Find us on facebook

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Spanish Indie 12: suggesting the best national acts

More Spanish "alternative sounds" for your listening pleasure!

The Birkins. Can you mix British pop with French chanson, Americana and some experimentation and not being indigestible? Can you recall bands like The Beautiful South and Stereolab at the same time? This impressive quartet hailing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria can, gracefully. Formed in 2008, after winning, in 2009, the nationwide Heineken Greenspace contest, they signed with our recurrent friends from El Genio Equivocado and released their S/T debut album in 2011. Now they are back with their sophomore release, "Châteaux en Espagne", out since Feburary. Classy and diverse indiepop. One final advice: don't miss the chance of seeing them live if you can.

Niño y Pistola. Veteran band from Baiona, Galizia, for our second proposal. After two demos (2003 & 2004) they released "Como un Maldito Guisante" in 2006, recorded fully live. Hailed by critics as the "Galizian from Liverpool", they returned with "Culebra" in 2008. Then came their band reinvention, releasing under a new alter ego "Niño y Pistola as Arthur & The Writers" in 2010. And out now we have "There's a Man With a Gun Over There" as Niño y Pistola again. A conceptual album that is a superb homage to all the American music heroes: Neil Young, The Band, Dylan, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield... FOLK-ROCK in big capital letters.

Les Atxes. Discovered at the Minifestival de Música Independent, this band from Barcelona was born in 2008, first as the shared project of guitarists and singers Marc A. and Marc M., and then as a powerful full group after recruiting three more members. After many gigs and rehearsing, in 2011 they came out with a self-titled mini-album, when they combine their passion for the 70s' NYC scene with the more primitive elements of garage, as well of little hints of post-punk and traces of Spanish folk-rock. An eclectic combination that turns out to be incredibly fun, particularly live.

No comments:

Post a Comment