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Positiva: Rock That’s Good for the Soul

Released late last year, Spanish outfit Positiva’s sophomore outing for Odio Sonoro, the cleverly-titled Prodigal Songs, is classic riff rock through and through. It’s the kind of record you put on while you’re driving and all of a sudden you instantly know everyone else on the road is a sucker because, whatever they’re listening to, there’s no way it’s possibly as cool as the guitar lick you just heard. It’s the kind of record that turns you into “dude rocking out in his car,” and man, if everyone else had better taste in music, they’d all be rocking out too, so you go ahead and groove as you will. Positiva don’t seem to mind. If they did, they probably wouldn’t rock so damn much.

For the most part, Prodigal Songs stays well within the realm of revivalist ‘70s-style guitar-led rock. Guitarist/vocalist Miguel Moral is a former member of Bilbao crushers Rhino, though if anyone comes into Positiva expecting that same kind of metal destruction, they’re going to be in for a big surprise. The vibes are immediately, well, positive, with opening cuts “Brother Eagle” and “Undying Shore” losing none of their rock edge for the good times they incite. When the band delves into Grand Funkery, they earn a comparison to Blood of the Sun or Firebird, but the double guitars of Moral and guitarist/vocalist Julio Ruiz set them apart from their American and British sonic compatriots. Still, there’s a good amount of rock and roll shuffling going on through “Waiting in Vain,” “Catch the Fire,” and “Groupiedom,” and that’s got to come from somewhere.

Bassist/vocalist Che and drummer Unai G. de Kortazar do a remarkable job providing low end to the songs without shifting the balance too much toward a darker sound. On the longer, semi-acoustic “Black Mountains Rocks,” they give the song a dexterous heft while never really stealing the spotlight from Moral and Ruiz’s guitar work. Che, nonetheless, throws in some killer fills and de Kortazar does likewise. It seems Prodigal Songs could just as easily end after “Black Mountains Rocks,” but the more stoner-derived “Off the Road” — Captain Beyond saying hello to Blue Cheer — is catchy enough to show Positiva have more to say musically before they’re done with our ears.

“The Complete Mercy of the Lord,” with lyrics derived from the Bhaghavad Gitâ, injects a little space into Prodigal Songs, with reverb added to give distance to the vocals and a more laid-back groove throughout. At 2:55, “Black Telescope” is a back-to-earth solo vehicle and effective on that level as a return to the straightforward analog rock of the album’s first half, and though it opens with foreboding feedback, closer “Birdhouse” stays on course with driving rhythms, irony-free “Whoa yeah mama” vocals and a swagger the likes of which is bound to walk right over you if you’re not careful. Positiva solo their way into a moderately-sized rock finish (not too big, not too small) and cap Prodigal Songs in an almost subdued way as compares to the material prior.

Positiva make no effort to disguise who they are as a band, what they like to play or their genuine love of the rock that inspired them. Prodigal Songs is a pick-me-up of an album, rife with organic energy and based around a friendly atmosphere into which you can’t help but be swept. I haven’t yet heard their first album, 2007’s Centaur’s Ride, but after a couple listens through their latest work, it’s clear that’s a personal problem that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.

Positiva on MySpace

Odio Sonoro

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2 Responses to “Positiva: Rock That’s Good for the Soul”

  1. Bill Goodman says:

    A friend lent me his copy. Man was it awesome. I just ordered my own from ATIH.com

  2. Mike says:

    Hook, line and sinker.

    Thank you.

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