The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox Week 150

Here we are, suffering the first heat wave of the season (yes, we are still in June, but as the dumbest POTUS ever and his parade of evil, professional ass-suckers say, there's no climate change, right?), and also suffering a crazier than ever political week here (where the dangerous people are the ones that try to kick out a criminal organisation from power instead of that corrupt party)... but here comes a much deserved time out in the form of our new  TOP TEN Jukebox! We have reached the 150 playlists mark and we are doing with something that is intrinsic to this Blog: lots of new discoveries, plus the mandatory inclusion of the collaboration of two Blog favourites, Lee Ranaldo joining forces with our beloved Sharon Van Etten. Enjoy, be careful with high temperatures and remember, all songs are available at our Soundcloud. (Join Us!)

Direct links to 2017 Jukebox playlists

Week 126  Week 127  Week 128  Week 129  Week 130  Week 131 Week 132  Week 133
Week 134  Week 135  Week 136  Week 137  Week 138  Week 139 Week 140  Week 141
Week 142  Week 143  Week 144  Week 145  Week 146  Week 147  Week 148 Week 149

Bloodbuzzed's Agenda of Concerts: Winter-Spring

As we did on Fall 2013, we have prepared a new Blog's agenda of concerts, listing the gigs and festivals that we are willing to attend until next May. You can imagine how anxious we are to see all these awesome bands and tell you all about it. Obviously, this isn't a closed agenda. On the contrary, it's an ongoing calendar, so the idea is that the marked dates will increase. Any proposal to expand it will be welcomed. Have a look (and hopefull, see you there)!

Best Records of the Decade So Far

As promised, and following the Best Spanish Records, here are our Best Records of the Decade So Far, with our 60th favourite albums released within the first five years of the decade (2010-2014). As you can imagine, it has been a tough one to make, leaving out many records we love is SO painful. Anyway, just enjoy it & stay tuned. We are working on a spectacular list with our Best Songs of the Decade So Far (we love playlists too!)

60, Say Yes!- The Hi-Life Companion
59. You Love It Here- I Was a King
58. Sugaring Season- Beth Orton
57. Tall Tall Shadow- Basia Bulat
56. Build a Rocket Boys!- Elbow
55. Siesta- The Zebras

54. Sky at Night- I Am Kloot
53. The Luxembourg Signal- The Luxembourg Signal

52. Colour of the Trap- Miles Kane
51. Cold- Be Forest
50. Release Me- The Like
49. The Fool - Warpaint
48. The Soft City- The Soft City
47. Bang Goes the Knighthood - The Divine Comedy
46. Torres- Torres
45. Desire Lines- Camera Obscura
44. Cape Dory- Tennis
43. The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years- The Wild Swans
42. Are We There Yet?- Sharon Van Etten
41. Sealed with a Kiss- Alpaca Sports
40. Evans the Death- Evans the Death
39. Atlas- Real Estate
38. Only in Dreams- Dum Dum Girls
37. The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas - Courtney Barnett
36. Canines- Shrag
35. Veronica Falls- Veronica Falls
34. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light- Spiritualized
33. Alps - Motorama
32. Moth- ExLovers
31. Over the Bluffs- The Holiday Crowd
30. Loveless Unbeliever- The School
29. Collapse Into Now- R.E.M.
28. Ride Your Heart- Bleached
27. Kill My Blues- The Corin Tucker Band
26. Oshin- DIIV
25. Without Why - Rose Elinor Dougall
24. Heart of My Own- Basia Bulat
23. A Year with the Very Most - The Very Most
22. Trouble Will Find Me- The National
21. What we lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood - The Mynabirds
20. Choose Your Own Adventure- Arts & Leisure
19. Europe- Allo Darlin'
18. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
17. Always- Alvvays
16. Hospitality- Hospitality
15. Between the Times and the Tides- Lee Ranaldo
14. Heaven- The Walkmen
13. The King is Dead- The Decemberists
12. Suck It and See- Arctic Monkeys
11. Personal Record- Eleanor Friedberger
10. Silence Yourself- Savages
9. Loom- Fear of Men
8. Honeyblood- Honeyblood
7. Wild Flag- Wild Flag
6. Teen Dream - Beach House
5. Rips- Ex Hex
4. Days- Real Estate
3. Let England Shake- PJ Harvey
2. Tramp- Sharon Van Etten
1. High Violet - The National

Primavera Sound 2014 in brief, day 3

And a new Primavera Sound 2014's chapter comes right away. Friday 30th was, on paper, our biggest day, but did it meet the expectations? Here's the answer...

The Good

Manic Matt at PS14
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The National: 6th time seeing "my" band live and I'm still impressed. At PS (their second time at the Festival) they didn't have the best of sounds, as a matter of fact, Matt had issues with his mic all night, and I don't know if they consciously decided to go for the big stadium-Festival's overtly huge sound on some tunes, one that swallows the amount of subtleties (drumming, path changes, additional instrumentation) that make The National stand out from the rest. Having said that, their thunderous version is equally hard to match: 'Abel' was a real punk explosion with Matt going nuts, 'Squalor Victoria' and 'Sea of Love' where blistering, while 'Afraid of Everyone' and 'Conversation 16' where unstoppable beasts. But what makes The National incomparable is that, along with the strength comes the heartbreak, in the form of 'I Should Live In Salt', 'This Is The Last Time' and personal favourite 'About Today'. Need even more? Well, they brought to the stage Bon Iver's Justin Vernon to help with the climax of 'Slow Show', and later on the show, they invited Hamilton Leithauser and Paul Maroon from The Walkmen, paying tribute to them. Two of my favourite bands together? Hamilton singing 'Mr November' with Matt? The sound didn't do justice to the mind-blowing moment, and I had the feeling there was another song (maybe 'Vanderlyle'? just imagine Hamilton, Justin and even Sharon Van Etten singing it) that was left behind because of it. But anyway, another fantastic show from THE BAND...

The Bad

It pours over Bloodbuzzed
Photo: Bloodbuzed 

Rain: We enjoyed the show of Murciano Total under sunny skies, but we had to run for shelter after just three songs of John Grant's gig, which had started in the most promising way (have to check this man immediately).Then it poured for more than an hour, providing memorable (mean it in a depressing way) images of a food area completely collapsed by thousands of people looking for cover. The Forum is quite a nightmarish venue with bad weather.
Strange day indeed: The rain, being wet for too much time or moving throughout a swamped Fòrum, these are not the organisation faults. But that, combined with a frustrating timetable, having to decide between Sharon Van Etten and Slowdive, or Pixies and The War on Drugs, missing Hamilton Leithauser, Lee Ranaldo, The Twilight Sad... when there were several empty spots on the day (due to Jenny Lewis and The Julie Ruin's cancellations) made the BIG day for us somewhat disappointing.  

The Queen

Slowdive, when spacey-guitars hits...
Photo: Bloodbuzzed 

Slowdive: Technically, this spot would be reserved to The National, but this was my first time watching Slowdive live. 'Avalyn', 'Catch the Breeze', 'Machine Gun', 'Souvlaki Space Station' and the immense 'When the Sun Hits'...there are tones of (music) gold there, folks. Besides Rachel Goswell looked pretty moved, and the crowd was, surprisingly, as respectful as the ecstatic music of the band deserves. I finally saw Slowdive playing, and it was exactly the amazing experience I had dreamt their shows would be. Hope it's not the last time...

Brief of the last "big day" of the PS14, Saturday 31st about to come!

Best Songs of the Year 2013: 100-76

And finally, after Gigs, Books, EPs and Records, we begin the 3rd edition of the Bloodbuzzed's Best Songs of the Year. Our favourite 100 tunes released this 2013*. As we did the previous years, the list has been split in fourth posts of 25 songs each. So here's the first one, with tunes from 100 to 76. We have changed to SoundCloud as we believe it's easier for everyone (if the song isn't available there's an alternative direct link). Stay tuned for the rest of the songs. Have your say and enjoy the music!

100. El Marco Incomparable- Gente Joven
99. Dyed in the Wools- Widowspeak
98. When It’ll Come- When Nalda Became Punk
97. Calm Down- The Love Language

96. In the Waves- Shady Elders
95. Waiting for the Summer- The Proper Ornaments
94. Devil We Know- Lily & Madeleine
93. She’s Gone- Upset
92. Survivor Guilt Anthem- Two Seconds to Midnight
91. Real Tears- Seabirds
90. With Her Shadow- Born Ruffians
89. Lecce, Leaving- Lee Ranaldo
88. Fin de Semana en Londres- Puzzles y Dragones

87. Mother Earth, Father God- Torres

86. Separator- Ex Cops

85. Golden Twin- Wild Ones
84. Poison Ivy- Rose Elinor Dougall
83. Beix- Les Sueques
82. Just a Pup- The Very Most

81. (Just Like) Susan George- The Blanche Hudson Weekend
80. I’ll Be Honest- The Spook School
79. December- Braids
78. Water Damage- Dick Diver
77. Alleyways- The Adelines
76. Divide and Fall- The Wolfhounds

Click here to check the SoundCloud playlist!

* Three songs per band maximum to include more groups, which has "affected" The National, Savages and Go Violets.

Guitar lessons with Lee Ranaldo

Lee Ranaldo (+ Murnau B).  La [2] de Apolo, Barcelona, April 24th.

Ranaldo in BCN. Photo: Bloobuzzed

Spring is always the best time for live music. April its been a month  pretty full of gigs and May looks, happily, even busier in that sense (Primavera Sound is just around the corner, folks). Past Wednesday it was my second chance watching live a veteran stage legend, that to me is a recent discovery. I'm referring to Lee Ranaldo, Sonic Youth's guitarist, responsible of one of my favourite records from last year, "Between the Times and the Tides".

Murnau B. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Ranaldo's gig was supported by local band Murnau B, an instrumental trio aiming to create dense, cinematic and dark no-wave tunes. They sounded solid and fierce, but this is just a matter of taste I guess. To me every tune was too similar to the previous one (only exceptions the couple helped by keyboards), a bit grunge, and sorry to say, pretty boring. In my opinion.

But then Lee Ranaldo took the stage. It wasn't going to be a surprising gig, and we quickly realise that, once again La [2] de Apolo was going to frustrate our aspirations of enjoying a great sounding performance. Instruments were crystal clear, but Ranaldo's vocals were pretty average. I can't really understand why there's such a huge difference in what regards to sound quality between the two Apolo rooms.

Steve Shelley. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Guitar heroes. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Having complained about that, the gig was almost flawless. Ranaldo and his band were amazing, and the whole place vibed with the heavily-charged electric tension propelled by guitars (Ranaldo was backed by Alan Licht and Tim Luntzel) and Sonic Youth Steve Shelley's relentless drumming. Songs like the shiny "Off the Wall" or "Lost" are priceless, and played with that level of intensity live, they inoculated euphoria on the listener. The veteran musician combined this more straightforward pieces with angular, longer and more oblique rock pieces, like "Xtina As I Knew Her" or "Shout". Ranaldo makes me think about R.E.M.'s "Document" era or their most abrasive, rockier tunes. I even hear traces of Stipe vocals on Ranaldo's way of singing. That, combined with his skills, a gentle little chat there, and a a bit of show with his guitars (that couple of moments destroying the strings playing the instrument as if it was a violin) made the night absolutely remarkable. Guitar lessons with a maestro.

Up & close. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Ranaldo and his band weren't shy to offer new tunes (a couple of them sounded really exciting) plus a cover of The Byrds "Everybody's Been Burned", written by David Crosby, and when the time came for the end, with the majestic finale of "Waiting On a Dream", after a generous hour and half gig, the overall feeling was easy to define: total satisfaction. Even despite not having the best sounding.    

Best Songs of the Year 2012: 25-1

And here it is: the end of this music countdown with the 25 best tunes of 2012, always in my modest opinion, of course. Hope you have enjoyed this personal music ride!

25. Ununiversizable Us- The Very Most
24. Chained- The XX
23. Song for Leigh- The Walkmen
22. Silver Lining- Guards
21. The National Health- Mäximo Park
20. Myth- Beach House
19. Ivory Coast- Pure Bathing Culture
18. The Rifle's Spiral- The Shins
17. I Got Nothing- Dum Dum Girls
16. Just for Fun- Alpaca Sports
15. Motoring- Toy
14. I'm So Unclean- Evans the Death
13. You Forget So Easily- ExLovers
12. Capricornia- Allo Darlin'
11. The Right Profession- Hospitality
10. Mosaic- Fear of Men
9. Easily Led- Fountains
8. Ruin- Cat Power
7. So Long You Pretty Thing- Spiritualized
6. Off the Wall- Lee Ranaldo
5. On the Spectrum- The Hermit Crabs
4. Follow On Your Own- Young Romance
3. Last Leaves of Autumn- Beth Orton
2. We Can't Be Beat- The Walkmen
1. Leonard- Sharon Van Etten

You can check the complete list of the 100 songs here:
First part: 100-76
Second part: 75-51
Third part: 50-26 

Want to check the 2011's list? You can do it here:
First part: 100-76
Second part: 75-51
Third part: 50-26 
Fourth part: 25-1

Best Records of the Year 2012

As promised yesterday, after the EPs' list, here's the review of the year in what regards to the best records of 2012. In my humble opinion of course. Compared with 2011 I have reduced the number of albums because I wanted to be completely honest. Just records that I have listened and enjoyed fully.

The digital age is a blessing for music lovers, as the amount of music you can discover is virtually  unlimited. But it has a negative side: there's a compulsion, a dramatic acceleration on the way we listen to it. How many spins you give a record before moving to another artist? How many records you have stored in your computer of which you could only name 2-3 songs?

Don't know if the LP idea as we know is fated to disappear, but personally it makes me sad. Anyway, this sort of thoughts should go on a different post. But it serves my purpose to tell you why the records from Lightships, BMX Bandits, This Many Boyfriends, Corin Tucker or Motorama didn't make the list. They sound terrific on a first listen, or from what I have heard by now, and that's exactly why they deserve to be listened properly and not to be included on a list just for the sake of mentioning more albums. Having said that, here's the list!

25. Arts & Leisure- Baby Grand
24. Leaving All Behind- Partido
23. Falling- Seapony
22. Nocturne- Wild Nothing
21. Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything- The School 
20. Sun- Cat Power
19. Rooms Filled With Light- Fanfarlo
18. Mr. E- Lambchop
17. Wild Peace- Echo Lake
16. Hits In The Car- Strawberry Whiplash
15. All Blackshirts To Me- Cats On Fire
14. Una Montaña Es Una Montaña- Los Punsetes
13. Over the Bluffs- The Holiday Crowd
12. Moth- ExLovers
11. Toy- Toy
10. Bloom- Beach House
9. Canines- Shrag
8. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light- Spiritualized
7. Sugaring Season- Beth Orton
6. Evans the Death- Evans the Death
5. Heaven- The Walkmen
4. Between the Times and the Tides- Lee Ranaldo
3. Europe- Allo Darlin'
2. Hospitality- Hospitality
1. Tramp- Sharon Van Etten

Want to check last year's albums list? Just click here

Best Concerts of the Year 2012

Less concerts, due to the crisis, attended this year, but still there has been many worth to remember. Here are my 10 favourite live performances of this 2012! Hope you like it!

From Arc de Triomf. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

10. The Wedding Present (Primavera Sound Festival, Arc de Triomf, Barcelona, May 30th)
The concerts at Arc de Triomf weren't precisely the highlight of a fantastic Primavera Sound edition. Massification, people not interested at all on the music... But there was a great discovery for me, that compensated the day: seeing David Gedge and Co. performing "Seamonsters". Jumped on their music bandwagon since then!
9. Mäximo Park (Festival Plaça Odissea, Maremàgnum, Barcelona, May 12th)
Didn't remember how fun was being at a Mäximo Park concert! Paul Smith is a beast live and he proved from the very first second: restless, hyperactive, passionate as few on stage. He turned an otherwise quite unremarkable Festival engaging, propelling new songs and band classics to addictive indie-rock hits. What a difference a great frontman can make!
8. Los Planetas (Primavera Club, Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona, December 7th)
Judging just from a sound quality point of view, they wouldn't make it on this list. But this is a personal blog, and watching Los Planetas for the first time had many intimate implications (memories) associated. Besides, I was lucky that their live comeback included playing many of the timeless classics. After "Corrientes Circulares en el Tiempo" was followed by "Nunca Me Entero de Nada" the concert became something very very very special.
7. Fanfarlo (Sala Apolo , Barcelona, October 14th)
Trumpets! Never-ending choruses! Tunes you'll sacrifice (almost broken with "The Walls Are Coming Down, and completely gone at the end with "Harold T. Wilkins) your throat to happily! Fanfarlo insuflates life and rhythm to indie pop. It was another first-time mandatory gig for me, and the confirmation this is a band with a "shiny" career ahead.  
6. Real Estate (Primavera Sound Festival, Fòrum de Barcelona, June 2nd)
I chose them instead of seeing Beach House, who were playing almost at the same time, so that's a pretty good measure of how much I wanted to see them, don't you think? Did I made the right choice? Sure  I did. Their gig was superb, flawless, proving what an incredible record is "Days", also live. 
5. Neil Hannon (Festival Temporada Alta, Auditori de Girona, November 2nd)
If you check this blog regularly (thank you my friend!) or just occasionally (welcome, see you around!) you should know by now: I love The Divine Comedy. There aren't many indie-pop genius out there, but Mr. Hannon is one of the "chosen ones". In Girona, alone with his piano or guitar his music was again a banquet for the listener and a lot of fun (he is also a wonderful comedian). Besides, his music was even more special as I wasn't alone...
4. Lee Ranaldo (Primavera Sound Festival, Fòrum de Barcelona, May 31st)
Never a Sonic Youth's fan, I was completely blown out by "Between the Times and the Tides", and his performance live just made me a converted fan. Mesmerized by his guitar style and the melodies that recall to R.E.M, Ranaldo has been one of my discoveries of the year.
3. Sharon Van Etten (La [2] de Apolo, Barcelona, September 29th)
Little trick here, because I've been fortunate enough to see Sharon twice this year, first at Primavera Sound, then at Apolo. Whether her rockier version of her folky side, Sharon has that spark. Her voice can be moody, nocturnal, heart-wrenching or joyous. She deliver lines as if you were boxing against Muhammad Ali. She pours a torrent of emotions over the listener. And proved to me live two times on this 2012. One of the best artists of the year, so look for her, very high, on the forthcoming "songs" and "records of the year" lists of this blog.
2. Kings of Convenience (Primavera Sound, Fòrum de Barcelona, June 2nd)
Had more curiosity than expectations with the Norwegian duo. I like them, but only in "small doses", and couldn't imagine them playing their quiet music at the main stage of the Festival. But how wrong I was. Brilliant as the modern "Simon and Garfunkel", friendly and natural, with a crystal clear sound, then they became a full band, giving a "funky" vibe to their mellow and acoustic tunes. They came, put a spell on you, then surprised you & made you dance. They won the audience completely.

Big Star's finale. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

1. Big Star's Third (Primavera Sound, Fòrum de Barcelona, June 1st)
One of the best concerts I have been in my life so far. No, much more. One of the most beautiful and touching music experiences I have been lucky to be part of. Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers special tribute became an option for me because R.E.M.'s Mike Mills was one of the guest stars playing (and 3 hours of The Cure was too much). So grateful I made that choice. Even before the music started, there was something in the air. A privilege to see so many wonderful artists doing sincere and passionate renditions of the songs of Alex Chilton and his band. How magic music can be.

Want to check last year's concerts list? Just click here.

Best songs of the year 2012... so far

Like we did last year, it's June, time for taking a look to what has 2012 offered so far in terms of music. Here's a playlist with the best 30 songs (in my opinion, of course) of the year to date. Like its 2011 predecessor, several songs have been dropped because the selection followed two criteria: songs released during 2012, and just 1 song per group/artist, so I could include different proposals. They are not in order of preference, just trying to combine them in a good playlist. Hope you enjoy!

1. Myth- Beach House 
2. The Rifle’s Spiral- The Shins 
3. The National Health- Maximo Park
4. Álferez Provisional- Los Punsetes 
5. Off the Wall- Lee Ranaldo 
6. Serpents- Sharon Van Etten 
7. Follow On Your Own- Young Romance 
8. Gone Tomorrow- Lambchop 
9. Brains- Lower Dens 
10. Don't Believe Ayn Rand- Novella  
11. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings- Father John Misty 
12. The Right Profession- Hospitality 
13. Just for Fun- Alpaca Sports 
14. La Nueva Reconquista de Graná- Grupo de Expertos Solynieve
15. Astronomy- Nat Johnson and The Figureheads 
16. Sing Up for the Boys in Green- The Very Most  
17. I'm So Unclean- Evans the Death 
18. Siberia- La Habitación Roja
19. Capricornia- Allo Darlin’ 
20. Stop, Look and Listen- Strawberry Wiplash  
21. I've Always Known- Rose Elinor Dougall 
22. No Sleep- Fountains
23. Afraid of Summer- Lost Lander 
24. I Don't Care- Summer Twins
25. Ruin- Cat Power 
26. Deconstruction- Fanfarlo 
27. Our Old Centre Back- Cats On Fire 
28. Sweetness in Her Spark- Lightships 
29. So Long You Pretty Thing- Spiritualized 
30. We Can’t Be Beat- The Walkmen 

Primavera Sound 2012: a personal overview

An EXTRAORDINARY Festival

I gave myself some time in order to clarify ideas and not write in "a rush", and with a little more perspective, I have to say this overview now is so easy to do.

I missed Wilco, Beach House, Yo La Tengo, half of The Cure show, Saint Etienne, Rufus Wainwright, The Afghan Whigs, Spiritualized and many more... In which other Festival could you miss such names and still say it was an extraordinary experience? I believe that very few, if any. Only at Primavera Sound you'll have such a never-ending line-up (and I'm not including the already impressive offer during May, prior to the Festival itself). I could demand no hip-hop, metal bands or way less electronic proposals, but these are just my personal tastes. The truth is that the Festival is such a unique opportunity of hearing so many bands/artists in few days I feel any debate about the quality of the PS is nuts, and any comparison with anything that's made in Spain, is simply ridiculous. 

Last year there were some sure-fire names (Pulp, The National, PJ Harvey) that made it unforgettable, but this 2012 edition has been even better. This year I have discovered The Wedding Present and Baxter Dury. Lee Ranaldo, Sharon Van Etten, Real Estate gave astounding concerts, confirming the greatness of their latest records. The Walkmen were great again. Kings of Convenience surprised me with a joyous performance, a pure pop delight. And I was lucky enough to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime music experience: the Big Star’s Third tribute. All this music wonders in a much more comfortable Festival (part personal experience avoiding as much as possible the Mini stage or sacrificing headliners, part an evident improvement on the management of the Fòrum space by the organization), with better sounding in all stages (few exceptions) and almost always in very good company.

Only have minor complains (e.g, Flatstock was disappointing, matter of taste again), majority of them having nothing to do with Primavera, but with the conduct of people. My only real worry/doubt for the organization is the Arc de Triomf (massification, and weird line-up on Sunday), although I do understand the Festival’s goal of opening itself to the city. Because, despite not everyone seems to get it (maybe they just want to create controversy), for me it’s obvious: the Primavera Sound Festival is a gift for indie music lovers, and a reference, a very prestigious symbol for Barcelona. In fact its so unique it should be declared a fundamental part of the Catalonian Cultural Heritage. And as music is universal, also part of the World Heritage.

A small collection of pictures from the Festival. Photos: Bloodbuzzed.

For Spanish readers, here are the links of the articles on the Festival written for www.suite101.net. Hope you like them!

Wednesday 30th May
Thursday 31st May
Friday 1st June
Saturday 2nd June
Sunday 3rd June

Primavera Sound 2012 in brief, day 2

Doble Pletina. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

And following the first post on the Primavera Sound Festival development here's the second part about what happened on Thursday 31st, now at the Parc del Fòrum.

The Good

Mr Dury. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Spanish twee-pop: I was looking for Doble Pletina's gig, and they didn't disappoint me. On the contrary, I ended their show with the feeling I finally found a band that does justice to twee-pop in Spain. Lovely.
Sound quality: All stages sounded really well. Cheers for that!
Great afternoon: Doble Pletina, Baxter Dury (another nice discovery, they reminded me Blur, and Baxter is a charismatic frontman), Archers of Loaf (I was just making time) and Lee Ranaldo. Diversity, with great sounding and seen in a comfortable way. That offer is what makes the PS unbeatable.
Beirut: A music obligation that I finally saw live. It wasn't a completely satisfying gig, but still, debt paid.
The Bad

Massification: I know that compared with last year's edition this problem has improved, but moving from or to the Mini stage (named Llevant in 2011) is a nightmare when the headliners gigs start. I'm sure I'm not the only who is deciding about the "overlaps" having in mind distances, and in particular, avoiding that stage.
So-so night: Linked with the previous one and what I wrote on the post about the first day. Too much people is just at PS just for the sake of "being there" and is annoying for the ones that are there for the music. Beirut's and Franz Ferdinand's gigs (although for latest one we were keen with the idea of watching it from the distance, in a more relaxed way) were a bit dull due to the combination of masses, tolerable levels of discomfort but many annoying people, constantly chatting or moving around when the song was unknown/known for them.

Hope Sandoval. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

No mercy for the press: That long and very slow queue under the criminal sun was the worst thing ever. Wouldn't be easier to allow the press to pick our accreditation during the previous days, as the rest of the attending public?
Overlaps: Missed The Afghan Whigs, Wilco, Spiritualized due to overlaps. That hurts.
Mazzy Star: Really awaiting for this gig, and it was a complete disappointment. Just my opinion, but to me Hope Sandoval sounded tired and cold. Lifeless gig.

The Queen

Lee Ranaldo: If on Wednesday the "indie myth" I discovered was The Wedding Present, on Thursday I was blown out by Lee Ranaldo. I started checking his album "Between the Times and the Tides" just a couple of weeks before the start of Primavera, and my addiction was growing steadily. But after seeing him playing now I'm totally converted. What a guitar maestro, what a stunning performance. What a great record, to me a crossover between R.E.M's and the softened version of  Sonic Youth's guitar style. Mesmerizing.

Friday's brief coming next!