Best Songs of the Year 2018: 50-26

We are getting close to the end of the 'road', and with any further delay, here's comes the third round of our Best Songs of the Year, now with those comprised between 50 and 26! The 'difficulty level' is exponentially increasing, with thoughtful and hard decissions to be made in order to configure the rank of the last fifty positions, a direct result of a pretty stunning collection of tunes that have dropped during 2018. We hope you like the selected ones as much as we do, and don't forget to keep tuned, as we will unveil the final playlist tomorrow, with the arrival of 2019. Have a really nice New Year's Eve!

50. From One Another- Totally Mild
49. In Your Car- Free Cake For Every Creature
48. Sozialisiert In Der BRD- Botschaft

47. Slow Rise II- Sun June
46. Itchy Sweater- Young Scum
45. Sing To Me Candy- Papercuts
44. What’s Chasing You- Marlon Williams
43. One Rizla- Shame
41. Untold- Red Red Eyes
42. Knickerbocker Street- Clint Michigan
40. I Can´t Listen to Gene Clark Anymore- Marissa Nadler
39. Danny Nedelko- Idles
38. On Division St- Nation of Language

37. Avalanche- The Treasures of Mexico
36. Twentytwo- Sunflower Bean
35. Dylan & Caitlin- Manic Street Preachers
34. Hasta La Saciedad- Sr. Chinarro
33. Woman- Cat Power
32. Wittgenstein- The New Raemon
31. Elastic Days- J. Mascis
30. Punch Drunk- Martha Ffion
29. Todas las Fiestas - Hazte Lapón
28. We Can’t Win- The Goon Sax
27. The Rover- Interpol
26. Mainland- Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Best Records and EPs of the year 2018... so far

Time flies and we have passed the equator of this year, which means that it's time to unveil our 25 best records and EPs of the year so far! As in previous editions, the list appears in alphabetical order (the proper, ranked, final list arrives in December) including the bands & artists that have been blowing our minds & ears the most in the last six months*. We hope you like our selection (you know, this is a work in progress) and we recommend you to stay tuned because our favorite songs from this first half of 2018 will be unveiled soon.

All at Once- Screaming Females
Asunción- Sr. Chinarro
Birds of America- Lake Ruth
Clean- Soccer Mommy
Every Little Thought- Hurry
God’s Favourite Customer- Father John Misty
Historian- Lucy Dacus
Hope Downs- Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Horology- Red Red Eyes
Longwave- Dropkick
Lost and Found- En Attendant Ana

Lush- Snail Mail
Maps- Soft Science
Ocala Wick- Gobbinjr
September Love- Stephen’s Shore
Silver Dollar Moment- The Orielles
Sugar & Spice- Hatchie
Sunday Best- Martha Ffion
The Yetis- The Yetis** 
This Is Glue- Salad Boys
Tú Siempre Ganas. Parte 1. La Vida Adulta (Instrucciones de Uso​)​- Hazte Lapón
Where We Were Together- Say Sue Me
Wild Notion- Night Flowers
Years- Sun June
Vessel- Frankie Cosmos

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

* the list comprises releases from January to June 2018
** although it was originally released in 2014, we have included it here as we have discovered them thanks to the 2018 re-release by our friends at Discos de Kirlian

Best Songs of the Year 2016: 100-76

After Concerts, EPs and Records, we start our particular countdown of the Best Songs of the Year! As in previous editions, we are going to unveil our favourite 100 tunes of 2016, divided in four different posts of 25 songs each*, compiled on Spotify playlists. Probably the hardest choice of the year, today is time to unveil the tunes listed from 100 to 76! We hope you enjoy our selection, at least as much as we have had while listening all this incredible artists & bands. Next round coming very, very soon!

100. Bottle Rocket- Ahem
99.  Henry- Soccer Mommy
98.  It Didn’t Hurt- We.The pigs
97. Amazing Grace- American Wrestlers
96. Citrus- Animal Daydream
95. The End of Things- Bob Mould
94. The Only Thing I Miss- Featherfin
93. We Are Dreamers- Tindersticks
92. Anxiety- Preoccupations
91. Trauma- Fear of Men
90. Gentle Eyes- Terry Malts
89. Motorway- California Snow Story
88. Capture- Desario
87. Ten Year Tenure- Halfsour
86. Disappear- Young Romance
85. Walden- Sr. Chinarro
84. Atomic Number- Case/Lang/Veirs
83. Anna, Lisa Calls- Happyness
82. Tides- Swimming Tapes
81. Beneath the Black Sea-LNZNDRF
80. Menos de Mi- Neleonard
79. Frank Infatuation- Real Numbers
78. Moon- Beth Orton
77. Recto y Quieto- Palacio de Linares
76.  Fall- Lisa Hannigan

*Same group/artist can only have up to three songs on the complete, 100 tunes list 

Best Songs of the Year 2016...so far

Following the best records /EPs list, here's the list with our favourite tunes (trimmed down to 30) of 2016 to date. We have listed them in alphabetic order (remember we rank them at the end of the year), taking in mind only "two rules": songs have been released during 2016, and just one song per group (a really hard decision in some cases). The Spotify playlist (plus some soundcloud links for the ones missing) below the picture, as well as the complete list. Enjoy!

             Click here to check the Spotify playlist!

Adore -Savages

Ámenme, soy un liberal- Nacho Vegas

Ariana- Mercury Girls

Aviation- The Last Shadow Puppets

Baby Blue- Soft Wounds

Coastal California- Maths and Physics Club

Cold to See Clear- Nada Surf

Crooked Cop- Beverly

Crowd- EGO

Different Shades of Blue- The Buildings

Easier Said- Sunflower Bean

El Progreso- Sr. Chinarro

Évoli- Terrier

Full Moon, Hungry Sun- Kane Strang

Infamous- Basia Bulat

La progresión exponencial- Doble Pletina

Lazarus- David Bowie

Moon- Beth Orton

No Woman- Whitney

One Fine Summer Morning- Britta Phillips

Out of control- Lush

Scattered Ashes (Song for Richard)- Minor Victories

Second Skin- Zen Mantra

Squirrel vs Snake- The Posies

Strange Torpedo- Lucy Dacus

The End of Things- Bob Mould

The Wheel- PJ Harvey

Under London Skies- Close Lobsters

Under the Sun- DIIV

We Are Dreamers- Tindersticks

And if you want to check the previous years, click on 2011,2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 selections!

Primavera Sound 2016 in brief, days 1 & 2

Here we are, in the frantic, exhausting (adding some Primavera Pro activities) but always remarkable Primavera Sound Festival days. So, like we always do, here are our quick chronicles of what's going on for us within this 2016 edition. To begin with, the first couple of days, the opening day, Wednesday 1st, and yesterday's first "big one", Thursday 2nd. Let's begin!

The Good

First Day Pro: First time attending, and finding it pretty interesting. Liking the mixture of conferences (I attended a couple on the not very bright future of music journalism with members of Billboard, Stereogum, Pitchfork and Intro) and music (the plan is watching several gigs there). Letting aside the criminal midday sun, the CCCB is a comfortable and interesting place to be.
Núria Graham: Precisely, my first gig at PS16 was Núria Graham on Wednesday... and what an incandescent talent she is! Alone, just armed with her guitar and haunting voice, she can be effortlessly epic, lightweight poppier or St.Vincentnesque in a matter of seconds.

Ms. Graham, young magician. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Spanish indie: Also on Wednesday, our main interest of the afternoon at the Fòrum was my beloved Doble Pletina, who nailed it despite the hour and the huge stage for their minimalistic indiepop proposal. But to my surprise, the real winner of the afternoon (at least for me) was Sr. Chinarro, who managed to deliver a very powerful set, combining some of his expected greatest hits with several strong takes of new album 'El Progreso', that were the real highlights of his show. A veteran glowing.

Sr. Chinarro, still progressing after so many years. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Algiers/Protomartyr: Although their gigs weren't perfect they are two terrific bands. Algiers couldn't beat their mindblowing set at Primavera Club (the bar was so high with what they did at Apolo) but they are such a fierce presence, musically, lyrically, live, you always have to rise the white flag with them. Same can be said about Protomartyr. A very fun mess, with Joe Casey being such a chaotic yet ravishing frontman. Will follow closely.

Protomartyr, indeed it shakes, wildly. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Bad

Massification: PS might die due to success. Going to "Mordor" (H&M and Heineken stages) is always a punishment, but this year, even on Wednesday Primavera stage was incredibly full. Can't even imagine what's going to happen today with Radiohead's gig...

El Último Vecino: Sorry, just don't get it. And the live show hasn't improved a single bit...

Primavera Sound on strike: Living pretty far from Fòrum (as almost every person in the city who is not a tourist)? What about having to deal with a combined strike from subway and bus on the days where Primavera takes place? Nice, very nice... Years complaining on how ridicule are the lame transportation options every night of the Festival and now this...

The Queen
Daughter: I really don't qualify as a Daughter fan (not that fond of their records, my previous live experiences with them have been so-so), but what happened yesterday evening at Heineken stage was really something. An incredible mass of people gathered (the whole Mordor esplanade, scary and impressive at the same time, as Elena Tonra pointed out), to listen such a subtle music proposal. It's true that Daughter opted for some "muscle" at times, like the forgettable 'No Care', but the whole majority of the gig was simply arresting, with incredible moments as the surprising, very respectful silence (there's hope! there's hope!) while the quartet delivered 'Smother', the affecting power of 'Human', 'Youth' and 'Numbers' or the dreamy bliss of 'How'. Add that you can't help it but fall for Elena's adorable shyness and you have it: a wonderful, bewitching gig.    

A very joyful Elena. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Brief of the second "big day" of the PS16, Friday 3rd, coming very soon here!

Primavera Sound 2016: my draft schedule

Time to honour another Blog tradition! The timeables of Primavera Sound Festival 2016 have been revealed, so let's (try) to make our schedule (first attempt). Despite general opinions, this edition is quite far from being a favourite, and the recurring, inevitable, painful overlaps, are going to make it worse (that's why here we have listed only the gigs we believe will see fully). But no complaints, let's "play" and complete the puzzle! This is what our PS 2016 looks like (initial impressions):  

Wednesday, June 1st, Parc del Fòrum

17:00 Doble Pletina (Primavera)
18:00 El Último Vecino (Primavera)
19:00 Sr. Chinarro (Primavera)
20:30 Goat (Primavera)
22:00 Suede (Primavera)

Day without issues... except the bands we really want to watch are just Doble Pletina and Suede, first and last on the schedule

Thursday, June 2nd, Parc del Fòrum
18:00 Algiers (Heineken)
20:00 Daughter (Heineken)
21:30 A.R. Kane (Adidas Originals)
23:45 Protomartyr (Pitchfork)
Troubles begin: Algiers versus Lee Ranaldo. incomplete Julien Baker, Suede clashing with Daughter, clashing with Destroyer, empty until Protomartyr. Pretty disastrous day overall.

Friday, June 3rd, Parc del Fòrum
12:30 Big Summer (CCCB)
13:00 Cala Vento (CCCB)
14:00 Julien Baker (CCCB)
14:30 Cass McCombs (CCCB)
17:30 Aliment (Pitchfork)
18:30 Ben Watt Band (Ray-Ban)
19:05 Titus Andronicus (H&M)
20:00 Savages (Heineken)
21:00 Beirut (H&M)
22:15 Dinosaur Jr. (Ray-Ban) 
23:35 Royal Headache (Pitchfork)
00:25 The Last Shadow Puppets (Heineken)
Could we make it? The challenge is titanic (12 bands, plus Beach House as an additional option after the Puppets) and yet I'm furious there are some tough choices to be made. No Radiohead? Savages of Robert Forster? Lush at the Hidden Stage? Move some of them to Thursday! That's criminal!

Saturday, June 4th, Parc del Fòrum
15:00 Robert Forster (CCCB)
17:00 Bob Mould (Hidden Stage) 
18:40 The Chills (Ray-Ban)
20:00 Brian Wilson (Heineken)
22:35 PJ Harvey (Heineken)
00.50 Julia Holter (Ray-Ban)
And after a terrifying day full of choices, a Saturday quite so-so, with the main clash between Brian Wilson and Richard Hawley. Aside from that, pretty clear...

Sunday, June 5th, Apolo/Sala BARTS
19:30 Mudhoney (CCCB) 
21:00 Black Lips (CCCB) 
Huge questions marks for the closing day, very doubtful we'll make it, we'll see!

Primavera Sound 2013 in brief, day 5

And we reach the end of the Primavera Sound Festival 2013, with it’s smallest (for us) day, Sunday 26th at BARTS, plus an overview of the whole Festival coming next.

The Good 

The Orchids. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

BARTS- I already said that with the occasion of last Primavera Club, BARTS main stage is a fantastic venue for live music. A pretty, quite comfortable place, and with good sound. We didn’t went to the Apolo gigs, but the idea of combining this two venues (one in front of the other) is a much welcomed one. Besides, people was silent the majority of the time, there’s still hope!
Jangle pop at Primavera Sound- It began last year with Veronica Falls, although someone could say that bands like Cults, Guards or Tennis also offer a mellower version of indiepop. Others could also argue that bands like Belle and Sebastian or Camera Obscura cover that style, even having main slots at the Festival. But to me, these bands are not jangle-pop or just “too big” to be considered representatives, so in my opinion jangle-pop is sort of a neglected style at Primavera. That’s why seeing Veronica Falls, Evans the Death and finally The Orchids at BARTS was gratifying. I’m very glad jangle pop can also has its space at the Festival. Dear organisers, why don’t you let Indietracks, Eardrums, Matinee or Fortuna Pop, to name a few, curate a stage next year (and forget about death/trash metal or rap/hip-hop by the way)?

Sr.Chinarro. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

As there wasn’t anything particularly bad or extraordinary to remark about Sunday gigs, (The Orchids, Julie Doiron, Sr.Chinarro and Come were all, ok but nothing special, at least for me) I’ll just go on with the general overview of the Festival you can find here.

Links to every briefing on the Primavera Sound 2013:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

"Independientes", 20 years of Spanish indie

Independientes

Are indie lovers and endangered species in Spain? With my deepest regret, I believe so. But despite being few and struggling, we are not alone, and we had a history behind us. That's what Independientes (Independents) shows. And I would add offers, because this documentary, directed by Jose A. Rueda and produced by La Fabriquilla De Creación Audiovisual is available to watch for free on youtube (see below). Excellent idea and proposal to start with, don't you think?

And Independientes has many attractions for the viewer. As an attempt to dissect how the national indie scene was created is clear and up to the point. There's not a lot of digressing and Rueda let the musicians and relevant actors do all the talking, answering his sort of fundamental and broad questions: is there a Spanish indie scene? how it was created? what does it mean being indie today?, etc. It's always a pleasure to hear and see people like Julio Ruiz (Radio 3 will never be thanked enough), Antonio Arias (Lagartija Nick), Nacho Vegas or Antonio Luque (Sr.Chinarro), among others (including half of Los Planetas, Lori Meyers, Maga, etc). Down-to-earth and really wise people. 

Some of the questions, in particular the latest ones that refer on what means being indie are the most controversial and interesting, showing also the singularity of the Spanish case. Take the example of Los Planetas, the most famous and pivotal alternative group in Spain. They signed with a major virtually since the very beginning of their career, but did that affect their music? Or take a more recent case, also used on the film: Vetusta Morla. Their music is (ok, arguably) on the mainstream side, but they opted for self-producing/releasing mechanisms, achieving one of the biggest successes in recent history of Spanish music.

But the modesty of the rockumentary is also a bit of a curse. With barely one hour of film it can't help but feel incomplete. It's all about alternative pop-rock sounds, missing many styles and bands who would have been relevant for the documentary. Some very important labels are also excluded from the film footage when talking about the first steps and the evolution of the independent scene. The same appeals to the present times. Independientes just poses the debate on the Internet and new channels for reaching fans. But there's so much that could have been added on that: small and emerging labels, the music venues, new bands, live music versus selling records, Festivals... Aww, the documentary should/could last seven hours!

Anyway, that sort of last criticism is quite unfair for Independientes, a movie that has to be praised just because of its mere existence. But we do want a second, third and fourth chapter!

SCORE: 6,75/10

Watch the documentary here! (it's in Spanish, sorry)

Primavera Club 2012 in brief, day 2

Tired, but here's the quick review of what we lived yesterday night at Primavera Club 2012!

The Good

Fernando Alfaro. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Spanish Indie Day: Going to Sant Jordi Club on Friday meant being part of "La Alineación de Los Planetas" a series of gigs with some of the best Spanish indie bands, as selected by Los Planetas. It was an interesting line-up comprising Fernando Alfaro, La Bien Querida, Sr. Chinarro, Triángulo de Amor Bizarro, before Los Planetas closed the night. It was nice to hear the very diverse styles and the solid performances of each artist. Spanish indie, at least in what refers to music proposals (not talking about money, resources, support, future perspective, these are much harder and very different issues), has good health.

Fernando Alfaro: Los Planetas aside (more below), among the Spanish bands the highlight for me was the veteran, former member of the mythic Surfin' Bichos and leader of another referential name on the Spanish alternative scene, Chucho, Fernando Alfaro. He might look like your history teacher, but believe me, the guy knows about indie rock and how to fill a stage with music, putting down a flawless show with several moments to outline, like "El Detonador" (that was on the soundtrack of Alejandro Aménabar's "Abre Los Ojos") or "Un Viaje Largo, Largo". Serious stuff.

Little Wings. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Little Wings: Before we started our trip (quite an adventure by foot) to the "magic mountain" we made a quick stop at the Arteria Paral·lel to watch and hear the folkie and soul sounds of Kyle Field. A wandering spirit, his music is hard to define. Eerie but soulful, chaotic but heartfelt and compelling. Even if his voice, again, couldn't be heard as it should had sometimes, yesterday we discover a unique artist.

The Bad
Shout Your Mouth! (part 2): It was bound to happen. If the majority of "chatting" people probably didn't have a clue about the artists that were watching on Thursday, the possibility of having even more people attending Friday gigs only because it was a special event (Los Planetas back live after two years) was something to expect. But frankly, I don't get why people who are only interested in "showing up" wants to be at the front row. Oh, and second comment, at least in Barcelona, live music is on the verge of being completely ruined thanks to IPhone and modern mobile phones. Thank you, Steve Jobs (note the irony). 

La Bien Querida. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

La Bien Querida: No bass and no drums? Umm, didn't look very promising. And sadly, it wasn't. The electronic percussion wasn't the best choice for the venue. I missed all the richness and subtleties of her music, replaced and ruined by a much monotone, cold and anodyne club sound.
Sant Jordi Club: We are very lucky compared with the Madrid Primavera Club (that would deserve a post on its own, what a country). The venue itself is quite ok, and the sound, well, not excellent but pretty decent. But it is a horrible place to get there. Mobility issues, that will increase today (several accesses will be closed as another activity takes place in the area).

The Queen

Los Planetas. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Los Planetas: Now I can say it (proudly): I have seen Los Planetas live. Yes, there were "sound issues", like Jota's guitar, a few slightly out-of-sync tunes, or a few a bit blurred, so the eternal debate on the band from Granada playing live can continue. And yes, if, like me, you are not into their latest records (where they embraced flamenco to merge it with their trademark space-rock), you probably think you heard too many of them last night. But it doesn't matter. After I got "Corrientes Circulares en el Tiempo" followed by "Nunca Me Entero de Nada", time stopped for me. So many memories and emotions aroused. With wonderful and hypnotic visuals they played "Santos Que Yo Te Pinté", "Segundo Premio", "Un Buen Día", "De Viaje"... Did I need to keep writing? They are, arguably (of course, this is music, not maths), the best Spanish band ever. And they have tones of songs to prove it. As they did yesterday.

Final day of the Primavera Club today, so stay tuned for the last chapter!

Primavera Club 2012: we (finally) have timetables!

It's been a tremendous battle: against the economic crisis, against the stupid decisions from politics, who are on the verge of killing our cultural industry with the incomprehensible raise of the VAT tax for the sector, against bureaucracy (in Madrid and Barcelona) and against bad luck, with the cancellations of Cat Power and Crocodiles. So it has to be said first. Big, huge thanks to the Primavera organizers for not giving up and overcoming all obstacles. Thanks for bringing us the music. Again.

So here it is, finally. The timetables for the Primavera Club 2012 in Barcelona. I'm very happy to announce Bloodbuzzed, like past year, will be covering the Festival next week. and after checking times and venues (I still have to figure out how to move from one to another in a couple of situations), here's what my schedule looks like right now (this is not final).

Thursday 6th
19:15 Ghandi Rules OK at Sidecar
20:20 Dusted at Arteria Paral·lel
21:05 Great Lake Swimmers at Arteria Paral·lel
22:10 Cats on Fire at Arteria Paral·lel
23.15 The Soft Moon at Arteria Paral·lel

Friday 7th 
18:15 Little Wings at Arteria Paral·lel
19:30 Fernando Alfaro at Sant Jordi Club
20:30 La Bien Querida at Sant Jordi Club
21.35 Sr.Chinarro at Sant Jordi Club
22.45 Triángulo de Amor Bizarro at Sant Jordi Club
23.55 Los Planetas at Sant Jordi Club

Saturday 8th
19:30 Stand Up Against Heart Crime at Sant Jordi Club
20.15 Toy at Sant Jordi Club
21:25 Deerhof at Sant Jordi Club
22.50 Mark Lanegan Band at Sant Jordi Club
00:20 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at Sant Sant Jordi Club
01.40 The Vaccines at Sant Jordi Club

Spanish indie. New releases from some of the best national acts

A return from a very special friend made me think about this post. So here you have, some recommendations of Spanish indie bands for your listening  pleasure:

Sr Chinarro. Antonio Luque deserves a unique place among the Spanish indiepop scene. The Andalusian artist has been around since 1990, although his first release dates from 1993 and he gained notoriety in 1997 with "El porqué de mis Peinados". A incredibly solid career of 11 albums contemplates one of the most intriguing and peculiar lyricists (and a idiosyncratic writer) of our country, which has just returned with "Presidente", released today, perhaps his lightest and open record to date.


La Bien Querida. "Romancero" was a huge success at the national level, propelling the career of Ana Fernández-Villaverde to an unexpected indie stardom, with awards, unanimous praise from critics and a collaboration with Los Planetas (probably the most famous Spanish alternative band). Now Ana is back with "Fiesta", her second album, and judging from the first single, "Hoy", seems we are in front of a huge step forward in her career towards being the "Spanish indie pop queen".


The New Raemon. Although preferring his previous two records and being disappointed by the quite radical drift of the third album, "Libre Asociación", the credit of Ramón Rodríguez is still intact. He has been brave enough to do what he felt it was right to do, despite changing a style, the acoustic songwriter approach, that gave him a lot of success. A superb lyricist, the new record finds him on a sombre mood, where introspection and electric guitars seems closer to Madee than to The New Raemon. Or better said, to the former The New Raemon, one of the most exciting artists of the country.