Las Resenas Casuales. Manolo Breis "Verna"

Breis "Verna" (p) 2014 Sweet Song Records

Today the singer/songwriter from Murcia Manolo Breis (who ususally appears in public using only his surname) releases his new album called "Verna" less than 10 months after his previous effort "Invisibles" was released.

Breis is not that widely bred in 2000 'detuned guitar/lo-fi sound/high-pitched voice'-kind of singer-songwriter. His songs are fully arranged, and while his musical pallette is not so wide but it is far from minimal as well. Exploring mostly slow-to-middetmpo dynamics, this album is calm and appeased. And from the first listen I get the feeling that the album lacks the song that can stuck in your head for hours and days. But the songs have their good features, like smartly structured "El Timon" or slowly growing up "Malos Tiempos" - and these two songs are definitely amongst the best ones here.

The best tracks: Dame Algo De Ti, Al Amanecer, El Timon, Malos Tiempos

The album can be officially downloaded from HERE for free.

Las Resenas Casuales. La Maravillosa Orquesta del Alcohol "Quien Nos Va A Salvar?"

La Maravillosa Orquestra Del Alcohol "Quien Nos Va A Salvar?" (p) 2013 Mus Records

To put it shortly, the Burgos-based sextet La Maravillosa Orquestra Del Alcohol (or LaMODA) plays acoustic bluegrass in the vein of Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers. "Quien Nos Va A Salvar?" ("Who's Gonna Save Us?") is the first full lenght effort of this combo emerging from the heart of Castilla y Leon province. On their bandcamp page (where you can buy the digital version of this album or download their previous releases for free) they describe themselves as 'drinking Nashville bourbon along with Russian vodka and Irish "Guinness" all at once'. But despite these characteristics their music doesn't really sound like the cocktail one could produce from these uneasy components. If "Quien Nos Va A Salvar?" would be a drink it could be definitely too fresh for the vodka-bourbon-Guinness mixture.

The songs on this album rarely exceed 3 minutes long with the only exception of the closing 'Nueva Orleans' over-4-minutes timing. The instruments used include banjo, saxo, accordion and violins in addition to acoustic guitars and drumkit. And it sounds like the band could manage all this wide range of tools with the greatest of ease playing full throttle and singing with all the passion the human beings could infuse in the music they make never showing the signs of losing control. And while not being the major step aside from [as trendy as] typical Mumford & Sons sound LaMODA can show you how the pack of fresh melodies and the lack of vanity-indulged hypergravity can bring a breath of life (or liveliness) into this deadborn idea of 'let's make this sort of Middle American roots music in England and Sweden and everywhere else'.

Let them be the followers of the trend, but they're not the copycats.

The best tracks: Los Hijos De Johnny Cash, Vasos Vacios, 1932

Los recuerdos de Sonorama 2013

Just spent some time editing the [mostly poor quality] photos I've made with my mobile phone till Sonorama fest in August.

Sin Rumbo:

Cyan:

Igloo:

Leon Benavente:

Pumuky:

Havalina:

Stay:

Xoel Lopez & his band:

The New Raemon & Maga:

Mi Pequena Radio:

Garamendi:

Dorian:

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

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

The Best Of 2013. Album #1

01. Leon Benavente "Leon Benavente" (p) Marxophone

Abraham Boba is a busy man. Formerly emerging as the member of Nacho Vegas' studio and touring team, later he became the anticipated session musician appearing on the albums by Julio De La Rosa, Pumuky, and tons of others as well as having three successful solo releases on Limbo Starr label. Now teamed up with old pal Luis Rodriguez (also of Nacho Vegas' team fame) on guitar along with Eduardo Baos from Tachenko (bass) and Cesar Verdu from Schwarz (drums) he started a new band (himself focusing on his 'Farfisa' and singing duties). Though this project hardly contradicts all what these well-trained men did before, but also it hardly coincides fully with their previous experiences, and the sound of their debut disc has little in common with Nacho Vegas or Tachenko. Loosely based on Joy Division-inspired branch of gloomy post-punk so many times reinterpreted by myriads of bands worldwide, the music on "Leon Benavente" is nevertheless deeper, smarter, and more emotionally charged (especially in the songs "La Palabra" or "Ser Brigada" with the inner tension escalated to the point where it could produce the spontaneous combustion) than the most of contemporaries. And the voice of Boba - warm but pretty detached - sticks all the parts together creating such the well-balanced and inward-looking state in you that you easily fall into to never come back. Until the music stops.

The Best Of 2013. Album #2

02. Mi Pequena Radio "Donde Esta Lo Que Un Dia Fuimos" (p) Bohemia Music

It took almost 4 years for David Tabuena to record the sophomore release of his alter ego Mi Pequena Radio. Like the 1st album "Esquiando Hacia Arriba" the new album is very energetic one, but unlike the previous release, "Donde Esta..." is much more diverse rhythmically, containing the trademark fast rockers along with danceable rock tunes and a couple of the perfect ballads.
Unfortunately, it's a pretty overlooked album, and even the casual help of Iker Casillas didn't work well. But it contains the best tunes this side of Miss Caffeina, and the songs like "La Reina Magnetica" or "Si No Me Has Matado" you'd never shake off your head even if you'd want to. So I don't have much words about this album except the following: if you haven't listened to it, then you haven't listened to year 2013 at all.