Best Of 2018. Top50 Albums. 01 - 10

The truth is the most part of the year I spent under the influence of writer’s block, the most severe in my life. In my normal condition I’ve been always writing something: the songs, the short stories, the reviews. This year I wrote 8 songs, something like 10 reviews, 2 articles and only a couple of sardonic stories – by my average annual measures it’s almost nothing. Moreover, this blog now is my only practice in English. I used to speak English on the everyday basis a few years ago but on my current day job it’s not necessary so I don’t speak it now. Thus I feel like my abilities are diminishing over time and the writer’s block only expands the inconsistency. The writer’s block ain’t the only problem. The other issue is that I have much to tell you about these albums, or, frankly speaking, way too much to tell. Every album presented in this section deserves large in-depth review because every one is the special one. And I’ve got so much feelings that it’s almost impossible for me to cut them down to the proper words. 

I do ‘the best of year’ list for the sixth time, and this is the first time when I should admit that I’m not capable of doing my work in time. So I should leave the final – and the most important – part of the list wordless. Anyway, I may speak less but my passion is still growing on (who needs the blogger that doesn’t speak anything – it’s an open question though).

10-11. SÜMA "Noble Nature" 

(p) Mont Ventoux

SPTF

San Jeronimo "El Sur" 

(p)WeAreWolves

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09. Chicharron "Cancions Clinicas" 

(p)Prenom

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08. Vol Menor "Tota Una Vida Perduda En Un Clic" 

(p)self-released

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07. Kindata "We The Transmitter" 

(p)WeAreWolves

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06.  La Estrella De David "Consagracion" 

(p)Hi Jauh USB?/ Sonido Muchacho

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05. Captains "Pure Pleasure" 

(p)Set Theory

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04. The Lazy Lies "Less Talk More Action" 

(p)U98 Music

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03. Burrito Panza "El Nuevo Frente Frio" 

(p)El Genio Equivocado

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02. Hazte Lapon "Tu Siempre Ganas pts1&2" 

(p)El Genio Equivocado

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01. Detergente Liquido "Con Miedo Al Amor Por Las Personas Sin Tiempo" 

(p)self-released

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Top20 EPs and mini albums

Honorable Mention

41 - 50 >>>

31 - 40 >>>

21 - 30 >>>
12 - 20 >>>

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. 

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Best Of 2017. Honorable Mention

<<< 41 - 50

<<< 31 - 40

<<< 21 - 30

<<< 11 - 20

<<< EPs & mini albums

Ainara LeGardon "Ainara LeGardon" (p)self-released
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Malaspecto "¡Qué poca vergüenza! / Canciones Obsoletas" (p)El Hombre Bala
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NääN "A Traves D'Un Miratge" (p)self-released
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Diola "Diola" (p)BCore Disc
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vol menor "Contracorrent A L'Instint" (p)self-released
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Wild Honey "Torres Blancas" (p)Lovemonk BNDCMP

L'Hereu Escampa "Pren La Matinada" (p)Famelic BNDCMP

Zulu Zulu "Defensa Zebra" (p)Foehn Records BNDCMP

Campeon "Suncampeon" (p)self-released BNDCMP

Black Mirror "No Colours For Concern" (p)El Hombre Bala BNDCMP

First of all, all these albums of this section are exceptional. The only reason why they're out of the main list… Oh no, there's no one and only reason for all of them. Some of these albums (Diola’s unconventional punk rock album, vol menor’s “Contracorrent A L’Instint” full of indie pop brightness in 'under 1.5 minutes' format) have spent some time within the Top50 but the year end’s carpet bombing of the heavyweight contestants (Tulsa, Vetusta Morla, Eladio Y Los Seres Queridos, Autumn Comets) pulled them out of the final edition.

Another reason is my attempt to create the poll diverse enough without concentrating on some given genre as nobody would like to look through the list with only post-hardcore/90s indie rock entries. The albums of Wild Honey and L’Hereu Escampa also were in my long list but fell victims to their genres’ representation in Top50. There are 8 albums of indie pop and 5 albums of Catalan Post Hardcore TM more in the main list, so these two became the (un)lucky losers.

Basically, I'm trying to do the poll that could be interesting for other people, not only for me, sometimes distancing myself from my own tastes. And this approach... it really makes me develop myself. Sometimes it makes me discover the gems I'd never be going to discover may I take the other method. But I can’t deny my own vision completely. For instance, I hardly could imagine the band like La Iaia to be in my main list - but I listened to it, I liked it, and I'm still listening to it. In the other hand, Ainara LeGardon’s eponymous release is like some great wine where you taste all these nuances and overtones and you feel with the pores of your skin that this is really great - but it's obviously not exactly what you want and you're not going to drink it quite frequently and you're not going to recommend it to others. I do recommend “Ainara LeGardon” because it’s a great record - but it's the great record for minority. And I can repeat these words for NääN’s “A Traves D'Un Miratge”, Black Mirror’s “No Colours For Concern” и Zulu Zulu’s “Defensa Zebra” – these are the outstanding albums but they’re too special for such the post-hardcore/90s indie rock junkie like me.

Regarding Malaspecto’s “¡Qué poca vergüenza! / Canciones Obsoletas”… It may look like a joke, and it may sound like a joke. But why can't I throw these short sarcastic sonic glimpses out of my head for literally months??? Last September I was lucky to see them performing live and it was an exceptionally funny moment. You have to embrace their aesthetics of true spontaneity to enjoy the duo’s art in its fullness. By the way, they're punk rock. Not synth-pop or electro or anything like that.

And, finally, the harsh, brutal & honest punk/hardcore/under-grunge (think of Husker Du or Fleeper) with the power pop melodicity of Campeon is also highly recommended. The album is produced by Brian Hunt.

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