Lo Mejor De 2023. An Introduction

This was an amazing year. I feel kind of embarrassed saying this from within the frontiers of a country that still tries to eliminate its closest neighbour and now is in the process of banning at least 10% of its population via naming the LGBT+ people extremists - but musically it was really an amazing year. I'm used to making year end lists, I have been doing it for years and years, and rarely I went through such the mind-blowing exercise trying to elect 50 best albums of the year before. Fortunately it is 50! If it was 30 I'd have my head crack open for sure.

There were at least 70-80 albums in consideration out of the total 300+ releases I listened to throughout the year: from Cabello Prieto Azabache's "No.1" released 11th of January to Gazella's self-titled released 24th of November. Due to suffocating level of competition I was pressured to erase "Planes Para Días Grises", the most recent disc of my dear friends Igloo, from the final version of the list - the painful decision I still feel sorry about - as well as some other pretty great albums like Featherweight's "Ojalá Eternidad", Carolina Otero's "POPalina", Cucudrulu's "Zozobrar A Tiempo" or Vuelve Zinc's "No Lo Merecemos". Let it be kinda Honorable Mention for them.

Moreover, I would like to mention a handful of EPs and mini albums to be singled out, such as No Fucks' "No Fucks II", The Magic Mor's "Retrato De Amor Primitivo", Nøgen's "Åben Cirkel", Alondra Galopa's self-titled and Pálida Tez's "Viaje A La Habitación Del Fondo De La Casa". They deserve your full attention despite their diminutive stature.

41 - 50

31 - 40

21 - 30

11 - 20

01 - 10

Laura Lebone "Como Las Demás" (p)2023 autoeditado

Laura Arías plays synths and sings co-leading vocals in another remarkable indie band from Cádiz area - Detergente Líquido. Also, she serves as a half of marylebone duo from Sevilla where she permanently resides. "Cómo Las Demás" ("Like The Rest Of Them", where the definite article "las" shows that all of "them" are meant to be females) appears as a collaborative project: each and every song is marked with a collab name beside Laura's own. In the first song - largely acoustic tontipop piece "Manifesto" - she restores the creative pair with her marylebone partner Mario P. Recuero. Next, Laura is accompanied by her brother Julian in the vintage bossanova of "Cruda". Then it's Juan Antonio Mateos' turn to provide her with backing vocals (by the way, he produced the whole EP and, moreover, operated most of the guitar-looking equipment) in "Sindrome De Abstinencia" - undeniably the best track here led by Juan Antonio's catchy guitar part. Detergente Líquido's mastermind Alberto Rodway appears in "Dos Historias: Un Balcon Y Una Ventana" - a classic Detergente'y singalong with strong melody and fuzzy sound. The last one is where Ernie Rodriguez comes in not only with his drumming skills but also with his rarely heard before singing abilities (though his backing vocals in the choruses are harder to recognize than Louise Post vocalizing in Foo Fightets' "Everlong" - and you feel his lower notes rather than hear them). The eponimous tender elegy effectively closes the curtain behind this tiny set of songs where Laura approves her capability to star in the leading role after all these years of starring in supporting ones.

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This Drama "Loose Talk" (p)2023 Golden Robot

This Canary Islands-based band managed to sign its name into the canon of Deep Elm Records - the seminal indie label and one of the key factors in Midwest Emo bloom in the second half of the 90s. But don't expect this mini album to throw all the well-documented hallmarks of the aforementioned genre right in your face. It meets you and greets with... an acoustic guitar riff?! Yes! These six songs are entirely based on the acoustic riffage, the tight basslines and vocals balancing on the thin line between a sad sigh and a sarcastic grimace.

It strongly reminds me of "Arboreal" - the latest to date album of another loud-turned-semi-acoustic band Holywater from Galicia province. Another clear reminiscence is the [half-forgotten Georgians'] Dead Confederate "Peyote People" mini-album and its centrepiece "First Fires". 

Thus, despite their creators' emo past, these songs are not about expression of emotions, they are about keeping them inside. They're about channeling the inner tension, and they're perfect in it.

SPTF 

The Magic Mor "Retrato De Amor Primitivo" (p)2023 self-released

The Magic Mor is the band from the outskirts of Cádiz area - historically valuable harbour town, one of the southernmost trade and cultural centers of the mainland Spain. The band's leader, Juan Antonio Mateos, runs an indie recording studio Grabaciones Sumergidas in the nearby El Puerto de Santa Maria (the same cluster where Paco Loco runs his much more renowned Pacoloco Studios) where he is assisted by Ernesto "Ernie" Rodriguez - The Magic Mor's drummer. The band has three longplays full of the intelligent and tightly constructed psychedelic pop in its back catalogue. The new EP follows in the vein of the previous releases. It's melodic guitar-driven pop crafted to perfection where every little piece falls in its right place. The guitars and synths coexist successfully never blurring the essence of a song. I truly hope this 4 song EP is only an appetizer before the release of the next LP. I'll be looking forward eagerly.

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Pandan-Lagl “Teatro Del Absurdo” (p)2023 Repetidor

Pandan-Lagl are José Carlos Peña, Cristina Arroyo (both of El Relevo Alemán) and multiple drum machines. The new effort wears all the hallmarks of José Carlos’ modus operandi on its sleeves, that includes angular guitars and introspective vocals typical for post-hardcore and 2nd wave emo. Additionally, it’s Codeine and Bedhead who probably influenced the slower tracks "El Tratado De Versailles" and "El Sol Se Pone En El Somme". The mixture of post-hardcore, sadcore and programmed drums sounds pretty fresh and even danceable at times ("Los Modernos"). The album as a whole sounds in line with all the previous JC Peña’s efforts (Estoikov, El Relevo Aleman, Tremolino) - and simultaneously it looks like a new chapter, or the plot twist.    

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Tuya “Proxy” (p)2023 El Rayo Verde

I've got so much respect bordered on adoration to David T. Ginzo’s “A War Is Coming” which is placed high in my shortlist of go-to albums, so it’s obvious that I expected much from his new effort “Proxy”. And… What I got is not what I expected. While “A War Is Coming” sounded handmade, “Proxy” sounds too professional. In fact, the difference between these two albums is like the difference between an arthouse movie and a high-budget blockbuster. There’s no problem, globally. Creative growth mixed with outstanding technical skills – who the heck would call it a problem? Besides, there are still some great songs here (“Ball Under The Car”, “Anthony”, “Friendly Fire”). But the rest of the album (especially “The Coup In My Eyes” and “Bretton Woods”) would perfectly fit for the playlist between the festival sets of Grimes and Arca – and it’s only bad news for me as at any festival I wouldn’t attend a show of either.

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Lepora "Zulotik" (p)2023 Bonberenea Ekintzak

Days ago the Basque DIY post-hardcore mainstays Lisabö announced their sixth longplay set for release for 12/01/2023. Those news made me wonder if I could find something to brighten up my day in the meantime, and after quite superficial study I've found this: a 20 minutes long jazz-oriented post-hardcore album sung entirely in euskera.

Along with some obvious comparisons to aforementioned Lisabö whose helmsman Carlos Osinaga produced this record, there is also strong resemblance to Midwest emo - especially to the bands that used time signatures like it was their playground (in other words, more Cap'n Jazz and Faraquet than Benton Falls or The Get Up Kids). The early screamo influence is palpable as well. The first two tracks ("Ez Dago Inor", "Zulotik") I like the most as they're the most fierce and uncompromised ones here. 

Punk/hardcore itself is something of a commonplace in the music landscape of Basque Country but Lepora can easily be singled out of their peers as evidenced by this abrasive yet memorable mini album.

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