Grados. Minutos. Segundos. is a multi-volume compilation assembled at the behest of Spinda Records, highlighting the label’s native Spanish underground scene across a series of 12 split seven-inch vinyls. Set for release between last Friday and next Spring, the pressing is one-time-only, limited to 240, hand-numbered and though I generally don’t post sale links like, available right here: http://spindarecords.com/grados-minutos-segundos/

I’m not the type to tell you outright to spend your money. I know everyone works hard and cash is hard to come by and capitalism is terrible, etc., but the reason that link is there is because I respect the living shit out of this project and the obvious love that birthed it. Spinda Records is no slouch when it comes to promoting Spanish heavy anyhow, but Grados. Minutos. Segundos. brings that to a different level entirely. Consider — it could’ve probably just been a 3LP box. Or a double-CD or something like that. But the focus here is so much on the lushness of presentation, and on highlighting the work of the bands. Every act is given their own space. It’s a beautiful concept, and if you snag one of these, consider yourself lucky.

My hope is that as each installment of Grados. Minutos. Segundos. comes out, I’ll have a corresponding track-by-track from the bands. You’ll find the first one below. My sincere thanks to Berto Cáceres from the label for putting it — and the compilation — together.

Enjoy:

Grados. Minutos. Segundos. Track-by-Track Pt. 1

MOURA – “Muiñeira da Maruxaina”

“[…] The “muiñeira” is one of the most popular Galician traditional music genres and we wanted to make an approach to it from “krautrock” and psychedelic perspective, respecting some of its characteristics. Lyrically, the song is about the folktale of the Maruxaina, a mermaid who lives in a cave in an island in San Cibrao (north coast of Galicia) and helps or confuse sailors by playing a horn or with her singing, depending on different versions of the tale. Galician traditional percussions were heavily used in the song and an arpeggiator to keep the pulse of the trance along with the guitar riff […]”

ROSY FINCH – “Black Lodge”

“[…] As a big fan of ‘Twin Peaks’, I always had the idea of turning into Laura Palmer and living inside a dark song. In “Black Lodge” you can see many references and symbology of Lynch’s universe. We tried to reflect the anguish but also the seduction undertaken by the characters. But not only the video has been inspired by the TV series; lyrics describe some moments and iconic quotes of the show but always through Laura Palmer’s voice […]”

ADRIFT – “Abracadabra”

“[…] On this track we don’t play around with long progressions as we are used to. Instead we play heavily from the very first second and there’s no time to relax at all. Going against our usual way of writing songs, we chose a couple of riffs and wrote the whole song around them without thinking too much and having fun trying not to get complicated. The lyrics talk about the current situation and how some media and “important” people manipulate the reality in order to control the people and do what they want with them. They’re kind of magicians doing tricks to make you think as they want you to think […]”

ADRIFT – “Lush Lands”

“[…] Inspired by the book ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad, this tracks talks about a situation in which you decide to go to the deepest darkness looking for somebody and how you can finish feeling attracted by the horror you see on your way to that person. This track stars as a good exercise of space rock, full of delays and reverb, to finish as a huge and repetitive wall of noise. It’s like a mantra to get into trance […]”

MONDO INFIEL – “Estigmas”

This track talks about those close-minded-people who are not able to see further than their own shoes, not being even able to question their way of thinking or understanding that not everyone else will think the same way. This can continue for years and makes them feeling attacked by others just for the fact of them having a different point of view about religion, politics or culture. Type O Negative and Killing Joke inspired the song a lot, although it doesn’t sound to those bands at all – I wish Pete Steele or Jaz Coleman took care of the vocals in the song.

PARTÍCULA – “La Fosa”

From the deepest and darkness roots of heavy psych and the most powerful ’70s hard rock, this track emerges like a cathartic experience, where frustration and hope return to our reality transformed into an authentic iron fist, ready to take you to another dimension.

MEDICINA – “Vilo”

This songs talks about the uncertainty and anxiety caused when things are out of your hands. This can happen on any aspect of your life. We do not attach to any sound in particular when writing but this reminds me to Steve Albini and Big Black.

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Spinda Records website

Algeciras-based trio Medicina, which brings together drummer David Ruiz Donoso and bassist Jose “Pot” Moreno, both formerly of Viaje a 800, with Alberto Ruiz Gonzalez on guitar and vocals, will release their first album, Turboacido, through Mai Lei Bel on Feb. 22. Preorders for the 10-track/45-minute offerings start on Jan. 4, and to preview the LP’s arrival the band have put together a video for closing cut “Histamina,” which at 6:20 is also the longest inclusion on the record, blending influences from grunge, heavy rock and shoegazing post-rock with spacious flourish and the occasional bit of desert-minded riffing. Songs like “Sobredosis” and the side A finale “Pirotecnias” (premiered here) careen between garage stylizations and headier fare, the identity of the band cast as much in underground classics as in the forward-thinking progressivism underlying their superficially simplistic structures and moods alternately laid back and driving. Despite the lush feel of “Sensorial,” Turboacido does not seem to need to make its impression in a wash of effects, instead letting the consuming layers as they are eat away at the consciousness, gradually escaping with brain matter and, I don’t know, maybe your eyeballs if they’re not too wrecked by the shimmer.

The dug-in grunge of “Hermanas” and the indie-vibing opener before it “Infarto Juvenil” give a distinctly ’90s-inspired presentation, but the production itself isn’t dated and there’s not so much as sense of the band trying to recapture something long-since lost as interpreting their own take on that spirit. Some of the record’s most effective moments are in its mellower stretches, “Sobredosis” or the extra-bassy “Ensamble,” which though it puts the low end in the forward position mix-wise, uses that extra space for some post-rock expansion in the lead guitar. As the finale, “Histamina” follows the push ‘n’ wash of “Soluble” with whatever space rock might be if it was exploring the ocean instead of the outer reaches of the cosmos. Or maybe it’s just some watery planet in some far off star system? Either way, it brings together the intense thrust of motorik rhythmmaking with something still definitely gravitational, and by the end, shows itself to be winding off in a direction all its own. So it may be the case with the band (here’s hoping), but the nuance of their approach shouldn’t be lost as one calls out this influence or that. Make no mistake, the highlight of Turboacido is in how Medicina take these elements and own them outright.

“Histamina” was directed by Juanjo Crespo and goes wild on some footage that may or may not be in the public domain.

Please enjoy:

Medicina, “Histamina” official video

Second preview of our first lp turboacido, which will see the light on February 22, enjoy and share the “Histamina.” Video Realizado por Juanjo Crespo.

Medicina is a trio formed at the beginning by Alberto and David, veteran musicians of the local scene in South Spain (They’ve playing together since the early 90´s in several bands like Ballet Violencia, Xudor Barato, among others).

David Ruiz was the drummer in the well known stoner rock band Viaje a 800 (from 1996 to 2008), and also in Buenamuerte Trío (From 2010 to 2013); After multiple line-up changes, Jose “Pot” (Viaje a 800, Atavismo…) finally joins the band as bass player in 2018.

Band members:
Alberto Ruiz Gonzalez (Guitar and Vocals)
David Ruiz Donoso (Drums)
Jose “Pot” Moreno (Bass)

Medicina on Bandcamp

Medicina on Instagram

Medicina on Thee Facebooks

Mai Lei Bel on Bandcamp

Mai Lei Bel on Thee Facebooks

Grunge meets heavy psychedelia and straight-ahead rock in the expanses of Medicina‘s first long-player, Turboacido. Arriving Feb. 22 through Mei Lei Bel (say it out loud), the 10-track/45-minute LP is lush in tone and patient in delivery, but ultimately clearheaded about what it’s looking to accomplish in terms of songwriting. As the Algeciras-based trio features two former members of the defunct Viaje a 800, there’s an immediate level of interest, but Medicina — who have three EPs out dating back to 2015 — are quick to distinguish themselves in moments of all-out ’90s reimagining and the occasional bit of footgaze, which is like shoegaze, but with x-ray vision.

They’re not cosmic-averse either, which is fortunate since that’s where closer “Histimina” seems to be heading at full impulse speed. That track caps side B, but if you want to hear the one that does likewise on side A, you can stream the clap-along-worthy “Pirotecnias” on the player at the bottom of this post. Mei Lei Bel has preorders starting on my mom’s birthday (it’s what every mother wants), and you can find more background on the band and their noble mission below, courtesy of the PR wire.

It’s right under the art, which is looking directly at you.

Thusly:

Medicina – Turboacido

Release Date: 22/02/2019 (Pre-Orders will be available January 4, 2019) (Mai Lei Bel, Austria) (https://maileibel.bandcamp.com).

– Recording Info: Recorded and Mastered by Curro “Snortil” Ureba at Trafalgar Estudios (El Palmar-Vejer) during August/October 2018. Produced by Medicina & Curro “Snortil” Ureba.

Medicina is a trio formed at the beginning by Alberto and David, veteran musicians of the local scene in South Spain (They’ve playing together since the early 90´s in several bands like Ballet Violencia, Xudor Barato, among others).

David Ruiz was the drummer in the well known stoner rock band Viaje a 800 (from 1996 to 2008), and also in Buenamuerte Trío (From 2010 to 2013); After multiple line-up changes, Jose “Pot” (Viaje a 800, Atavismo…) finally joins the band as bass player in 2018.

Medicina began playing in 2012, performing a mix of genres like Shoegaze, Grunge, Post Punk and Space Rock, but anyway they prefer to call it Expansive Rock. Their main influences are bands like: Loop, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Spacemen 3, Suicide, Telescopes, The Stooges, Lagartija Nick or Nirvana, among others…

They have 3 EPs (self-released), the last one called: #3 includes new incursions in another music genres not previously explored as Ambient and Dub. They have announced a LP called “Turboacido” that will be released by the Austrian label Mai Lei Bel Records next year 2019.

Talking about live shows, they´ve been playing in several places of their country with bands such as Atavismo, Cowboy Lovers, and many others ; also played at festivals such as the Picnic Intestelar in Seville among others.
Nowadays they´re preparing themselves for a next Tour during 2018/2019, due to the presentation of their new upcoming LP.

Meanwhile….they keep experimenting in their laboratory.

Band members:
Alberto Ruiz Gonzalez (Guitar and Vocals)
David Ruiz Donoso (Drums)
Jose “Pot” Moreno (Bass)

Discography :
– Mlp – 2015 (Self Release)
– Soluble – Ep – 2016 (Self Release)
– 3 # – Ep – 2017 (Self Release)
– Turboacido – Lp – 2019 (Mai Lei Bel Records)

medicina.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/medicalnoise
facebook.com/medicina1977
https://maileibel.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/maileibel/