Best Records and EPs of the year 2019... so far

Last day of June, meaning half of 2019 is about to pass. To be honest, it's been a pretty shitty year so far for us and, among other, much bigger and personal letdowns, it has been a period of time in which we have clearly struggled to keep with our regular frequency of posts. But that doesn't mean we aren't listening to music. By no means. And to prove it, today we are unveiling our traditional 25 best records and EPs of the year so far! Albums are listed in alphabetical order (in December we will rank the final list) as, for now, we are just enumerating the records (don't care about the length either) that we have enjoyed the most during this six months. Endlessly open and ready for suggestions, as it always should be, we hope you like it, encouraging you to listen carefully. And stay tuned, our favourite songs from the fist half of 2019 are just around the corner!

Aldous Harding- Designer
Arista Fiera- Mi Defensa Personal
Bedouine- Birds Songs of a Killjoy
Better Oblivion Community Center- Better Oblivion Community Center
Business of Dreams- Ripe for Anarchy
Butcher the Bar- III
Desperate Journalist- In Search of the Miraculous
El Palacio de Linares- Largos Agotadores
Ex Hex- It’s Real
Fontaines D.C.- Dogrel
Holiday Ghosts- West Bay Playroom
I Was a King- Slow Century
Jeanines- Jeanines
Jenny Lewis- On the Line
Jessica Pratt- Quiet Signs
Julia Jacklin- Crushing
Seablite- Grass Stains and Novocaine
She Keeps Bees- Kinship
Stella Donelly- Beware of Dogs
Strand of Oaks- Eraserland
Swimming Tapes- Morningside
The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness- Dead Calm
The National- I Am Easy to Find
The Stroppies- Whoosh!
Tiny Ruins- Olympic Girls

More lists? Click on the years to check our 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 selections!

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 233

Last weekend of June, and first heatwave of the summer across Europe (thanks a lot climate change deniers). So, before taking shelter anywhere you can find fresher airs, here we propose you new music pearls awaiting to be discovered in our latest TOP TEN JUKEBOX. A soundtrack of eclectic sounds, with folky vibes, komische tunes, wiry art-punk and knockout indiepop, ready to help you combat the heat and your daily routine. So press play, don't forget to hydrate yourself properly, and remember, all the songs are available at our Soundcloud. (Join Us!)

Direct links to 2019 Jukebox playlists

Week 214  Week 215 Week 216  Week 217 Week 218 Week 219 Week 220 Week 221 
Week 222 Week 223  Week 224  Week 225 Week 226  Week 227 Week 228 Week 229
Week 230 Week 231  Week 232

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 232

Finally it's Friday! Also, this weekend we have an extra day off due to Saint John festivity, so before heading to relax in the mountains (yes, we aren't fans of fireworks and the noise that goes along with this party) we bring you another round of our beloved TOP TEN JUKEBOX. Ten excellent songs for those who decide to have a different soundtrack to celebrate the summer solstice. Surely, it isn't the most mainstream music, although if you are regular followers of this blog, you already know that we love to search for new groups and rhythms against trending music tides. In any case, we urge you to press play and have a really nice weekend. And remember, all the songs are available at our Soundcloud. (Join Us!)

Direct links to 2019 Jukebox playlists

Week 214  Week 215 Week 216  Week 217 Week 218 Week 219 Week 220 Week 221 
Week 222 Week 223  Week 224  Week 225 Week 226  Week 227 Week 228 Week 229
Week 230 Week 231

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 231

After a little hiatus and a pretty busy month of June ahead, with plenty of activities and short (luckily!) trips, we take advantage of this quiet Sunday to bring you our last TOP TEN JUKEBOX. A playlist full of exciting tunes, with a summer aftertaste, because we already have it around the corner! We encourage you to immerse yourself into the new proposals and let yourselves be influenced by their evocative rhythms. Hope you enjoy it and remember, all the songs are available at our Soundcloud. (Join Us!)

Direct links to 2019 Jukebox playlists

Week 214  Week 215 Week 216  Week 217 Week 218 Week 219 Week 220 Week 221 
Week 222 Week 223  Week 224  Week 225 Week 226  Week 227 Week 228 Week 229
Week 230

Primavera Sound in brief, day 3

As promised, here comes the final post on "our" Primavera Sound Festival (PS) 2019, with the quick summary of what happened in Saturday's 1st, plus a comment on Sunday's 2nd. One more time, let's talk about music!

The Good

Built to Spill: Another box to be checked in this PS, we were finally able to see the Boise band lead by Doug Martsch live. And in a very special occasion, performing the flawless 'Keep It Like a Secret', in what it became an hour of getting completely lost in the sound, during which the Primavera stage transformed in the 'Center of the Universe' for a rapturous while. Not-so-secret, happily.

Best kept secret from Idaho. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Jarvis, making you dance and jump... again
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Jarv Is: It's a no-brainer. If Jarvis Cocker is in the building you go watch what he's about to offer. He's just one of a kind. On Saturday, at Ray-Ban stage he presented his new music adventure, Jarv Is, delivering a set of newbies. Obviously, that made the audience unable to connect fully, but the Sheffield's icon, in our opinion one of the best frontmans ever, can't miss a beat. Promising sounds, theatrical moves, odd, hilarious engagements with the crowd (that Italian guy, freaking out). Jarvis never disappoints.

Filthy Friends: Another mandatory gig, despite taking place on Sunday and having to suffer some trap act (beyond terrible) before two Blog superheroes, Peter Buck and Corin Tucker, took the CCCB stage, alongside the great company of an hyperactive Kurt Bloch, a shiny happy Scott McCaughey and the efficient Linda Pittmon on drums. There were some issues regarding Tucker's vocals (windy afternoon), but the energy and easygoing attitude, plus the strength of the diaphanous rock tunes contributed for a very pleasing afternoon, a nice way to end our PS with a smile.

The mighty friends. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Bad

Saturday's holes and mixtures: It was something to be expected. The PS turn towards mainstream, embracing the most commercial side of R&B, latin music, prefabricated pop, reggaeton or trap... took its toll, creating several huge gaps in our schedule during Saturday. Not much to see, if you weren't interested (at all) in the 'New Normal', a situation that is rare (and disappointing) in a Festival with such a great offer. But, in the other hand, maybe we shouldn't complain that much, because the amount of dubious acts were all programmed in Mordor, so we didn't have to visit the most exhausting area of the Festival, avoiding not only the unwanted music, but also the biggest crowds, allowing us to enjoy the ones we want to watch in a much more comfortable way instead.

The Queen
Stereolab: The most anticipated gig of the PS for us (never seen live before), but we must admit the previous excitement (another couple of Blog heroes in Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane) was mixed with some concerns, regarding the possible clash of their experimental indiepop musik with this "millennial era" of permanent distraction. But the doubts quickly vanished, replaced by a stunning perfomance, rockier than expected, dynamic and energetic, making the audience dance with their komische sounds. Playing in the milky night of Barcelona... 

At the French Disko. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Here are the links of the previous chapters! Day 1 and Day 2

Primavera Sound 2019 in brief, day 2

Back to regular life after Primavera Sound Festival (PS) 2019 ended! So, while we adjust to our day-to-day schedules, here comes the second of our quick recaps of what we just experienced at Parc del Fòrum, today focusing in Friday's 31st. Let's go!

Lucy Dacus, historian at work. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Good
Lucy Dacus: The hour in which her gig was programmed was criminal. The Ray-Ban stage was, in principle, too big. But these unflattering factors became irrelevant the moment Ms Dacus started singing. What an arresting record 'Historian' is (if 'Night Shift' doesn't touch, you don't have blood in your veins). What a mesmerizing talent the Virginian is.

Kurt Vile: In an edition where the guitar seems to be a prehistoric, outdated instrument (of course, IS NOT), the proposal from the Philadelphian musician and his backing band was kind of challenge against the new "definition of cool". A guy who doesn't care about poses, looks or flashy movements. Just about indulging you into his hypnotic guitar-driven, slightly psychedelic, hazy folk-rock. He just killed it at the Pull & Bear stage.

Vile & The Violators, pretty pimpin at Primavera. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Bad

Snail Mail: The most disappointing gig from our entire PS took place on Friday afternoon. We love 'Lush''s immediacy, electricity and straightforward indiepop charms... But we couldn't hear any of these wonders at the Primavera stage. First technical issues, then serious vocal problems, with abundant squawks and misses from Lindsey Jordan (was she ok?). We demand a quick return to the city to compensate the disillusion. (Please!)

The Queen
Birkins & Ken: What can you expect from a covers gig? If you have our dear Birkins alongside great company, you'll have one the highlights of the whole festival. Their rendition of 'Ziggy Stardust', David Bowie's masterful record was exhilarating, unadulterated fun. Initially fuelled by Cris' powerful vocals... and then completely stolen by Ken Stringfellow's electrifying performance, pure punk-rock. This man doesn't get enough credit, when we owe him so much. First as half of the mighty The Posies. Secondly, being part of the immortal Big Star. Later on, touring and playing with R.E.M. (not enough adjectives to explain what that means for this Blog) And now, storming the not so Hidden Stage. Unforgettable. Put some Ken in you life!

Birkins & Stringfellow, "stardusting". Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Suedeheads, again: Didn't know what to expect from the veteran Brits before their show... but what we found was the most rejuvenating, enjoyable gig of PS19 for this Blog. Suede delivered a surprising greatest hits show, with Brett Anderson going relentlessly in search of the connection with the audience, who responded accordingly. It couldn't be any other way when the band is throwing you hit after hit in, such as 'We Are the Pigs', 'So Young', 'Metal Mickey', 'Filmstar' (beat that four killing combo!), 'The Drowners' or 'Animal Nitrate', among many others, with such passion and fiery energy. The attitude, the frontman, the tunes... Oh! They still have it. Intact.

Suede, everything still flows. Photo: Bloodbuzzed.

The third and final chronicle of the PS19, covering Saturday 1st, is already "in the kitchen", so stay tuned!

Primavera Sound 2019 in brief, day 1

We are quickly approaching the final stretch of Primavera Sound Festival (PS) 2019! So, while we try to recharge some batteries before the long Saturday (we never learn, don't mix work and Festival, folks), we are to ready to begin with the first post of our traditional quick chronicles of what are we experiencing there. What follows is our take of Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th. Let's go!

Long-haired and hyper-addictive indiepop from the North.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Good

Melenas: In a year where indiepop has been clearly neglected, to begin the Festival with such a wonderful band became kind of a statement... aside from 45 minutes of fun. The band from Pamplona has everything: guitars, melodies, knockout choruses, and that ease at stage that can be disguised no matter how many hats, jewelry or poses you can't ... if you haven't got tunes. Instant love.

Malkmus and Co., sparkling hard. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Mr. Malkmus: Didn't have very good memories of our previous experience with Stephen Malkmus (a Primavera Club show, quite a looong ago). But at Primavera stage on Thursday we were able to remove that thorn in our side. Defending their fantastic latest album 'Sparkle Hard' (love 'Solid Silk' and 'Middle America'), Mr Malkmus (celebrating his birthday) and the Jicks were rockier, groovier and goofy all the way. A pleasant, enjoyable gig from start to finish. Monkey off our backs...

The Bad

New normalities: It's the DEBATE, in capital letters, around PS: has the Festival sold its soul? Or it's just embracing the sign of the times in music? If you somewhat follow this Blog you should easily guess we clearly incline ourselves for the first question. We could discuss it for hours, but to summarise it: PS is now following the trend of "catch-all" festivals, meaning mainstream music has to be a very meaningful part of it. The difference is PS still tries to hide that turn in the discourse, pretty elaborated, of the "New Normal". But when you just get into the Parc of Fòrum and realise the record fair and flatstock (posters fair) have been replaced by a Pull & Bear store (and Idealista and Ikea are also Festival brands, note the irony when housing it's by far the biggest, poignant and shameful, problem of the city) is easy to see for yourself what the new reality is...

Welcome to the "new & normal" Primavera Sound mall. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Queen
The female assault: Not everything in the "PS move" is negative or dubious. As a matter of fact, there's one conscious decision, no matter if it has arrived a bit too late, that has to be praised. Of the eight first acts watched in the two days of PS, six were completely female or female fronted/leaded, a trend that has followed (you'll see) during the whole event. In that initial batch of gigs Julien Baker and Soccer Mommy gave solid, almost flawless performances... but we have to highlight Bridget St John and Courtney Barnett shows. The veteran folksinger achieved moments of pure magic (that rendition of Dylan's classic "Just Like a Woman", these meaningful lyrics still so valid today), while our beloved young Australian took the clothing stage by a storm with a heavyweight performance, offering so much electricity and grit that was capable to overcame the chatters and posers (a.k.a the usual suspects) gathered in Mordor.

Sometimes Courtney charms you and kills it, and sometimes she just kills it.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Stay tuned, the second chronicle of the PS19, covering Friday 31st, is just around the corner!