Paciente Cero "Viene EP"

Paciente Cero "Viene EP" (p)2015 self-released

My yearlong attraction to Paciente Cero began when I saw the band playing the tiny "Hangar Stage" at Sonorama 2014 with my initial intention to try to catch them for a song or so before Belako main stage set - the intention that had turned completely opposite when I was nailed down to the ground for the full set of Paciente Cero and was able to see Belako onstage only for the final couple of songs.
Their first demo "Dia 1" was a pleasurable set of songs stylistically close to neoprog-influenced alternative rock with Dredg as probably the best reference point. You know those 7-minute long songs with guitars galore and strong pop feel that have enough twists and turns to never appear on pop rock radio stations. Honestly speaking, I've expected "Viene" to be the logical proggression of "Dia 1" ideas - the expectation that has not actually come true.

"Viene" starts with "Llevame" - the track that was also present on demo album. So it is pretty easy to compare two versions of the same song and to make the preliminary conclusion on what was changed in terms of sound. For my ears the new version sounds definitely richer, the production is clean and stark. The vocals of the charismatic frontman Rafa Tunon are shifted to the forefront while the drums are pushed to the background of the final mix. This makes the song to sound relatively lighter as compared to the demo version.
The next track "G&M" sounds like the band invited Mike McCready and Stone Gossard to play in the studio so I can almost hear Eddie Vedder singing the verses.
"Mentiras" is probably the song with the most hit potential here - when Rafa starts to sing the first line of the chorus: "Con las manos vacias..." - my head goes banging spontaneously.
It seems like "Reverso", the track #4, lacks the fresh air around being trapped between two bright and powerful hit songs - the circumstances in which the most complicated track on this EP has no opportunity to blossom.
The final track "Solsticio" starts with Muse-influenced guitar solo (do you remember that one from "Plug In Baby"?) but the evolution of the song has nothing in common with Matt Bellamy-led prog-pop neo-Queen vehicle. This is the second track off "Dia 1" to appear here.

Overall, "Viene" as a whole is a good promise for the future and the good reason to wait for the moment when Paciente Cero are to record their first studio full lenght  - because it would be a killer. The only regret is that two of my favourite songs from "Dia 1" - "Signos Clandestinos" and "Llanto De Acuarela" - weren't chosen to appear on "Viene".

The best tracks: Llevame, Mentiras, Solsticio

FREE DOWNLOAD

Zahara "Santa"

Zahara "Santa" (p) G.O.Z.Z. Records

The new album of Ubeda native Zahara Gordillo Campos (the musician, the actress, the photo model, and the one of the most beautiful creatures in the world history) is definitely the most diversified one in her back catalogue. If Zahara's previous works more or less followed the female singer/songwriters' classic 'a girl + guitar + small backing band' pattern then "Santa" has a lot of influences in itself that can be extracted and categorized. So I'd say that "Santa" is a plate where "Crash", "Deshielo" and the title track are the upbeat and sparkling rockers paired to pure 80's pop hits "Oh Salvaje" and "Caída Libre" before being mixed in with "Inmaculada Decepcion" and "Donde Habitan Los Monstruos" that are the modern rock songs whose vibe depends more on digital effects and pulsing rhythm than on guitars - and don't forget about acoustic folk pieces "La Gracia" and "El Frio". It's a pure artistic achievent that these seemingly detached elements and details are amalgamated into one solid entity that you can listen to without any feelings of  'there are some parts missing' or 'too much for me' kind.
But what makes this cool album really great is "Bestiario" -  the second disc included into the deluxe edition of "Santa". Consisting of demo tracks as well as the live and acoustic versions, "Bestiario" shows that Zahara's songs are working perfectly even being stripped down to the core and peeled off of any studio production gloss.

The best tracks: Crash, El Deshielo, Santa, Inmaculada Decepcion, Int. Noche, Circulos Concentricos (demo), El Universo (directo)


ZAHARAMANIA, Zahara's official site

Seward "Second Two: Chapter Home"

Seward "Second Two: Chapter Home" (p)2015 Foehn

Enigmatic (no Facebook, no twitter, no other redes sociales) Barcelonian quartet is set to release their third effort. Honestly speaking, I'm not even sure that these four tracks on the Foehn Records' bandcamp page are completing the album in its fullness - two more songs are promised to be presented along with the limited vinyl release of "Second Two: Chapter Home", or I just got it wrong.

This is psycho folk. This is pure 'stream of consciousness' experimental psycho folk alot like the early works of Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear crossed with the sounds of Seward's labelmate Cherry. This music has no borders and frames - strange, uncommon, fractured, overtly theatrical, flowing freely back and forth, leaving you with headache and prescribing the pain reliever in the same time. 

The best track: So To Soon

BUY/LISTEN

Xoel Lopez "Paramales"

Xoel Lopez "Paramales" (p)2015 Esmerarte

The bitter truth about this album is that I don't like it. It's sad to say so about the musician that - unbeknownst to himself - invited me to the world of rock espanol 8 years ago. My soul is crying and my fingers are bleeding over the keypad of my laptop when I type these words here but that's what I really feel like: I don't like "Paramales". I liked "Atlantico", and I can't say that there are lots of changes on the new album being compared to "Atlantico". From the first track "Patagonia" (definitely the best song here) it seems like "Paramales" picks up where "Atlantico" left off. And if the whole album followed the steps of "Patagonia" there would not be any problem. The next song "Yo Solo Queria Que Me Llevaras A Bailar" is also quite pleasurable... and that's the point: the rest of "Paramales" is full of songs that are 'quite pleasurable' at best. That's how I feel it. Maybe I'm not just fine-tuned for it. I appreciate the fact that the album might look great being considered within the context of Spanish roots-folk song tradition (in comparison with any 200 years old song of a seaman leaving his darling so far away it could even be considered 'inventive'), but it's just not the way I'd like Xoel to be considered.

UPDATE: after the multiple auditions the album starts to grow on me. So maybe I will finally fall for it sometimes later.

The best tracks: Patagonia, Yo Solo Queria Que Me Llevaras A Bailar, Caracoles, Almas Del Norte

Axolotes Mexicanos "Holi 3"

Axolotes Mexicanos "Holi <3" (p)2015 Elefant

The debut full lenght of Asturian indie pop trio Axolotes Mexicanos starts with the fast and furious drumming like it is a hardcore/punk act. But as the album goes on the pop sensibilities win over, so the music becomes more aligned to twee pop and - thanks to synths operated by the female vocalist Olaya - to Japanese wing of indie pop music known as 'Shibuya-Key'. Hence it becomes apparent that Elefant Records had no intentions of switching to rough punk scene while releasing this album, and the bands that create such pure pop tracks as "El Basurero" and "Villalpando" and breezy melodies as "Te Miro Mientras Duermes" and "Interestelar" are still its focus of attention. Anyway, the punk roots aren't abandoned completely, and the album comes to end on the same rails where it started with "Hay Una China Que Vive En Mi Piso" which is the short fast and minimalist punk chant. So, for those of you who are into Shonen Knife or Los Fresones Rebeldes this album would be a good fit.

The best tracks: Te Miro Mientras Duermes, Interestelar, El Basurero

El Relevo Aleman "Königsberg"

El Relevo Aleman "Königsberg" (p)2014

The third long play of the Madrid-based rock outfit El Relevo Aleman is their most complex work to-date. The frontman Jose Carlos Peña is also the drummer for the perfect '2nd wave emo' band Cusin. In El Relevo Aleman he is backed by all-female rhythm section that consists of Christina Arroyo (bass) and Zutoia Rios (drums). This trio plays tight guitar-driven rock music that stands both legs in American 90s/00s indie/alternative movement. So, if you're into such bands as Archers Of Loaf, Built To Spill and especially Pedro the Lion - then "Königsberg" with its angular guitar parts brought to the foreground of the mix and the quiet but emotional vocals is definitely your piece of pie. Since the roots of my music tastes were fed by the same fertile soils (before my 'rock español' immersion I was - and still is - the die-hard fan of aforementioned bands and lots of their peers) I shouldn't have missed this album. Luckily I discovered it by a chance a couple of months ago and quickly fell for it because in comparison with the band's previous efforts "Etica Protestante" and "El Mundo Antiguo" it sounds better produced and more mature, and contains more memorable songs.

By the way, it was nice to see Bottomless Pit in their Facebook 'Interests' section - this band formed by Silkworm members Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett after the drummer Michael Dahlquist untimely passing rarely appears in someone's lists.

The best tracks: El Equipo Español de Curling, El Terror Bolchevique, La Gravitacion Universal, Los Visigodos

BUY/LISTEN

Jorganes "Science Was Wrong Before"

Jorganes "Science Was Wrong Before" (p)2015 El Hombre Bala

Can you imagine how many great music acts are there on Canary Islands? A lot of, really. For me it's like there's something special in the atmosphere: all you need is just to wake up, open your eyes, breathe the air - and you're already high on fresh ideas.

"Science Was Wrong Before" is another bright example of Tenerife-bred electronica released by local label El Hombre Bala that stands at the forefront of Canarian indie surge. Juanjo Jorganes masterfully mixes, crosses and pairs 'Chicago school' trance, Ninja Tune-esque electronica-based free jazz, lazy beats and analogue noise to the perfect results. Unlike his pal/labelmate Postman whose strangely attractive abstract/break-core experiments stand in relative contradiction to pop phenomenon, the music of Jorganes showcases enough pop elements to dance along to or at least to nod your head to the beat.

The conclusion is as follows: the beat, the scratch, multiple reminiscences in the range from Leftfield ("Unprotected", "Long Coffee") to Dilated Peoples ("Flames") and a lot of good vibrations inbetween.

The best tracks: Unprotected, Flames, Sun & Sand, Watch



LISTEN/BUY