Clara Plath "Grand Battement"

Clara Plath "Grand Battement" (p)2015

The first full lenght of the Murcian female-fronted band Clara Plath follows the path of the last year's EP "Hi Lola !!" - and these are definitely good news because the EP only slightly uncovered the band's potential to create the 'all killer no filler'-plateful of songs. After the album was released physically the band sent me a copy (you may see my happy face below) but I couldn't stand waiting when it would arrive, so I purchased the digital copy on iTunes just to get it faster.
Apart from the track that opens and closes "Grand Battement" (the 2 minute long "Kisses Goodbye") the canvas of the album is divided in equal proportions into the loud smash rockers ("Crazy Liar", "Waiting For My Dog", "Like A Rocket", "American Do") and calmer tracks like "Broken Dolls", "Grand Battement", "Distance" and "Second Floor" where the guitars share the leading role with the keyboards. The both types of songs are remarkable. The Kathleen Hanna-inspired hysterical screams on "Crazy Liar" refrain add some new dimension to the picture, so does the folk tune "Little Sue" only available as the bonus track. The songs are not that polished, they're not that hair-brushed. They're just real. These songs are from that perfect world where "simple" doesn't mean "mediocre", "melodic" doesn't mean "commercial", and "catchy" doesn't mean "calculated".

Under the bottom line "Grand Battement" is a kind of album where you may start to play any song just to give it a try and then accidentally find yourself having been auditioning all the album through for the second round just not being able to press the "STOP" button.

The best tracks: Crazy Liar, American Do, Distance, Waiting For My Dog

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Cuzin "Problemas Epicos"

Cuzin "Problemas Epicos" (p)2015 Gran Tigre

This metropolitan trio includes the members of such the perfect guitar-driven bands as El Relevo Aleman and Buena Esperanza. I wasn't informed about it when I started to listen to "Problemas Epicos" for the first time. In fact, I've learned about the mere existence of the band only via the poster of their mutual concert with my other Y2015 favorites - Monte Del Oso. The pairing of these two bands on the same poster isn't accidental - the bands wear the same aesthetics on their sleeves, and their roots feed from the same soils: the american indie rock of the 90's. While Monte Del Oso lean to pure 90's indie (Sugar, Dinosaur Jr, etc), Cuzin are more about post-hardcore crossed with 2nd wave emo: Jawbox, Fugazi, Braid and the first two records of Jimmy Eat World, you know the names. And they play this kind of music to the mesmerizing results: "Problemas Epicos" is the absolute winner. Crafted with the distinct DIY approach, this album delivers quite minimalistic rock sound with tunes so tight and catchy* that for the fisrt time I hardly can exstract the best tracks here - they're all perfect.

*Please don't forget that when I say 'catchy' I mean "Frame & Canvas" & "Static Prevails" kind of catchy.

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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.

#CaminoAlSonorama2015. #0

In 5 weeks we'll be back at Sonorama!

Igloo "IGLØØ2"

Igloo "IGLØØ2" (p)2015 Ernie Producciones

Igloo have done the same trick that Dorian did a month before them: they took a look upon their career with some extracted songs being refaced, rethought and reimagened - and supplemented with one brand new song (the gorgeous "La Reina Ourensana") along with two cover versions - Family's "El Bello Verano" and "Sugar Baby Love" originally by The Rubettes (#1 UK hit single in 1974). With three last tracks as electro remixes ("Todo", "Han Solo" and "Sin Mentiras") the rest of the songs are the quieter, milder and more stripped-down renditions of original versions - I can't say they're acoustic versions, I'd rather say they're 'acousticized' if there'd be the word.
As for Dorian, the songs chosen to appear on this album are not necessarily the best songs of Igloo, and honestly speaking, the 'election algorithm' for me is unclear. But it's not the point because the band managed to achieve something important that probably could not be achieved through the main hits and 'best in career' songs: it feels like Beni Ferreiro and his pals opened the door and let you inside their living room with its warm frendly and soulful atmosphere. Just imagine yourself sitting in some place that is not your home but it feels like home, that's it.

The best tracks: La Reina Ourensana, El Bello Verano, Hada, Han Solo (Rework by David Kano)


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Estratega Pencherjevsky "Sentinel"

Estratega Pencherjevsky "Sentinel" (p)2015

Estartega Pencherjevsky is the solo project of Jose J. Martin, one of the components inside the universe of GAF y La Estrella De La Muerte. So what we've got here is the Canarian-bred sci-fi electro rock - the music that derives from old school 70's synth pop experimentators Tangerine Dream ("I Can't Remeber") as well as from the present day Grammy nominees Daft Punk ("Neon Shield"). As eclectic as the 5-song EP can be, "Sentinel" creates and incorporates 8-bit Nintendo sounds on par with Eastern Block cosmic television dramas' soundtracks ("Apocalyptic Rhythm Machine" could work well for some Stanislaw Lem adaptation) to receive the dizzy, foggy and warm soundscapes with the large portion of nostalgia.

The best tracks: The Neon Shield, Sentinel

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Maicalles "DSPRXR"

Maicalles "DSPRXR" (p)2015 self-released

The solo project of Poomse leader Llorenç Rossello delivers the intelligent and slowly evolving kind of lo-fi music that could be represented by the term 'folktronica'. Most of the songs are so suave and quiet that it sounds like they are afraid of breaking the silence and disturbing the homeostasis of the spheres ("Pla B", "Millor", "Civilitzacio", most of others). But sometimes ("Desapareixer", "Sendak") they dare to get more straightforward approach that leads them somewhere into the territories of Lou Barlow's solo work "EMOH".
The album also includes the track named "Bill Callahan" probably intended to showcase one of the main influence for "DSPRXR". As I don't understand Catalan at all I can't tell you if Llorenç addresses directly to Bill in this song or the name of American lo-fi pioneer is just some kind of lyrical allegory.

The best tracks: Desapareixer, Branques Primes, Bill Callahan, Sendak

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