Discoverer 128: new indie findings

We go into darker and rawer sounds our discoverer series this weekend. Enjoy the three blasts you are about to hear!

Protomartyr. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, this quartet formed in 2008 from the ashes of band Butt Babies, were three of its members performed for a while until they expanded into their current line-up and transformed into Protomartyr.  The group released debut album 'No Passion All Technique' in 2012 via Urinal Cake Records, which was followed by EP 'Colpi Proibiti' (also known as the 'Baseball Bat Ep' in the same year by X! Records. Tours and Festivals begun and they quickly put out sophomore record 'Under Color of Official Right'  released in 2014 via Hardly Art. The buzz was definetely on, something that 'The Agent Intellect', out since this October is propelling to such great heights. With a reason. Bleak  and tense post-punk with hints of punk, recalling heavyweights as Pere Ubu, Wire, The Fall or The Walkmen's roughest moments, with Joe Casey's laconic and straightforward vocals delivering bitter and emotionally draining lyrics, the menacing guitar lines of Greg Ahee, the pushing beat of Scott Davidson bass and the propulsive drums of Alex Leonard. Join the martyrdom...

Royal Headache. Cross the Ocean to land in Sydney to meet this punk rock & garage outfit and garage formed in 2008. With cassettes surfacing during their first three years of activity we can say their first offical release arrived in 2010 with self-titled 7"via R.I.P Society, that preceded eponymous album a year later. Another 7", 'Stand and Stare' released by Matador in 2013  anticipated what was about to come, a brilliant force of nature in the form of sophomore album 'High', out on What's Your Rupture? since this August. It's a very unusual, refreshing blend: the primeval nature and adrenalinitic urgency of punk packed with the emotional arrest, dare I say soul? intensity of Shogun's vocals, and the inmense hooks provided by a frenzied guitar line, an acoustic rendition or the surprisingly delicate couple of notes of a sparse organ. It's a moving record, one that gets you high and gets you places... Do not miss it.
Maff.  And we end our trip in Santiago de Chile (first band from Chile featured on the Blog, so happy!) to meet this promising quartet. Formed originally in 2012 by childhood friends and punk-rockers Ricardo (Richi) Gómez and Nicolás (Nek) Colombres they became a full combo with the addition of Martín Columbres and Gonzalo (Talo) Correa. Their only release to date is their self-titled, self-recorded and self-published mini-album, out since March 2015. Eight powerful and experimental tunes, connecting the haze and open spaces of shoegaze myths like Ride or Slowdive with a heavier, rockier side, one where Pixies or Sonic Youth easily come to mind. I know, big names... for a big debut. Keep an eye on them!

The Indie Anthology 52: essential songs

The next song in our Indie Anthology it's also one of the most confessionals I have included in this section... But I guess it shows "the other side", a very human one too. Do you have a tune to reveal all the anger, also all the pain, you have been through? I do, I just didn't know it was going to turn that real...

Song: The Rat
Artist: The Walkmen
Year: 2004

While I hope the "indefinite hiatus" the band has decided to take doesn't last that long (although it looks the other way, to be honest), 'The Rat', one of the his most celebrated, straightforward and unstoppable songs, still sounds as fresh, powerful, honest and blatantly mind-blowing as it was for me the first time I heard it. But that wouldn't telling the whole truth. Now every single word Hamilton Leithauser yells, no, let me correct, spits, seems to be sung in my name. Of course, I know my tale it's not about a post-break-up story clearly turning to a point between rage and being stuck. But yes, I have been stuck for several months, and I've been keeping all the fury in (call me civilised or call me coward), so Hamilton's voice is my silent throat, Matt Barrick's drums storming all over are my heart beats, and Paul Maroon's frantic guitar is my brain going back and forth all over. So here it is: dedicated to all the rats out there. Thanks The Walkmen for putting the words & music...

The Indie Anthology 44: essential songs

After all the Primavera Sound stuff dominating the blog, we are back with our regular features, so let's start the week with our Indie Anthology. This time I recover the first steps of a cult band (one of these criminally underrated) that, to me, are intrinsic part of a way of understanding indie-rock along with blog favourites like The National, The Walkmen, or Nick Cave...

Song: Rosemarie
Artist: Asphalt Ribbons
Year: 1991 

Asphalt Ribbons’s were the previous incarnation of Tindersticks and they only released a mini-album, 'Old Horse", before Stuart Staples and colleagues embarked in their amazing, nearly flawless music adventure of more than 20 years now. More guitar based than Tindersticks, it probably echoes 80s jangling pop with an epic tinge, something that in 'Rosemarie' achieves a breathtaking peak. David Boulter's sweeping keyboard opens the tune, which quickly flourishes on a puzzling stomping number where Staples delivers his trademark, mournful vocals (I dream on him and Matt Berninger singing together). Then guitars retire and an incredible cello opens the gates of heaven before Dickon Hinchliffe feeds the beast this song is with his violin. Oh, the gentlemen of indie-rock... keep them coming!

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 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

Autumn 2012: agenda of concerts

September is just around the corner. So, in order to avoid the inevitable depression, and the huge VAT increase (courtesy of our beloved government who doesn't consider music as culture) in two days, is a good occasion to take a look to the forthcoming concerts that I hope to attend until the end of the year. Our provisional agenda so far (hope it grows)!

SEPTEMBER
8. Paul Heaton at Music Hall (really hoping to go, but it is a bit expensive)
23. Los Punsetes at Plaça dels Àngels (as part of BAM Festival). More to see that night, to decide...
29. Sharon Van Etten at La [2] de Apolo. My dear Sharon again...

OCTOBER
5. The Tallest Man On Earth at Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou
6. Veronica Falls at BeCool
14. Fanfarlo at Apolo. Yeah! Finally!
16. The Wedding Present at Sidecar

NOVEMBER
2. The Divine Comedy (An Evening with Neil Hannon) at Auditori de Girona
7. The Walkmen at Bikini or
    Allo Darlin' (supporting The Wave Pictures) at Sidecar
20. The Chameleons at Sidecar

DECEMBER
5 to 9. Primavera Club
10. Father John Misty at Sala Apolo

Many are still pending, due to "calendar issues", and the majority, due to "economic issues", but green means
confirmed: already got the tickets!

The Sexiest Men of Indie

After two depressing, politically charged posts (I'm afraid won't be the last ones), here's a drastic change of topic. As promised on the previous post "The Sexiest Women of Indie", here's the male's list, compiled by my girlfriend, with the same criteria and her unique opinion/taste...

10. Thomas Mars
(Phoenix)

9. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)

8. Hamilton Leithauser
(The Walkmen)

7. Nick Valensi (The Strokes)

6. Daniel Kessler (Interpol)

5. Anthony "Caleb" Followill

(Kings of Leon)

4.  Joshua Tillman
(Father John Misty)

3.  Kristian Matsson
(The Tallest Man on Earth)

2. Tom Smith (Editors)

1. Ryan Gosling
(Death Man's Bones)

Battling Sónar Festival 2012 with covers!

I'm trying to write a couple of posts but I'm blocked... mainly because outside our flat there's an (electronic) war: Sónar Festival 2012 has started... not even 100 mts from where we live. With our extra-thin walls and the hot weather that forces us to keep the windows open if we don't want to get sick, there's no other option: we have to fight (musically speaking of course).

So, thanks to the wonderful A.V. Undercover Episodes we are enjoying some exciting, powerful, and extra-loud covers, so we don't have to hear the (almost exaggerating) annoying and neverending electronic beats (not a fan of that sort of music, but what really pisses me quite a bit is how they define themselves as an "advanced music Festival", but oh, well that's another story...). So, let's play some guitars and some "real" singing instead!


Dum Dum Girls cover Big Star: Lovely band playing one immortal song, from an immortal group I really have discovered thanks to Primavera Sound 2012.

The Walkmen cover R.E.M. The Walkmen cover R.E.M.: One of my favourite bands covering a gem of a song from "MY" R.E.M. No need to say anything else.


Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater cover “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” 
Sharon Van Etten covers Fine Young Cannibals Sharon Van Etten covers Fine Young Cannibals: Doble dose of the amazing Sharon, you can never have enough of her. The duet with Shearwater is stunning. So powerful.

Hospitality covers Steely Dan: One of the bands of the year so far doing wonders!
Basia Bulat covers Ted Leo & The Pharmacists: And Basia being Basia, just hear them sing.... Come back with new music, we miss you!

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 1

This morning I can make a quick post about how is it going the Primavera Sound Festival so far... To start with, the "Opening Day", Wednesday 30th!

The Wedding Present at PS
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Good
Barcelona-Primavera Sound: From many points of view, "opening" the Festival to the city is a great decision from the organization. And the location, Arc de Triomf, is an excellent choice for a free, open-air gig.
Discovering Myths: The first one on a Festival that so far is being great in that area. Didn't know what to expect from the Wedding Present, but after the gig all I can say is that I was happily impressed. On research mode since now on!
Sound quality: Past edition at Poble Espanyol was quite disappointing in that sense. Major improvement at the Arc de Triomf.

The Bad

View from the Arc Triomf on Wed. 30th
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Massification: Of course, one "collateral damage" of "approaching" the Festival to Barcelona is the risk of massification. The Arc quickly became overcrowded, and with the extremely hot weather, it was a bit too much. And sorry to say, there was a vast amount of people just "showing-up", something usual about this city, extremely worried about how it looks and not about what it does, not giving a s*** about the music, and frustrating the ones that were there to hear the bands with their constant chatting, shouting or, plain stupid behaviour. We gave up after the first songs of the Black Lips as we were too pissed by people.
Discovering new bands: Not really impressed with No More Lies (ages away from my tastes), and Jeremy Jay, sorry.

Fabulous The Walkmen
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Queen
The Walkmen: What a band. Great performance, with Hamilton Leithauser being a thunderous performer again. New songs from "Heaven" sounded amazing, and even the silly people (as mentioned on the previous paragraph) couldn't frustrate enjoying such a powerful song like "The Rat". My only complains. They didn't played "We Can't We Beat", a song I can stop hearing and that the gig was too short! We want you back in Barcelona"!


Thursday's brief coming very very soon!

My Primavera Sound 2012 playlist!

Primavera Sound Festival 2012 is finally here! Music, music and more music, with some additional parallel activities starting today. With the format of a playlist, here's a little sneak of what I'm going (or at least expecting to) to hear during this week. See you around, I'll keep you informed!

1. Hey Jane- Spiritualized
2. Heartbreaker- The Walkmen
3. Turn On the Water- The Afghan Whigs
4. Waiting on a Dream- Lee Ranaldo
5. September Gurls- Big Star
6. Postcards from Italy- Beirut
7. Trellic- Baxter Dury
8. Fade Into You- Mazzy Star
9. Devil's Spoke- Laura Marling
10. Hollywood Forever Cemetey Sings- Father John Misty
11. Eleanor Put Your Boots On- Franz Ferdinand
12. Don't Do Me No Favours- James Hunter
13. Misread- Kings of Convenience
14. It's Real- Real Estate
15. Don't Fall- The Chameleons
16. Hoop of Love- Dominant Legs
17. Get Myself Into It- The Rapture
18. Love Song- The Cure
19. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- Jeff Mangum
20. One Day- Sharon Van Etten
21. Starry Eyes- Veronica Falls
22. Hearts- I Break Horses
23. Tonight the Streets are Ours- Richard Hawley
24. Ahora Sabes- Odio París
25. Into the Black- Chromatics
26. Música para Cerrar las Discotecas- Doble Pletina

Primavera Sound 2012: a timetable's drama

The long awaited (and quite troubled) Primavera Sound 2012 timetables are here. Being honest, I expected some tough overlaps, but not to this extent. What a drama. Still pending on a couple of things, like the Primavera als Parcs or the Apolo bands on Wednesday night, but for the first attempt, this is what my PS 2012 looks like:

Wednesday, May 30th, Arc de Triomf
19:00 Jeremy Jay
20:00 The Wedding Present plays Seamonsters
21:20 The Walkmen
22.40 Black Lips
Pending on when will the shows at Apolo start, because I would like to see Chairlift. But very happy The Walkmen has been added to the line-up!

Thursday, May 31st, Parc del Fòrum
17:00 Doble Pletina (Vice stage)
18:20 Baxter Dury (San Miguel stage)
20:40 The Afghan Whigs (San Miguel)
21:50 Mazzy Star (Ray-Ban stage)
23:15 Beirut (Mini stage)
01:45 Franz Ferdinand (San Miguel stage)
First chapter of the "drama". Before The Afghan Whigs I don't have any "mandatory" band but then the headaches begin.Will have time to see the full show of The Afghan and be also on the first row for Mazzy Star? Wilco and Dominant Legs (maybe partially) will be sacrificed for Beirut, and I'm afraid I won't be able to watch Spiritualized because of Franz Ferdinand either...

Friday, June 1st, Parc del Fòrum
16:00 Nick Garrie (Auditori)
17:15 Laura Marling (Auditori)
18:50 The Chameleons (Ray-Ban)
20:30 I Break Horses (All Tomorrow's Parties)
21:45 Big Star's Third (Auditori)
02:00 The Rapture (San Miguel)
After Laura Marling, I won't have time for Jeff Mangum as I will go for The Chameleons, then I will have to decide between I Break Horses and Lower Dens (exactly the same hour). And then, major disaster: Christina Rosenvinge, The War on Drugs and half the show of The Cure will have to be sacrificed for Big Star's Third (can miss seeing R.E.M.'s Mike Mills again). Before The Rapture gig, I guess I will decide between M83 or Codeine.

Saturday, June 2nd, Parc del Fòrum
18.10 Sharon Van Etten (San Miguel)
20:30 Kings of Convenience (San Miguel)
22:00 Real Estate (Pitchfork)
23:15 Chromatics (Pitchfork)
00:45 Yo La Tengo (Mini)
I highly doubt I will be able to make for Jeff Mangum at 19:00 at the Auditorium, which would be the desired options, I guess I'll end watching Veronica Falls (which I was hoping to see at the Primavera al Parc). But the frustration will be nothing compared with the tragedy that follows: Real Estate or Beach House?

Sunday, June 3rd, Arc de Triomf
20:00 Nacho Vegas
21:10 Yann Tiersen
22:30 Richard Hawley
Probably be there before, but the fact I would rather die instead of hearing Joe Crepúsculo again makes me very very careful about it.

As I said, this is just a dramatic draft version. Allow me  to heal the wounds with "We Can't Be Beat", another mesmerizing tune from "Heaven", the forthcoming album of The Walkmen. Goosebumps.

Record Store Day with The Walkmen, The Very Most & Beach House!

It's Record Store Day today, so you should be hunting for your desired vinyls, cds or music collectibles. Among today's releases, I haven't found any song that has impressed me yet (few exceptions), but that doesn't mean there aren't new tunes you should be checking, and isn't the Day an occasion to celebrate great tunes? So here you have, three personal favourites, adding cracking new songs to their already incredible catalogue!

The Walkmen is back! "Heaven", their new album will be released the 4 of June, so is just a matter of a couple of months... but the wait is going to be tough, because judging by the first tunes we have been able to hear, the stunning, amazing "Heaven"  and "Heartbreaker", it promises nothing but greatness. Have your say below! And please The Walkmen, include Barcelona in the tour!
The Walkmen - Heaven by Bella Union

The Very Most and the Irish national football team? When Bloodbuzzed's dearest friend Jeremy Jensen told me about it, I was really shocked. Well, seems the band got involved into an Indiecater project celebrating the team made it to UEFA EURO 2012, contributing with the song "Sing Up for the Boys in Green", also the title of the album. Quintaessential TVM' sound, full of hooks, gorgeous backing vocals, a killer chorus (I hear The Housemartins!) and a joyous vibe, the tune, with all due respect for Irish players, is so precious that should be reserved to homage the most gifted team on Earth: Barça, of course. 
And the third proposal is Beach House, who is offering another glimpse of their (believe me) superb forthcoming album, "Bloom", on a special release for the Record Store Day, with a blue, very limited 7" for vinyl collectors, including the non-album track "Equal Mind". "Lazuli" is, again, haunting. What a band!

Music to look forward to in 2012

Now that holidays are officially over, it's time to look ahead into 2012. This is a small summary of the music releases/events I'm looking forward to for this year. A brief shortlist of the gifts I ordered for the Three Kings Day. 

1. The year is starting with a very special, highly anticipated album. Of course I'm referring to "I'm Across, I'm Ashore", our beloved Nat Johnson and the Figureheads arrive in few weeks! Don't you think the artwork is lovely! Counting down the days!
2. There's one release I'm really excited after hearing its first available tune,"Serpents" (click on the title to hear/download). Sharon Van Etten will release "Tramp", her third album, in February, with stunning collaborations like the Dessner brothers' from The National or Matt Barrick from The Walkmen. Great expectations with this.
3. "Young and Old" Tennis sophomore album, also for February.
4. The Shins are finally back!. James Mercer has "Port of Morrow" scheduled for March. Yes!! What about coming to Barcelona (Primavera Sound maybe)?
5. Two sure-fire for spring-summer: Beach House and The Walkmen.
6. My second Primavera Sound Festival, of course
7. The long-play debut that confirms the greatness of this young band: Let's buy Happiness.
8. Phoenix, Basia Bulat and Cat Power should be releasing new works this year.
9. Indie-pop heavens: Baffin Island, The Hi-Life Companion, The Hermit Crabs, The School will be back ... and Camera Obscura?
10. And finally, 2012 has to be, finally, the year of Beth Orton's comeback. Please, please, please.

Sure, there are many more out there. Will The National complete a new album before the year ends (the couple of songs premiered a few weeks ago sound great, so there's hope) And U2? And a personal favourite,  The Mynabirds? 2012 is going to be an excellent year for music.

Primavera Sound 2012, still hoping

Right after the Primavera Club 2011 ends, the organization announces new names for the forthcoming festival, and in a double round. So the line-up in Barcelona has now 27 names... and I'm still looking for at least one to make me eager for the Festival to begin.

Don't get me wrong, the additions of Veronica Falls and Beach House (especially if the latest have new record) are great, but they aren't exactly exciting, in the sense I saw both bands recently (at the aforementioned Primavera Club and at the Fly Me to the Moon). And the rest of confirmations... with all due respect of course, and admitting there are some great names... the majority of them are simply not "my cup of tea". And it pisses me off that The Walkmen, a band that I don't mind "repeating" as many times as possible (two times this 2011), are only going to Oporto.

Really hoping (I'm sure it will) the line-up shapes into something more similar to my "PS12 sweepstake" (only two hits by now) or my "wish-list"!

CONFIRMED ARTISTS FOR SAN MIGUEL PRIMAVERA SOUND 2012

30th May – 3rd June, Barcelona

Archers Of Loaf, Beach House, Björk, Codeine, Death Cab For Cutie, Death In Vegas, The Dirty Three, The Drums, Godflesh, Guided By Voices, Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Josh T. Pearson, Lisabö, Mudhoney, Neon Indian, Numbers Showcase (Jackmaster, Redinho, Spencer, Oneman, Deadboy), The Olivia Tremor Control, Other Lives, SBTRKT, Shellac, Siskiyou, Spiritualized, Veronica Falls, Washed Out, Wilco, The xx, Yo La Tengo.

Green- Definetely seeing them. Absolute must
Orange- If there are no overlaps (in particular with the green ones), I'll be there for sure
Yellow- Curious about it/"on research mode"