was recorded as a pack of demos. But if these songs are demos - what would be their high fidelity?
And as a classic Foehn record - "Plantas de Interior" is a piece of heaven for every vinyl junkie.

El Viejo Astra "Estudio Dos" 
(p)El Hombre Bala
The Canarians El Viejo Astra somehow call this album an EP. I don't know why cos it's 35 minutes long, and there are many albums of shorter lenghts which are long plays. But if they want to call it an EP - let it be. Who am I to argue with the creators? The music here is full of the layers of foggy psychedelia, and it also contains thick analogue noise and timeless melodies galore. The bastard child of ELO and Medicine (or Spacemen 3). 

Kasparov vs Deep Blue "E.P." 
self-released
The band whose name reminds the battle of the greatest Russian chess champion of Azerbaijan origin Garry Kasparov with one of the first chess-trained supercomputers named Deep Blue plays alternative rock that flows from post-rock to post-grunge with Dredg as a main transit hub.
The great guitar sound and depression flowing directly into your blood system. The song "Big Eyes" is one of the best songs of the year.

baden bah! "futuro/a"
self-released
I've already spread my opinion on this cool album HERE

Doctor Lobo "Reiniciar"
self-released
Honestly speaking, I know nothing about this band from Valencia. I have picked this mini album from their bandcamp at random and found it very interesting. Stylistically they have something in common with the band Neuman, I suppose - it seems like they also did not make the final decision on what exact genre to play. But despite the stylistic uncertainty the songs are good, and their singer really can sing.

Nixon "Alter Ego" 
self-released
The music of this a bit psychedelic indie rock band from Almeria can remind you of Second at times.
Nixon exist from 2006 and "Alter Ego" is not their first release (in fact it's second), so the issues of 'the first attempt at writing' are hardly present here - all 6 songs on this EP sound very professionally composed and recorded.

Dulce Pajara de Juventud "Faithful Songs"
(p)BCore Disc
The provocative cover hides only three songs on this EP - but all these tracks are great.
The first "Evelyn Fuck Machine" is a killer hit. The next "Faithful Song" contains at least six non-cycled melodic progressions in the range between noise rock and chamber pop. The closing song "Benjamin" is a calmer track that fits good for the purpose of a classic closing track. The great appetizer before the full lenght.

Apenino "Viravolta"
(p)Jabalina Musica
This is the classic Jabalina Musica release - intelligent, warm and thinkful - but not in the same way as Foehn's classic releases. The project of Marco Maril (who hides himself under Apenino moniker), one of the core artists of Jabalina, delivers the smooth and intimate electronica-based indie pop that fits best for the sad smiles and quiet minutes of the pairs newly in love.

Mi Pequena Radio "Mono"
(p)Audiomatic/Sony ATV/EMI Publishing

Another pack of great songs from David Tabuena. Recording now as a full band, my personal favourites Mi Pequena Radio show the signs of the creative growth and growing ambitions on this tiny EP. Godspeed you, chicos!

Walden Dos "La Distancia Indolora"
self-released
This Madrid-based formation plays music which is obscure, powerful, colourful, loud and melodic. It incorporates the elements of trip hop, old school psychedelia, shoegaze, and krautrock standing in a couple of steps from electro-industrial.

Los Treinta Principales. #18. Nudozurdo "Tara Motor Hembra"

#18. Nudozurdo "Tara Motor Hembra" (p)2011 Everlasting Records

This album stands in the crossroads of post-rock, hardcore/post-hardcore and Los Planestas. The Madrid-based band successfully mixed fractured rhythmical structures with the energetic but smooth guitar work and plaintive vocals. While the first three songs are the best ones on the album in terms of memorability and accessibility (especially "Prometo Hacerte Dano" which was arguably the creative peak of Nudozurdo at that moment) the rest of the 10-song album is the most interesting part because of the band's experimentation with tempos, dynamics and the methods of expression. There are no two similar songs on the disc, and its emotional flowchart is fluctuating like a rollercoaster between bulldozer-fighting almost seven minutes long "Conoci El Amor" and even longer yet much more melodic violin-flavoured "Dosis Modernas".

The band was sparkling with ideas on "Tara Motor Hembra" and it should not be overlooked.

The best tracks: Prometo Hacerte Dano, Golden Gotele, No Me Toqueis, Dosis Modernas

Los Treinta Principales. #19. Sidonie "El Fluido Garcia"

#19. Sidonie "El Fluido Garcia" (p)2011 Octubre/ Sony Music

The Catalan rock chameleons took another turn of their career on "El Fluido Garcia", a space psychedelic retro rock album. The thick fuzzy sound wraps around the best songs the band ever wrote. For the first time the Hospitalet de Llobregat trio consiting of Marc, Jesus & Axel made a pack of melodies you would not want to fine-tune a bit. So, with all of its twists and turns, noisy guitar solos, Ringo Starr-ian drums and smoke-drenched athmosphere "El Fluido Garcia" transfers you 40 years back, like the 2010's are the new 70's, without ever sounding dated.

The best tracks: La Huida, Perros, A Mil Anos Luz

Los Treinta Principales. #20. Niños Mutantes "El Sol De Invierno"

#20. Ninos Mutantes "El Sol De Invierno" (p)2002 Astro Discos

What we can hear now on the current albums of Ninos Mutantes ("Las Noches De Insomnio" and "Naufragos" and possibly the next "El Futuro") is not what the band did 12 years ago. In the beginning of 2000's the music of the Granada-born mutant children was more upbeat, more loud and more driving. And "El Sol De Invierno" was a quintessence of these past years containing plenty of great songs which considerably differ one from another but never fall off the plate.
"La Ultima Vez" meets the listener with the 'quiet-loud' scheme worn out by grunge but here it sounds pretty fresh due to the catchy melody, the curling guitar passages and total absence of drug-infused gloom. In "En La Tierra" you could almost hear the echoes of Placebo's definitive album "Black Market Music" - but without this band's trademark depression and self-loathing. "El Corazon Es Un Cazador Solitario" easily flows two thirds of its timing like quasi-americana ballad and then dentro de nada explodes with guitar bursts. Even the electronic "Sigue La Luz" is strong enough to be not just a throwaway intermediate segue. The only misstep is "Algun Sitio, Algun Lugar" which is a bit too repetitive to work well.
I can't tell you that this album is inventive or something like that. But here the band had upgraded 'good' to 'perfect' adding to the scheme their melodic gift and attention to details and all this prevented "El Sol De Invierno" from being "Super 8" 10 years late derivative.

I don't know exactly what kind of splash this album caused - maybe none. Maybe it just promoted the band from the second league into the top indie bands of the state. But I suppose that the impact should be in setting the new standards of the powerful and catchy guitar-driven pop rock in Spain.

The album was produced in two formarts - standard and extended with 3 bonus tracks. Two of them - "Ser Feliz" and "Manual De Autoayuda" - are amongst the best tracks of the album.

The best tracks: La Ultima Vez, Gente Normal, Sigue La Luz, Ayer (cancion alemana)

Los Treinta Principales. #21. Sexy Sadie "Onion Soup Triturated by Big Toxic"

#21. Sexy Sadie "Onion Soup Triturated by Big Toxic" (p)1997 Subterfuge

It's time to return to the list of 30 albums that I like the most and I don't give a fuck about someone elses's opinion I consider the best in Spanish indie rock history.

Sexy Sadie were the loud rock band from the Isle of Mallorca (in fact, they ARE the band from Mallorca as long as they returned to musical practice the last year) led by Jaime Garcia Soriano. Grunge, post-grunge, even the elements of post-hardcore were mixed with clearly visible pop sensibility in their music. "Onion Soup" originally produced in 1996 was the second full lenght in their back сatalogue, and despite really strong moments in there it was not absolutely free from the issues. One of such issues was that some songs sounded a bit disjointed like they were written and recorded at different times and in different places. So it was kinda happy decision to team up with electronica producer Big Toxic who helped the band to rethink the songs and reconcile all the shortcomings of the former album. Here all the songs were led to one denominator by the pulsing beats and decorated by the iridescent 'indietronic' modulations produced by Big Toxic. Successfuly, these manipulations didn't cut short the energy and melodic potential of the original songs.

Two tracks from "Onion Soup" were totally discarded, and one new song "Needle Chill" was added to the plate (later this one also made it onto the next Sexy Sadie album "It's Beautiful It's Love" which is commonly considered as the band's best effort). Also, the quasi-smash hit 'Mr. Nobody' was presented in two renditions the last of them sung in castellano. 

It seems like the album was considerably underappreciated at the moment it was out but now - or should I better say 'even now'? - it still sounds pretty fresh and interesting.

The best tracks: Sr. Nadie, Rock'n'roll Fear, Needle Chill

Los Treinta Principales. #22. Los Planetas "Super 8"

#22. Los Planetas "Super 8" (p)1994 BMG

"Super 8" was not the first experience of planting the contemporary british/american alternative rock sound onto the fruitful lands of Iberian Peninsula. It was not the most successful guitar album of the time in terms of revenue. Arguably, it was the first truly creatively successful effort - successful to such level where it might sin duda compete with the 'inspiration sources'.

But, what is significantly more important, it was the album that stabbed the polemark of the audience attention to the whole (pretty much burgeoning at that time) Spanish scene of guitar-driven music in the vein of american 'smart' alternative rock (in the range from Dinosaur Jr to Mercury Rev) as well as of pre-'Cool Britannia' post-psychedelic quasi-shoegaze model (from Spacemen 3 to Swervedriver).

So, it was not the album that spawned the 'underground movement' - it was the album that started something on macro-level.

The best tracks: Brigitte, Estos Ultimos Dias, De Viaje

Los Treinta Principales. #23. Najwa "El Ultimo Primate"

#23. Najwa "El Ultimo Primate" (p)2010 WEA Spain

There is plenty of signs showing that 'girl with guitar/piano/whatever' rock tradition (t)here in Spain is full-blown. Just to name a few renowned female singers: Russian Red, Annie B Sweet, Eva Amaral, Zahara Gordillo Campos and, of course, Christina Rosenvinge, the foremother (and the role model) for the most of the domestic girls in rock.
And I suppose the best example of this sub-scene is neither pure acoustic emotions of Russian Red nor convoluted free-form pop vision of Anni B Sweet.
Najwa Nimri exist somewhere between two worlds neither being promoted to the major league (probably due to unconventionality of her music) nor fully involved in the world of indies (probably due to her successful movie career and following non-abligation to associate herself with any given sub-culture). There is a lot of influences both stylistical and personal - avant-garde guitar drones, trip-hop electronis passages, programmed ritual beats, Cocteau Twins, Shinead O'Connor, Kate Bush - all soldered into one perfect wrecking ball of true perfection slowly coiling down from your mind to your heart. And there is nothing more as frightening as the scary image of the cover art on this beautiful and bewitching album.

The best tracks: Dejame Pasar, Como Un Animal, El Ultimo Primate

Los Treinta Principales. #24. Muy Fellini "Muy Fellini"

#24. Muy Fellini "Muy Fellini" (p)2009 BCore Disc/Underhill Records

When Navarra post-hardcore outfit Half Foot Outside called it quits within a year and a half after their best effort "Heavenly" was out, it was not a big surprise that all the band members (at that moment pretty disjointed geofraphically) had the projects on their own. Now teamed up with the singer/guitarist Juan Maravi (of the band Sök fame), the ex-Half Foot Outside drummer Edu Ugarte started the new band called Muy Fellini. Long gone were the 'start/stop' and 'loud guitars/intimate vocals' stylistical approaches of HFO - the duo's debut album delivered to the listeners more stripped-down and rather acoustic folk rock. The first song "La Decepcion" sounds habitual for the burgeoning (if not saying 'oversaturated') americana scene with the melody you might expect from the international pop stars Travis. But while it was chosen to represent "Muy Fellini" with a video, it doesn't speak much about the album as a whole - the rest is full of great songs but not pure pop hits. The average lenght of the songs here is 5 minutes, so they have enough time to blossom with unexpected twists and turns. Juan Maravi easily switches from acoustic guitar strumming to powerful feedback wizardry, and his warmful voice adds depth to the picture, while Edu Ugarte's tight drumming never tries to dominate the sound pallette but constructs the system of coordinates in which these songs exist. Wonderful.

The best tracks: Dificil Claridad, Un Nuevo Amanecer, La Decepcion, Paris

Los Treinta Principales. #25. Yani Como "Nada Es Lo Que Parece"

#25. Yani Como "Nada Es Lo Que Parece" (p)2011 Art Of Troya

Yani Como are from Aranda de Duero, so it's no surprise that Javier Ajenjo, the leader of the band, is also the director of Sonorama music festival - the annual event which was described on the pages of this blog earlier. Despite the popularity of the senor Ajenjo's favourite brainchild (arguably, Sonorama is the largest indie event of the state - if counting the events focused on the domestic musicians), his second favourite brainchild is not so popular amongst people. Yani Como has neither wikipedia page nor the personal page on the lafonoteca.net, one of the largest resourses dedicated to Spanish rock music. This fact makes the digging in the band's discography a bit complicated task.
So, "Nothing Is What It Seems" is, approximately, the 3rd longplay of Yani Como and, definitely, the most perfected one.
And while the initial works of the band were inclined to a casual powerpop sound, this album is more about 90's Britrock tradition in the vein of Teenage Fanclub or The Boo Radleys. The sound of the band is enriched not only by the unexpected rhythm shifts ("Aqui Estoy") or translucent psychedelic touches (almost every song on the album) but also by heavy use of the violin - not the most obvious music instrument for the rocking indie band. To be fair, the violin is present on the previous albums of Yani but only here it is not only the important component of the band's sound but the instrument that upgrades it to the higher level of coherence and to the absolutely ethereal effects in such songs like "Buenos Aires" or "50E".
And the voice of Javier Ajenjo has the natural reverb effect in it, so once you've heard it you'd never confuse it with someone else's.

In the end of 2011 I voted for this album as the 2nd best album of the year (http://i-am-sposob.livejournal.com/121826.html), and after two years passed, I can confirm that it didn't become worse.

Physically the album was distributed through the tiny wine shops network (even the special wine bottles were created with the cover of the album as the wine label). So this is the only album from the TOP30 list that I have no hope to obtain on CD.

The best tracks: "Buenos Aires", "50E", "Aqui Estoy", "Magia"

No videos were made for this album, though.

Los Treinta Principales. #26. Love Of Lesbian "Cuentos Chinos Para Ninos Del Japon"

#26. Love Of Lesbian "Cuentos Chinos Para Ninos Del Japon" (p)2007 Naïve

After a short (not so short, really) break caused by my vacations now I'm back on the track.
The presented album was some kind of a milestone for me. If Deluxe opened the gates into rock en espanol scene for me, Love Of Lesbian were the ones who proved my then-yet-to-be-fledging affinity real.
There's a lot of subjectivity in this review (and in this position as well). I do understand that the 2nd part of the album fails a little bit - the first six songs on this disc are really the best ones. But this fact never spoiled my attention because this album means so much to me.
It is the second LoL's album sung en castellano, and if "Maniobras De Escapismo" had shown that the band received additional valency with the use of the native language, than "Chinese Stories For Japanese Kids" became the major step forward in terms of melodical progressions and stylistic diversity. The trip-hop of "Universos Infinitos" befriends here the upbeat pop-rock tune of "La Nina Imantada", the gorgeous "Los Colores De Una Sombra" flows into the acoustic "Un Dia En El Parque", and the family Christmas singalong "Villancico Para Mi Cunado Fernando" neighbors the Krishnaite-like chanting of "Shiwa". Add to this pallette the simple and funny "Me Amo" and the tragic slowburner "La Parabola Del Tonto" - and just try to imagine how to complete the cohesive album out of all of these songs.

The album spawned 5 videos (which is almost unbelievable for an indie band) and started the creative cooperation of Love Of Lesbian and young female director hiding under the alias Lyona.

The best tracks: Universos Infinitos, La Nina Imantada, Noches Reversibles, Las Colores De Una Sombra, Villancico Para Mi Cunado Fernando

Los Treinta Principales. #27. The New Raemon "Libre Asociacion"

#27. The New Raemon "Libre Asociacion" (p)2011 BCore Disc

In the end of 90's the Barcelonian Ramon Rodriguez started the band Madee, and that was the time when he - as many of his peers - have chosen the english lyrics as the way to spread his vision to the world. And it took almost 10 years for him to change the template. In the middle of 00's he appeared solo - now under the moniker The New Raemon, and while the stage name was english again the lyrics were not.
"Libre Asociacion" is the most accomplished album of Ra(e)mon to date, and it contains the fully arranged songs - unlike its mostly acoustic predecessors "A Proposito de Garfunkel" & "La Dimesion Desconocida" - with the wide pallette of instrumentation. When you start listening to this album you quickly may consider the opening title "La Bella y La Bestia" the best song ever penned by Ramon. But until the album ends you may change your mind at least three times, finally establishing "El Refugio De Superman" as the best one (in fact, "Libre Asociacion" has no bad songs at all).

The best songs: La Bella Y La Bestia, El Refugio De Superman, Kill Raemon, La Vida Regalada

Los Treinta Principales. #28. Second "Fracciones De Un Segundo"

#28. Second "Fracciones De Un Segundo" (p)2009 DRO Atlantic

The remarkable voice of Sean Frutos is the trademark of Second, the band from Murcia. "Fracciones De Un Segundo" was the 1st album of the band fully sung en castellano (the previous effort "Invisible" was a mix of songs sung in English and Spanish). Starting from the majestic hit "Rincon Exquisito" and throughout the album "Fracciones De Un Segundo" delivers great pop/rock tunes with strong danceable potential ("Rodamos", "Todas Las Cosas", "Dicen"). But the most winning moments are the songs which are coloured with sadness and/or built on the contrasting bittersweet emotions, such as "Nuevos Secretos", "Para Bien O Para Mal" and especially "Mas Suerte", another gorgeous song situated close to the end of the album.

The best songs: Rincon Exquisito, Mas Suerte, Conocerte, Nuevos Secretos

Los Treinta Principales. #29. Tulsa "Solo Me Has Rozado"

#29. Tulsa "Solo Me Has Rozado" (p)2007 Subterfuge

Led by Miren Iza, Tulsa were also from Basque Country. On their first longplay the band made an attempt to recreate the alternative country sound - and did it very authentically. In fact, you may expect it to be the album of some american band before Miren starts to sing. And her voice makes the great deal to make you fall in love with the songs.
Though thematically the album is mostly dark it doesn't sound moody. Free of any odd steps or studio trickery "Solo Me Has Rosado" is nevertheless bright, hopeful and full of great alt-country melodies.

The best songs: Carretera, Estupida, Limonakis, Tengo Hambre.

Los Treinta Principales. #30. Delorean "Silhouettes"

I'm starting the new topic now.

For the past 6 years I've listened to approximately 500 albums by 150 artists/bands within 'rock en espanol' community. I suppose I can make some conclusions.

So, "Los 30 Principales" is underway.

#30. Delorean "Silhouettes" (p)2001 Underhill

Delorean were, in fact, the 1st Spanish band I’ve ever heard – it was their eponymous album in 2005. But before this band of Basque Country origin started playing their warm sunshine electronica (with which they reached almost universal acclaim in 2009 when "Ayrton Senna" EP was out) there was the initial 'rocking' period of the band marked only by "Silhouettes".

Starting with that simple riff that made Smashing Pumpkins glorious 8 years ago "Silhouettes" sounded like a mixture of New Order and Jimmy Eat World spontaneously adding to the mix the elements of jangle pop and melodic progressions more characteristic for... ummm... Elliott Smith?
Leaving aside Delorean's further achievements, this album can be considered fresh and warm and melodic and free of any possible las faltas provinciales. But in the discography of the band it is (and probably always will be) some kind of a bastard child.

The best songs: Break Concrete, Automatic, Mini Skirt Girls