While CANADA's style has remained a popular reference point for countless indie videos (and indie video dissections), their latest work for Los Punsetes combines a familiar aesthetic with an even more exaggerated commercial and pop motif. What I'm getting at is that this is kind of Kyary-esque. Anyone who has followed Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's videography over the years should instantly recognize certain visual elements of marrying cute with creepy. “Me gusta que me pegues” might not strictly adhere to Kyary's dogma (what does?), but it still gets there. Consider the scene in which singer Ariadna, dressed in a gold lamé sweater, delivers a knockout roundhouse kick, or how her victim (a pretty freaking creepy piñata man) tumbles down as gracefully as it occurs only in anime. Don't even get me started on the performance shots with candy graphics swirling inside the band. This kawaii masochism is soundtracked by a brazen and addicting single that charges through like a fuse, you can't blink because it goes out that quickly. It's the first taste of LPIV (out November 4th on CANADA Editorial), which also reunites Los Punsetes with Pablo Díaz-Reixa (El Guincho) as producer.
Showing posts with label los punsetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label los punsetes. Show all posts
Video: Los Punsetes - Me gusta que me pegues
While CANADA's style has remained a popular reference point for countless indie videos (and indie video dissections), their latest work for Los Punsetes combines a familiar aesthetic with an even more exaggerated commercial and pop motif. What I'm getting at is that this is kind of Kyary-esque. Anyone who has followed Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's videography over the years should instantly recognize certain visual elements of marrying cute with creepy. “Me gusta que me pegues” might not strictly adhere to Kyary's dogma (what does?), but it still gets there. Consider the scene in which singer Ariadna, dressed in a gold lamé sweater, delivers a knockout roundhouse kick, or how her victim (a pretty freaking creepy piñata man) tumbles down as gracefully as it occurs only in anime. Don't even get me started on the performance shots with candy graphics swirling inside the band. This kawaii masochism is soundtracked by a brazen and addicting single that charges through like a fuse, you can't blink because it goes out that quickly. It's the first taste of LPIV (out November 4th on CANADA Editorial), which also reunites Los Punsetes with Pablo Díaz-Reixa (El Guincho) as producer.
Los Punsetes - Una montaña es una montaña
Una montaña es una montaña, Los PunsetesEverlasting Records, Spain
Rating: 80
by Pierre Lestruhaut
If you happen to be very familiar with the bands that this blog has tended to laud over the past few years, then chances are you already have a pretty decent understanding of what made Los Punsetes’ excellent one-two punch of oddball indie rock that were LP and LP2. If you’re not, and hopefully haven’t been living under a rock, then at least maybe you've heard about a certain lowbrow song with an opening lyric that goes something like “Que le den por culo a tus amigos,” which, for better or worse, continues to be both the main reference and entrance point into the Madrilenian quintet’s discography as it moves towards their third LP Una montaña es una montaña.
For better, “Tus Amigos” still remains the most effective incarnation of what has made Los Punsetes such a fun band to listen to: crudely humorous and nihilistic me-against-the-world lyrics, the sister-in-the-shower singing/yelling style of Ariadna, and a muscled backing band comprising a pair of great interweaving guitars and a tight rhythm section. But for worse, it often seems to reduce the whole extension of the band's framework to a single line (albeit a piercingly good one), thus failing to represent them as the glaring antithesis to the more common self-conscious and hyper-referential record collector rock that seems to attracts the attention of most indie fans—sitting oppositely from Piyama Party’s indie fan witticism while somehow standing on the same funny-as-shit indie rock sidewalk.
“Alférez Provisional,” first single from Una montaña es una montaña, seemed like the sort of safe roundup to follow the tour de force that was LP2: sticking to the more conspicuous elements of your aesthetic that have been key to your success (Planetas and Movida Madrileña-infused sounds with a heavy dose of FUCK EVERYONE), while bringing along a couple of recent local powerhouses (Pablo Díaz-Reixa as producer, CANADA as video directors). For most of the record, though, instead of the in-studio friction between band members portrayed in the video for “Alférez Provisional,” Los Punsetes seem to have settled for finding a comfortable groove. Lyrical repetition and steady progressions to the point of utter stagnation (“Un corte limpio,” “Malas tierras”), breathing from an absence of easily digestible melodies and occasionally diverging towards rockist grandeur (epic keyboard-led outro in “Malas Tierras,” apocalyptical contemplation in “Los glaciares”).
As opposed to what we were used to in LP and LP2, Los Punsetes seem decided to progress within the confines of well executed clean guitar rock more often than making us feel uncomfortably delighted with their enfant-terrible approach. The latter is obviously the kind of aesthetic that led to all kinds of knee-jerk reactions about the band being simultaneously unique, refreshing, lowbrow and provocative. But the former, even though it has made them overall less interesting and certainly a lot less fun to listen to, is the forthcoming breeze of a band that’s entering maturity. In “John Cage,” Ariadna sings with nihilistic apathy (“Noy hay mejor propósito que no tener ningún propósito”), about a certain acceptance for the certainties of life (“Un hombre es un hombre y una montaña es una montaña"), which makes for a closing number that leaves us to face the fact that every enfant-terrible must inevitably enter adulthood at some point.
Video: Los Punsetes - "Alférez Provisional"
Unlike many of you, I’m nowhere near getting tired of CANADA’s celluloid approach. Beyond the familiar aesthetic motifs (the horizontal panning, abrupt close-ups, character bondage, etc.), there’s a physicality to their videos that’s really hard-hitting. Their latest knockout, “Alférez Provisional,” is like a recipe for disaster that turns into a gemstone because of its shared unsentimental recital with the song. The return of Los Punsetes is exciting by itself, but knowing Pablo Diaz-Reixa (El Guincho) is at the helm of their third album, Una montaña es una montaña (out later this month through Everlasting Records), makes things even more attractive. As always, the band is outspoken and play the sport taking multiple kicks and punches (Ariadna especially, looking stunningly beautiful with the new haircut). Like most of the CANADA catalog, this clip doesn’t shy away from objectification–but rather than being gratuitous, they’ve managed to use folk magic as a narrative tool and as visual ammunition.
Anntona - Grandes males, remedios regulares
Grandes males, remedios regulares,Anntona
Gramaciones Grabofónicas, Spain
Rating: 77
by Pierre Lestruhaut
There’s a particular sample in Grandes males, remedios regulares, the latest release from Anntona (guitarist of Los Punsetes), that serves as an interlude between the two-songs-in-one “ECI/Amorcitos,” and in which we can hear a man with a heavy French accent saying “I want to fuck her” in regards to an American woman who’s obviously shocked by the situation. Had I not been a huge Gainsbourg enthusiast I would have completely failed to see the origin of the uncredited sample and, thus, would have never been able to make reference to his well-known encounter with Whitney Houston on French TV. The reason why I focus on this 30-second sample isn’t for pure Gainsbourg-ian geekdom, but because it actually feels revelatory in how the man is somehow important in the way Anntona and Los Punsetes approach pop music.
Serge Gainsbourg was a '60s French pop idol whose early songs were generally very much in line with what the rest of the yé-yé crowd were doing, but as much as his name was engraved in that particular '60s pop aesthetic, he is mostly remembered for having France Gall implicitly and unawarely sing about blow jobs (and swallowing), making Jane Birkin moan with pleasure in a highly erotic internationally banned but later to become hit song, and, in his most accomplished work, conceiving a full album around the sole theme of statutory rape. Anntona and Los Punsetes on the other hand, are sonically placed along the line of Spaniard indie pop, praising the melodic simplicity and charm of Donosti Sound, devoting themselves to the uninterested and lazy vocal styles of Sr. Chinarro, while also holding onto the Casio synth packaging of Family. Still, the main reason why we love these acts so much is that they can somehow pull out something as charming as “Tú hueles mejor” or as haunting as “Cien metros para el cementerio,” while still giving out vocal hooks like “que le den por culo a tus amigos” and “todo el mundo tiene porno en casa,” which are both hilarious and excessively crude alongside the overall romanticism of Spaniard indie pop.
Grandes males, remedios regulares starts with the same raunchy resentment displayed in “Tus Amigos” with Anntona declaring, “Hay un montón de mierda en el fondo del pozo [...] he cogido un puñado y os lo voy a tirar,” while “Arruino todo lo que encuentro” turns the exasperation towards himself and his own insecurity issues. “A68” sees Ariadna Punset take a guest spot and leaves us wondering just how great a less guitar and more synth-driven Los Punsetes album would be, while final track “Norman Bates” has Anntona showing off a great ability in the rarely explored territory of electronic-driven Spanish indie pop. Other tracks are less effective in their use of electronic sounds. “Millones de chicas” is a song you’ll want to skip by the time you hit the second “1,2,3,4” Flaming Lips sample, and vocal manipulation feels mostly like a failed experiment on “Qué verde era mi valle.” Still, in the end, where Anntona will mostly have our admiration is for songs like “Caramelos con droga,” the kind where he can display his great handling and understanding of traditional forms (in this case new wave), while leaving his own (and Los Punsetes') singular imprint of obscenely hilarious lyricism with an opening line like “A mí el fin del mundo me pilló cagando.” Some may judge this as terribly lowbrow...we’ll call it auteristic.
Video: Anntona - "Arruino Todo Lo Que Encuentro"
“Arruino Todo Lo Que Encuentro” is the first single off Anntona’s new album, Grandes Males Remedios Regulares, under the always-reliable label Gramaciones Grabofónicas. This is definitely a departure from the semi-humorous, semi-provocative singles that have predominated his career in the past. It also shows Anntona’s sense of progressiveness gazing back into the ‘80s, as this song carries a sample from Martin Rev’s “Mari.” The video, directed by Ivan Rosenstock, is structured as a very bruised VHS tape that dates back to 1972. So, does Anntona honor his “I ruin everything I find” premise? Not here. This song is pretty awesome. But listen to his cover of Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente” from two years ago and please, by all means, make your own conclusions.
Video: Los Punsetes - "Dinero"
Interview - Los Punsetes
Photos by JP Abello
Blanca: I’ve heard your song “Tus Amigos” everywhere that I’ve gone this week. When you decided to make it your first single off of LP2, did you expect such a reaction?
Ariadna: No. At the beginning we weren’t so sure about the song, about how it would be received.
Chema: As soon as we started playing it live, though, there was a reaction from the crowd. It’s a pop song with a catchy melody. It’s something fun. I think it’s also because we are giving people the chance to tell people off.
Ariadna: Yes, and the chance to say bad words.
Blanca: I know that’s always a selling point for me. And your second single is “Dinero,” right? How do you feel about that as a follow-up to “Tus Amigos?”
Antonna: I don’t think it’s as catchy as “Tus Amigos,” but it doesn’t have to be. We like the song a lot, and the video, whenever it gets finished, is going to be great.
Blanca: Awesome, I’m looking forward to that. Are you working on any other new stuff?
J: In September, we’re releasing a remixes album.
Antonna: We’re constantly working on new music, but right now we’re playing so much that we don’t have as much time to do that.
Blanca: How do you feel about the performances you’ve had at the conference?
Ariadna: The concerts have been very different. The first one, there were so many bands, that everyone was there to see someone different. And a lot of people were just there to hear something new. But at the show we played last night, people knew who they were there to see. So, there were people dancing around, and that was a surprise for us. It was great.
Blanca: Have you gotten a chance to check out any of the other bands?
Ariadna: Yes, at the acoustic showcase.
Antonna: We saw La Bien Querida, who we love, of course.
Ariadna: Yes, at the acoustic showcase.
Antonna: We saw La Bien Querida, who we love, of course.
Ariadna: And Alex Cuba was very interesting. His hair was interesting, too.
Chema: It was like a microphone.
Blanca: Let me take things back a bit. How did y’all (there goes my inner Texan, again) get started as a band?
Gonzalo: We met in college.
Ariadna: Like 14 years ago.
Gonzalo: We’d been friends for a long time, and when we finished college, we didn’t have anything to do. So, we said, “Why don’t we start a band?” When we started out, it was just for fun and, little by little, it’s turning into something more serious.
Blanca: How is the music you make now different from the music you made when you first started?
J: It’s more rock-oriented, faster, harder, not as poppy as the first songs. I like it much better.
Ariadna: They are darker, the new songs.
Chema: More psychadelic, maybe. And a little bit better played.
Antonna: Well, I don’t know about that. We don’t play well really. Chema, maybe.
Ariadna: Chema is the only who is good at this.
Blanca: And as you were developing your sound in Madrid, did you feel that there was a vibrant and supportive community of musicians?
Ariadna: There are a lot of bands in Madrid that maybe don’t play the same style of music but are in the same situation.
Gonzalo: There’s no exclusively Madrid scene. We feel close to a lot of bands outside of Madrid, like in Barcelona.
Antonna: It’s not about isolated scenes in certain cities because we play Barcelona a lot and, in that way, we are connected.
Gonzalo: There is a certain mood in Madrid. I don’t know how to explain it, but I know it’s important to what we do.
Antonna: If we lived in some other town, the music wouldn’t be the same.
Gonzalo: We met in college.
Ariadna: Like 14 years ago.
Gonzalo: We’d been friends for a long time, and when we finished college, we didn’t have anything to do. So, we said, “Why don’t we start a band?” When we started out, it was just for fun and, little by little, it’s turning into something more serious.
Blanca: How is the music you make now different from the music you made when you first started?
J: It’s more rock-oriented, faster, harder, not as poppy as the first songs. I like it much better.
Ariadna: They are darker, the new songs.
Chema: More psychadelic, maybe. And a little bit better played.
Antonna: Well, I don’t know about that. We don’t play well really. Chema, maybe.
Ariadna: Chema is the only who is good at this.
Blanca: And as you were developing your sound in Madrid, did you feel that there was a vibrant and supportive community of musicians?
Ariadna: There are a lot of bands in Madrid that maybe don’t play the same style of music but are in the same situation.
Gonzalo: There’s no exclusively Madrid scene. We feel close to a lot of bands outside of Madrid, like in Barcelona.
Antonna: It’s not about isolated scenes in certain cities because we play Barcelona a lot and, in that way, we are connected.
Gonzalo: There is a certain mood in Madrid. I don’t know how to explain it, but I know it’s important to what we do.
Antonna: If we lived in some other town, the music wouldn’t be the same.
LAMC Entry #3: Too many chocolate chips in my pancake
After hitting the snooze button about five times Friday morning, I finally made it out of bed, out the door, and back to the Roosevelt Hotel for what would turn out to be my favorite day of the conference for one reason, and one reason only, which I will get to soon. I started the day with an interview with Los Punsetes, who were hilariously self-deprecating. Also, Ariadna’s blue eyeshadow (not pictured here, sorry) was mesmerizing, and I made a mental note to try that look for myself soon.
Photo by JP Abello
As I was wandering around later that day, I spotted one of my favorite people ever, and this is why Friday was the best day of LAMC. Standing near the Remezcla table was none other than Juan Son. First, I did a double take to confirm that it was, in fact, the mermaid-obsessed musician that I thought it was. Then I had a quick freak out the likes of which I haven’t had since I was 13 and in the presence of Brandon Boyd. Okay, I lie. I had one a couple of weeks ago, when I saw Alan Palomo at The Creators Project. But I digress. Actually, this whole post is turning into one giant digression, huh? Anyway, I managed to pull it together (quite gracefully, if I do say so myself) and went up to talk to him about music and New York living and such. Good news for Juan Son fans, he is working on the new album and collaborating with some great folks, like Blonde Redhead. I know I’m excited.
I would have probably tried to milk that conversation for all it was worth, but I had an interview scheduled with Toy Selectah. This is the part where my roommate would look at me and roll her eyes and say, “Boo, I have too many chocolate chips in my pancake.” We ended up talking a lot about Erick Rincón, who I am still 100 percent behind, no matter what anyone says. And Toy Selectah’s on my side, so I think I win.
The last panel scheduled was Cutting Through the Clutter: Opportunities in an Ever-Fragmented Music and Media Landscape, and I got to catch the whole thing. The panelists, including Julianne Escobedo Shepherd from The Fader, Adam Shore from The Daily Swarm, and Jose Tillan from MTV Tr3s brought up some great points about how musicians can get heard through all the noise.
Then, JP and I hopped on the subway and headed to Brooklyn for Toy Selectah, Fidel Nadal, and Ozomatli. Unfortunately, neither of us new New Yorkers, despite both Google mapping the trip, could figure out which stop would get us closest to the correct entrance to Prospect Park. So, we ended up walking through the park for about a mile and missed Toy Selectah’s short set. But we managed to get him to come out afterward for some quick photos before we headed out in search of dinner because we were starving and were about to get a contact high from the Fidel Nadal crowd. We decided to be responsible adults that night and turned in early to rest up for the following night’s mischief, which wasn’t so much mischief as it was a lot of walking, but I’ll save that for the next post.
The last panel scheduled was Cutting Through the Clutter: Opportunities in an Ever-Fragmented Music and Media Landscape, and I got to catch the whole thing. The panelists, including Julianne Escobedo Shepherd from The Fader, Adam Shore from The Daily Swarm, and Jose Tillan from MTV Tr3s brought up some great points about how musicians can get heard through all the noise.
Then, JP and I hopped on the subway and headed to Brooklyn for Toy Selectah, Fidel Nadal, and Ozomatli. Unfortunately, neither of us new New Yorkers, despite both Google mapping the trip, could figure out which stop would get us closest to the correct entrance to Prospect Park. So, we ended up walking through the park for about a mile and missed Toy Selectah’s short set. But we managed to get him to come out afterward for some quick photos before we headed out in search of dinner because we were starving and were about to get a contact high from the Fidel Nadal crowd. We decided to be responsible adults that night and turned in early to rest up for the following night’s mischief, which wasn’t so much mischief as it was a lot of walking, but I’ll save that for the next post.
LAMC 2010 Lineup
This has to be one of the hottest lineups in the 11 editions of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, aka the Latin-Alt event of the year. No festival brings as much attention from major media and no one brings as many fans. In fact, in the past two years since our blog has been around, we see our site traffic sky-rocket during the weeks around the conference (including our link on the New York Times), we seem to be a good source for many of the up and coming bands in the showcase. This year is particularly exciting as New York will welcome some truly exciting bands like El Guincho, Toy Selectah, Los Punsetes, Furland , Los Rakas and La Bien Querida.Last year your CF editor did a piece for the LAMC guidebook on our favorite blogs out there, this year, I’m back with another piece on the 12 Twitter profiles any Latin Alternative fan should be following. Make sure to grab a book and as always, look around for the LAMC’s awesome compilation discs, they’re always fun. Act smart and take advantage of the $99 registration fee, register here.
Artists performing at LAMC 2010:
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich+Fussible, El Guincho, Anita Tijoux, Los Punsetes, Maleco Collective, Ocote Soul Sounds, Chico Mann, Furland, San Pascualito Rey, Sol Okarina, Alex Cuba, La Bien Querida, The Pinker Tones, Locos Por Juana, Jumbo, Los Tres, Pacha Massive, King Chango, Moderatto, Los Rakas, Mexican Institute of Sound, Yotuel, Isa GT, Ozomatli, Fidel Nadal, Maldita Vecindad, Profetas.
Los Punsetes - LP2
Recordings From The Other Side, Spain
Rating: 85
By Carlos Reyes
Scattered rock is best when dotted by peculiar nostalgia, even better at the hands of an enfant-terrible band like Los Punsetes. This hot band from Madrid is the real deal when it comes to rock melting geographical distinction; in a sort of Atlantic Ocean adventure, they have managed to surpass their celebrated debut with LP2, a splendorous set of songs deeply carved in pop’s perplexing bizarreness. Los Punsetes have stepped it up, their opera prima was wonderful but a bit stuffy, with the help of producer David Rodriguez (producer of La Bien Querida’s Romancero) they have polished one of the albums of the year.
“Polished” is probably not the best description of the album; it’s actually wonderfully uneven, perhaps rude. For those completely unaware of Spain’s pop idiosyncrasy, this might be a hard album to sell, but this album is guaranteed to wash away any kind of self-esteem obstruction preventing you to stop for a moment and laugh at yourself or the person next to you. “Tus Amigos” is a great first single that genuinely exploits this premise, “que le den por culo a tus amigos, pasa de ellos y ven conmigo”, it’s like justice being negotiated through humor, one that’s not harsh nor critical, it’s rather an opportunity to harden friendship.
Much has been said about Ariadna’s singing, I happen to like her voice more than I would care to admit to. But don’t me wrong, I wouldn’t give the argument of Ariadna having a unique style, it’s about acknowledging her voice as a result of music’s infinite possibilities. Los Punsetes couldn’t be less concerned to defend their ‘style’, they rather make the most of it in “Estilo,” one of the few potential anthems in the album. This track is a like a dream for those of us that enjoy Kanye West and Residente Calle 13’s ego-friendly tunes but are a bit shy to follow them, hypocrites they say (see, I'm already embracing my persona), “yo no tengo las respuestas yo no tengo estilo, sin duda alguna la belleza esta en el interior, pero a algunos les asoma y a otros no.”
LP2 is a storm of lyrical force, one-liners and double meaning; from “conmigo ya tienes de sobra” in “Tus Amigos” to just the title of “Yo Creo Que Creo en Satanas.” The band lyrics are creative within their language and the music is equally stunning. The riffs in the opener “Los Cervatillos” (Deer) are desperate and distressing, eventually layering up high and enough to find their way out of their misery. In some songs like “Hospital Alchemilla” and “Dinero” they sound like legit pupils of The Jesus and Mary Chain, needless to say they are the most nostalgic tracks in the record. LP2 is a killer, a reunion of exquisite songwriting and top-notch execution, what else is to ask for.
El Guincho Remixes Los Punsetes "Tus Amigos"
Starting out the day with a nice remix for “Tus Amigos” by Los Punsetes, remixed by Fonograma favorite El Guincho. The original song (which you can find on Fonogramaticos Vol.7) is a blast and one of those songs that look almost impossible to mess with, but Pablo- Diaz Reixa surrounds it with some tribal weekend-ready edges. Honestly, we’re not going crazy for it, but it works as a nice exercise (and is more than welcomed as we approach the summer). Hidrogenesse will be dropping another remix for the song really soon.
Club Fonograma's obsession with Spain's indie has its reasons... among them, Venus Pluton! and its videos.
For some reason, people here and there complain why we put too much attention on Spain’s indie scene, thing is, Spain and Mexico are the only countries to have an actual music industry (Argentina’s collapsed early this decade) and so it’s logical that there are more bands and more support to all fields of the business. But at least for me, it goes beyond that, see, before deciding to take my time to start this blog I really had no guidance to follow as far as ‘Latin music’ was concerned. There were places I would go to assist my thirst like Reactor or Marvin, but never an actual written channel from which to learn how to run a blog. So besides Pitchfork, The AV Club or Slant Magazine, Spain’s blogging network always fascinated me, I learned through and continue to learn from Hipersonica and La Nadadora, to Muzikalia or Mondo Sonoro. I’ve been so exposed to all these bands that they feel local to me, and it’s great to see they care enough to send me their albums.
Yes, there are a lot more blogs out there writing about all these artists and perhaps we would look cooler if we decided to overlook them and let Spanish reviewers do their job and pay our full attention to the unnoticed releases of indie labels and net labels, but we would become as vague as all the commas I left out in this paragraph alone. Or even scarier, we would found ourselves close to a Billboard Latino, we are not an informative blog nor do we feel a responsibility to limit ourselves. In short, we write about what we like. But enough with the sermon, what’s stimulating this post is the fact that Venus Pluton! is back and you should know we will be posting a lot of videos from it. Venus is Spain’s La Blogotheque, but it’s a lot more fun, they invite artists to shoot videos out there like the French do, but they also produce montages and capture live performances with a whole lot of artistic vision behind it.
So go on kids, here are two of their latest works, for two bands we deeply care for. First, our friends Manos de Topo, who were one of the nicest guys I came in contact with through the Voy a Explotar Soundtrack, you now know how dramatic Miguel Angel’s vocals are, what if he was to sing about the statue of liberty while getting shaved with one of those old barber’s razors? Sweeney Tood, anyone? The second video is from Los Punsetes, here performing “Lo Natural”, the scenery couldn’t fit the song better. And as a last thought, Mexico’s In-D has done these type of videos, it’s a shame they don’t upload them to YouTube anymore.
Video: "Fondo de Armario" - Los Punsetes
As I mentioned in my review of En La Cama con Anntona that Los Punsetes was the big revelation of Spanish rock last year. I never really put any attention to them, although I’ve always loved “Dos Policias”, I just started listening to their LP, trying to rediscover it and trying to figure out why I never jumped into their wagon, and I have to say it’s a fantastic record, the hardest to digest too. Although originally released free of charge, the album got itself some distribution, which was inevitable after so much critical success. I know their video “Fondo de Armario” was included on a video playlist before, but I get a feeling you didn’t see it, it's currently in my top 5 singles of the year.
En la cama con Anntona, Anntona
EN LA CAMA CON ANNTONA, ANNTONAGramaciones Grabofonicas, Spain ***1/2
Rating: 70
By Carlos Reyes
Is it me, or is Spain’s pop transitioning to a weird level of psychedelic bump? As soon as authors realized that they can share their songs without having a good voice, now there is this big group of guys imposing the popular demand for music that is pleasant to the ear, usually meaning a voice on pitch waiting for the musical arrangement and accompaniment to support its survival. Parents, now you can tell your kid he can be a singer even if he sounds like a rooster. I don’t want to go to Manos de Topo right now, but for those not aware of this movement I must warn you, Anntona is one of them, probably the sweetest one also. He is the guitarist of Los Punsetes, the revelation in Spanish rock last year; in this sense, he shares a lot with other colleagues who are now upfront in side journeys, like Joe Crepusculo who is part of Tarantula or El Guincho’s partner Aleix who recently formed Extraperlo. El Guincho describes this shift as “good pop singed like if they didn’t give a damn.” En La Cama Con Anntona is enganging, but let’s get it straight, even when he is talking about ugly girls, odors and porn, there’s this innocence dancing around as if it wasn’t aware to what’s been exposed or its implication with the sound. It’s really interesting how this projects approach the listener, I’m sure they don’t care too much if you like them, but they do make an effort to grab you in, and “Nunca es tarde” is like a hypnotizing session smoothing your entrance to a layer of the bizarre, and what’s more convincing to manipulate your mind than a self-reflecting song of all kinds, wants you to know of timeless youth and that it is never too late to love, or grow a beard. “Y ademas bastante fea” is been called an instant classic, I think it is way too funny to starting inflating a harmless song. Two female voices show up, both sound beautiful if you asked me, first Ariadna Punset vocalist of Los Punsetes in the pessimistic “Podia Volar” and in the best song of the album La Bien Querida in the reggaetonesque “Tu Hueles Mejor.” I’m glad to see some people are conscious of the beat and care enough to make something good out of it, remember “Cuando Hablamos” by Javiera Mena? It’s not an entirely fortunate album, some songs are heavy and dry, but I guess there is plenty of moisture to spread around through “Todo el mundo tiene porno en casa.”
Vetusta Morla, Lori Meyers and Los Punsetes
The blog is back to my hands everyone! , thanks Andrew for the great SXSW coverage, to the artists for welcoming our approach to interview them etc. You would assume I would have a lot of stuff ready for you, but I took a break from this thing, and indeed, I missed it. During spring break I got a handful of CDs from Spain, thanks to all the labels for sending them, seriously, beautiful packaging and the music is exciting to say the least. So expect a lot of Spaniard acts getting reviews/posts in the upcoming days.
While Russian Red and Joe Crepusculo were the most successful breakthroughs in Spain's pop last year, let me introduce you to the three rock acts everyone had their eyes on (although for me, the best rock album from Spain is still Margarita's Parque Magico). I'm in love with the Morla's front single "Un dia en el mundo", I don't know, I can't stop singing it and I'm sure you won't either. There's four videos included in the player, first a live-action take of Vetusta a la blogotheque, and if you click on next, it will take you to the album's version and official video. Also find Lori Meyers's "Alta Fidelidad" and Los Punsetes's latest video "Fondo de Armario."
While Russian Red and Joe Crepusculo were the most successful breakthroughs in Spain's pop last year, let me introduce you to the three rock acts everyone had their eyes on (although for me, the best rock album from Spain is still Margarita's Parque Magico). I'm in love with the Morla's front single "Un dia en el mundo", I don't know, I can't stop singing it and I'm sure you won't either. There's four videos included in the player, first a live-action take of Vetusta a la blogotheque, and if you click on next, it will take you to the album's version and official video. Also find Lori Meyers's "Alta Fidelidad" and Los Punsetes's latest video "Fondo de Armario."
2 Policias, Los Punsetes Download MP3
Los Punsetes are enjoying a lot of attention in Spain, a breakthrough brand that is already being compared with Spain’s greatest contemporary rock band Los Planetas. They gave away their first LP for free at their website, becoming a huge hit right away. Truth is, they are far away from convincing, and I found their album at times middling but mostly obnoxious and hypnotic. There is however one of the great singles of the year, “Dos Policias” is truly a fun and cartoonish political rock song and probably the biggest hit in Spain’s indie radio stations. It’s more hype than actual quality, but it will be interesting to see where the band is heading, perhaps I’m misunderstanding their music (it wouldn’t be the first time), everybody seems to love them.
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