With this, the track-by-track series for Spinda Records‘ massive, 24-bands-on-12-split-7-inches box set Grados. Minutos. Segundos., comes to an end. The fourth and final shipment has gone out, carrying three more splits, and while one wouldn’t want to accuse the label of playing favorites, there’s no doubt that the idea of “finishing strong” was a factor here, as Kabbalah, Arenna, Battosai, Pyramidal, Híbrido and Here the Captain Speaking, the Captain is Dead come together for the last installment.

It’s been an honor — and yes, I mean that — to host this series. I’ve said on three prior occasions now the incredible amount of respect I have for the project. It’s not just a compilation of bands, though it’s certainly that too, and an expansive one at that. It’s a celebration with exclusive material of a generation of the Spanish underground happening at a, at the, perfect moment for that underground itself, which has proven its vitality and creative individuality across the entire collection. It is not the kind of thing that happens every lifetime, and while I don’t know the plans of Spinda Records and honcho Berto Cáceres in this regard, he’s said no re-pressing will happen, so it might actually be once in that lifetime. If you got one, consider yourself lucky.

Past installments in this series are here and here and here. Thanks to Cáceres for facilitating on all, here’s the track-by-track for part four and the stream of the whole thing:

Purchase here: https://spindarecords.com/grados-minutos-segundos

After 18 stops, his trip to the deepest underground scenes in Spain called ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ comes to an end with another 6 bands such as Battosai, Pyramidal, Híbrido, Kabbalah, Arenna and Here the Captain Speaking, the Captain Is Dead.

‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you’ll have the chance to understand how’s the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don’t want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.

Grados. Minutos. Segundos. Track-by-Track Pt. 4

BATTOSAI – “Auténtico”:

We don’t usually have many songs with a mid-tempo beat. That’s why when we were writing, the tempo itself was the key and everything was built around it. On the other hand, we wanted to play around an ambiguous chord progression, typical of that sound coming from Seattle in the ’90s. When it comes to lyrics, it’s all about the idea of “no one is authentic enough”. It talks about how hard it is to follow your own path and stick to your convictions with so many things influencing you on a daily basis, such as society, family, friends, traditions, religion… It’s easy to feel some kind of pressure, start even feeling fear of being alone or in some way different, and becoming somebody you don’t want to be.

BATTOSAI – “Entiéndeme”:

It was one of the first songs of the band and it ended up in this project. It collects the essence of Battosai, being the type of music that comes very naturally when rehearsing. It’s a fast song, with vocal dynamics between verse and chorus. As for the lyrics, it talks about those folks who want to convince you of something you don’t want for their own benefit.

PYRAMIDAL – “Cosmic Song”:

This is our journey back. After a few years traveling aimlessly through inhospitable landscapes, we finally found the ship that will take us back home. But before embarking on our journey we will have to face all kind of demons and evil creatures from outer space. Despite everything, we managed to escape from there alive and get our spacecraft off the ground. We don’t know where it will take us and what new galaxies we will encounter along the way, we only know for sure that it will keep the cosmic sound alive.

HÍBRIDO – “Lale”:

This track is a tribute to the mother of one of our guitarists, that’s why the track is called “Lale”, just her name. It’s part of our original track-list, but not part of our first full album. This song emerges from the darkest and most beautiful ideas of his son, bringing subtle guitar harmonies, flowing with smooth beats and increasing the strength and rage, all according to her path in life and way of living. A precious ode, full of influences.

KABBALAH – “Dead Eyes”:

This song guides the listener through the dimly illuminated world of a passing soul. Close to the moment of death and at the gates of the underworld, dead eyes can only assume an approaching darkness and sense what may lie afterwards. Even if we don’t know for sure the fate of the song’s particular soul, the ominous bridge before the last chorus points towards a gloomy afterlife where there’s no possible “requiescat in pace”.

ARENNA – “Οιδίπους 70º30´S (cuidaos del enigma)”:

This song is the first one we’ve written after the release of our last album ‘Given to Emptiness’. It was recorded specifically for this compilation in 2021. When it comes to lyrics, we do prefer to leave it to your own interpretation. There are also a couple of new features as we sing in Spanish for the first time and we felt in love (after a 15-year break) with our old fuzz pedals.

HERE THE CAPTAIN SPEAKING, THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD – “Asymmetric Sequence”:

This is a track that we recorded live, without overdubs or post-editing. It’s a jam that flows like a river and develops with smooth transitions that vary in cadence and dynamics, an invitation to dance relaxed, do not forget to look at the stars while you do…”

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In June, the final installment of Spinda Records‘ crazy ambitious year-long time-capsule of the Spanish heavy underground, Grados. Minutos. Segundos., will be shipped and the box set in its 12 x 7″ entirety will be released. In 2019, Algeciras-based four-piece Híbrido issued their self-titled debut (review here), and the new single “Lale” unites them with Kabbalah (whose “Dead Eyes” premiered here) on split number 11 of the total 12, so it’s not quite all the way at the end, but pretty close to it.

As this is probably the final of the several track premieres I’ve been lucky enough to host for the Grados. Minutos. Segundos. project, I’ll note one more time how remarkably admirable I find it. It is a madman’s monument to a scene as a muse — the madman in question being Berto Caceres Caracuel, the head of Spinda Records — and a gorgeous work of art to behold, and that’s before you get to any of the music. As a snapshot of Spain’s underground, it is indispensable at this moment, and as the serieswinds down and this sure-feels-like-a-once-in-a-lifetime event cruises toward its conclusion, I can think of few bands better than Híbrido to feature here.

Why? Well, the band are something of a regional superpower, with bassist Jose “Pot” Moreno and guitarist Jose Angel “Oceano” Galindo having laid the foundation for an not-insubstantial amount of present-day Spanish heavy in Viaje a 800 before Moreno went on to found Atavismo with Mind! drummer Sandri Pow, who rounds out the lineup here with Los Bradlys guitarist Zoa Rubio. True to their moniker, as Híbrido they represent a sonic conglomeration drawing from multiple sides of their collective experience in heavy rock, psychedelia and prog, the two guitars allowing for a lush and warm tonality to go along with their solid rhythmic underpinnings.

On “Lale,” the vibe is serene and dug in. That warmth is there, and though instrumental, the track is memorable enough to make an impression in a way that’s not so much otherworldly as what you wish this world was like on any given day. Aspirational, maybe, as regards humanity, or that could be reading too much into it. Either way, at just under six minutes, it’s pushing the limits of the format and your consciousness at the same time and there’s little more appropriate than that to showcase Híbrido and the folk and rock aesthetic traditions they’re helping uphold and redefine.

Enjoy “Lale” here, followed by more from the PR wire:

This track is part of a 7″ split vinyl record shared with Spanish occult rock band Kabbalah, both featured in compilation boxset ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’

‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you’ll have the chance to understand how’s the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don’t want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.

‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ will be made of 12x 7″ vinyl records (to be released in 4 batches from June 2021 to May 2022), being each of them shared by 2 bands with apparently no connection at all.

TRACK-LIST

Split #1: MOURA – “Muiñeira da Maruxaina” // ROSY FINCH – “Black Lodge”
Split #2: ADRIFT – “Abracadabra” + “Lush Lands” // MONDO INFIEL – “Estigmas”
Split #3: PARTÍCULA – “La Fosa” // MEDICINA – “Vilo”
Split #4: HABITAR LA MAR – “Enrea” + “Ruina” // ACID MESS – “Algo grita”
Split #5: CRÓ! – “Buah” // THE DRY MOUTHS – “More Oo No Fluid”
Split #6: SATURNA – “Volver a empezar” // LAVERGE – “Y.D.H.A.S.”
Split #7: ATAVISMO – “Psicopatías del 2021” // MÍA TURBIA – “Centro de gravedad”
Split #8: SANTO ROSTRO – “Annual” // CEMËNTERI – “El verano más corto” + “El ritmo frenético”
Split #9: THE SOULBREAKER COMPANY – “Kill the Devil (with his dick)” // DOMO – “Aldorassa”
Split #10: BATTOSAI – “Auténtico” + “Entiéndeme” // PYRAMIDAL – “Cosmic Sound”
Split #11: HÍBRIDO – “Lale” // KABBALAH – “Dead Eyes”
Split #12: ARENNA – “Οιδίπους 70º30´S (cuidaos del enigma)” // HERE THE CAPTAIN SPEAKING, THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD – “Asymmetric Sequence”

Various Artists, Grados. Minutos. Segundos. (2022)

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Pamplona harvesters of cultish melody Kabbalah release their new single ‘Dead Eyes’ as part of Spinda Records‘ comprehensive celebration of the Spanish heavy underground, Grados. Minutos. Segundos., which for the past year now has been pairing acts from the label’s home country/scene across a series of 7″ releases offered in installment batches of three and building toward a box set ultimately featuring 24 bands. Kabbalah join together with Híbrido on their split, which is a not insignificant pairing whether we’re talking on terms of common geography or not.

“Dead Eyes” is a sub-three-and-a-half-minute, hook-laden riffer following the philosophy that anything worth saying is worth saying in harmony. Its verses speak with mystic urgency and its chugging chorus effectively burrows hole in your brain as a place to dwell. There’s some atmosphere thrown in, clearly Kabbalah are keeping the texture in line structurally, and doing so in a manner consistent with early-2021’s The Omen (review here), which came out through Ripple Music offshoot Rebel Waves Records while also all the more suitable for the format that Grados. Minutos. Segundos. puts it on. It’s a single, after all. It should make an impression.

It speaks as well to the classic-heavy ideology on which Kabbalah build their aesthetic foundation, though even in their most ’70s-ish moments, their sound remains wholly modern. If you didn’t hear the last record, “Dead Eyes” — paired in the lyric video below with a still from John Carpenter’s ultra-classic They Live — gives a sampling as only a standalone track could. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself clicking play again when it’s over.

I have been doing my darnedest to keep up with Grados. Minutos. Segundos. as each chapter of the box set has been unveiled, with premieres like this one as well as track-by-tracks from the bands involved, and I’ve professed before that my reason for doing so is I believe deeply in Spinda‘s obvious passion, as well as the sheer scope and ambition in making it happen — never mind coordinating and releasing across 2020-2022. This is — and I’m sure I’ll say again before the series is done — something special to behold.

Enjoy “Dead Eyes”:

Kabbalah, “Dead Eyes” track premiere

Kabbalah on “Dead Eyes”:

The song ‘Dead eyes’ guides the listener through the dimly illuminated world of a passing soul.

Close to the moment of death and at the gates of the underworld, dead eyes can only assume an approaching darkness and sense what may lie afterwards.

Even if we don’t know for sure the fate of the song’s particular soul, the ominous bridge before the last chorus points towards a gloomy afterlife where there’s no possible Requiescat In Pace.

BOXSET FOR SALE AT:
https://spindarecords.bandcamp.com/album/grados-minutos-segundos

“Dead Eyes”, track extracted from ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’, a compilation boxset by Spinda Records.

This track is part of a split vinyl record together with Spanish band Híbrido.

Music & Lyrics by Kabbalah
Recorded and mixed by Guillermo Fernández Mutiloa at MOTU Estudios (Spain)
Mastered at Vacuum Mastering (Spain)

Artwork by The Braves Church.

Various Artists, Grados. Minutos. Segundos. (2022)

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Completely understandable if perhaps the thought of undertaking an exploration of the Spanish heavy underground across 12 seven-inch split releases, limited in number, shipping in four separate batches — the third went out last month — and all tied together through mosaic artwork and a unity of purpose seems overwhelming. It’s a lot, and in terms of there being 250 copies made once and that’s it, not a lot of it. But the thing you need to understand about Spinda Records‘ Grados. Minutos. Segundos. compilation is that, with exclusive material from 24 Spanish bands, it’s not just speaking to the current moment. It’s presenting a document for future history.

Think of the box like a time capsule celebrating the vitality of Spain’s creative community. Some of these bands are new to me too, and to pretend otherwise would be missing the point. Coordinated by Spinda big-boss Berto Cáceres, the set speaks to a history in punk rock and DIY, but fleshes it out beautifully in presentation and class, just as the music too has grown up. I’m not in the business of telling you how to spend your money — I’m not in the business of anything, as it happens — but the truth is this is something special, that doesn’t come along every day, year or decade, let alone minutes or seconds.

There’s still one more shipment to go out in March and I’ll hope to wrap this track-by-track series then (past installments are here and here). Thanks again to Berto Cáceres, here’s the track-by-track for part three and the stream of the whole thing:

Purchase here: https://spindarecords.com/grados-minutos-segundos

After the First 16 Stops, This Trip Around the Indie Music Scene Called ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ Continues Now with 6 New Bands: Atavismo, Mía Turbia, Santo Rostro, Cemënteri, The Soulbreaker Company and Domo.

‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you’ll have the chance to understand how’s the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don’t want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.

Grados. Minutos. Segundos. Track-by-Track Pt. 3

ATAVISMO – “Psicopatías del 2021”

“This track is a new vision of an old creation from the past. New language, new performers, same minds at stage. “Psicopatías del 2021″ is bringing our insanity down to the deepest abyss, to be eaten by our own demons and again like a new status of reality. Space-rock and psychedelia dancing together around a crazy sublet beat, while the strings machines are killing the common sense of the harmonies. Enjoy!”

MÍA TURBIA – “Centro de gravedad”

“For this compilation we wanted to write something a bit closer to space rock and all these things inspired by Hawkwind, plenty of synths and tape delays. The track itself came from a previous demo, but twisted it, added some vocals and we got it – we kept things on the dirty side. The song talks about about a lonely traveller who goes down into the depths of the ocean. The world that surrounds us is sometimes so wrong that to be isolated is the only solution.”

SANTO ROSTRO – “Annual”

“We’ve been playing live this song since 2019 and it’s purely Sabbath – we love it!  We set up everything in a warehouse close to our rehearsal place and we recorded it live. Then on the studio we added another guitar and some vocal overdubs and we got it. Pretty straightforward, and it sounds live and fresh, if that makes any sense nowadays.”

CEMËNTERI – “El verano más corto”

“Trying to do something different, we went from a noisy intro at the beginning to the quietest music we’ve ever written. Singing spoken-word in this part is also unusual for us. However the end of the song is quite punk and noisy and we personally like this contrast. In terms of lyrics, this song is Covid-19 related. “El verano más corto” (the shortest Summer) goes about how fast the Summer of the year 2020 went and how disappointing it was at the end. After being locked at home for 8 full weeks, we thought Summer could bring great news, but the fact was that it was still crap, with everybody scared and out of their minds – everything was so depressing.”

CEMËNTERI – “El ritmo frenético”

“In here we also tried to do something different and definitely we managed to add something fresh to our style without losing our personality. African influences and a more funky-dance sound get together with punk rock. Drums follow afro-beat stuff whilst guitar goes closer to Tuareg-rock before merging into punk rock half way through the track…

Lyrically the song is an invitation to dance, to go into a room completely packed and surrender to the power of music, the vibration of the bodies and the physicality of music. We finished the song after Covid-19 first lockdown and by that time dancing was completely forbidden and everybody must be seated in bars and live shows. The message was poignant – we were writing about something that we took for granted for decades and we lost it quickly.”

THE SOULBREAKER COMPANY – “Kill the Devil (with his dick)”

“The song tries to create a serious atmosphere since it talks about that kind of men, referring to them as “the Devil” that use sexual workers (In the lyrics a fiction story where that “devil” is killed with his own dick). In terms of melody and harmony, we tried to create a continuous rock beat with unexpected tempo changes which are not very usual in our compositions. This, together with the claps and some extra voices, makes this song a rarity within our discography.”

DOMO – “Aldorassa”

“Aldorassa is one of the highest peaks in the Scandinavian Mountains. When composing our music, we mostly get our inspiration from nature, from its most ancestral and wild side. We truly believe there is a connection between melodies, riffs, rhythms and the vastness of the rocky sceneries shaped by the erosion and passage of time. When we return to dust, music, like mountains, will be everlasting.

Cemënteri, “El ritmo frenético” official video

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The third shipment of vinyl records from Spinda Records‘ massively ambitious seven-inch box set compilation series Grados. Minutos. Segundos. has gone out, and to celebrate, the Spanish imprint overseeing the project bringing together 24 acts from Spain’s native heavy underground is premiering the inclusion from one of the country’s forerunning psych-prog acts: Atavismo. “Psicopatías del 2021” is a reworking of a song by Mind! — in which Atavismo‘s Pow and Pot and Matt played — called “Cucumbers From Mars.” The original track appeared on Mind!‘s 2013 prog opus Stunde Null (review here), and though the Atavismo take is shorter — it would have to be to fit on a 7″ record — the result is no less spacious and the smooth fluidity of the tones, groove and production are definitively Atavismo‘s own. Considering it’s some of the same players, it’s interesting how much it sounds like a different band.

If you haven’t been following Spinda‘s Grados. Minutos. Segundos. series — hey, it happens; everybody’s busy — it is a work of singular passion and regional pride. A total of 12 two-sided 7″s are being included, shipped out in installments of three singles, each one shared by two bands, which adds up to 24 different acts included in a limited one-time pressing and digital release. The art is beautiful and distinct, and the sense of curation that’s overarching for the whole affair is not to be taken lightly. Even amid an always crowded field of releases, it is something special.

As dug in as it is, it’s not going to be for everybody. I know that. But it’s important work, not just for highlighting acts from the Spanish heavy underground — though definitely for that too — but for the dedication to form. Plus it’s got new Atavismo, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s plenty to get me on board with just about anything. The band’s most recent outing, 2018’s Valdeinfierno (review here), is certainly due for a follow-up, and my understanding is that such a thing is in the works even as they unveil this new single. Nice to imagine another record from them coming sometime next year, though of course that’s wishful thinking on my part and I have no confirmation.

For now, I’m happy to host this premiere, and to continue to offer reminders about Grados. Minutos. Segundos. for as long as the series goes.

Enjoy:

Note: this single is part of compilation boxset ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ (2021, Spinda Records); available at https://spindarecords.bandcamp.com/album/grados-minutos-segundos

After the first 12 stops, this trip around the indie music scene called ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ continues now with 6 new bands: Atavismo, Mía Turbia, Santo Rostro, Cemënteri, the Soulbreaker Company and Domo.

Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ will be made of 12x 7″ vinyl records (to be released in 4 batches from June 2021 to March 2022), being each of them shared by 2 bands with apparently no connection at all.

But in this limited-edition boxset you won’t only find bands coming from Spinda Records roster as it is also open to others in order to get a solid project for the fans to enjoy. From the psychedelia of Acid Mess, Atavismo, Arenna or The Soulbreaker Company to the heavier sounds of Rosy Finch, Adrift, Domo or Santo Rostro; without forgetting the alternative rock of Medicina, Habitar La Mar, The Dry Mouths and Laverge; the hard rock of Partícula, Saturna or Kabbalah; the progressive rock of Moura, Pyramidal, Híbrido or Cró!; as well as new bands such us Cemënteri, Here The Captain Speaking The Captain Band, Battosai, Mía Turbia or Mondo Infiel. Fitting 24 bands in the same project can be tricky, and it is; but Spinda Records are here to have fun… Spinda Records is here for “fiesta”.

The project is limited to 240 hand-numbered boxsets, designed by The Braves Church and including 12x 7″ vinyl records, booklet, download code and stickers, as well as a tee-shirt and tote bag on its deluxe and freak editions. There won’t be reissues, so when they’re gone, they’re gone!

Mind!, “Cucumbers From Mars”

Various Artists, Grados. Minutos. Segundos. (2021)

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Way back in June, in this space, Spinda Records brought forth a track-by-track to coincide with the first chapter of its encompassing split-series 7″ compilation box set, Grados. Minutos. Segundos., the second shipment for which reportedly has gone out, bearing new material from Habitar la Mar and Acid Mess, Cró! and The Dry Mouths, and Saturna and Laverge, paired together across three new splits.

If all of this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of last week when The Dry Mouths‘ video for “More Oo Less Fluid” premiered here.

Spain is short neither on heavy nor passion for it, but a project like this comes along once in a generation, maybe, and even as I feel like I can’t hope to keep up with it, I find it deeply admirable. All the more so for the unforeseen circumstances of the world into which it’s being manifest. If you’re one of the lucky 240 who’ve bought in, enjoy it forever. For me, I’m just happy to have an excuse to post the links and note the bands involved and I’ll continue to do so as long as Spinda will have me. My hope is that will be all four parts, 12 splits total with 24 bands.

Huge. With the promise of more to come and continued thanks to Berto Cáceres, here’s the track-by-track for part two, as well as the full release stream:

Purchase here: https://spindarecords.com/grados-minutos-segundos

After the First 6 Stops, This Trip Around the Indie Music Scene Called ‘grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ Continues Now with 6 New Bands: Habitar la Mar, Acid Mess, Cró!, The Dry Mouths, Saturna and Laverge.

‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’ is a no-return trip around the four cardinal points of the deepest underground music scenes in Spain. Thanks to a boxset full of previously unreleased tracks of 24 indie Spanish bands you’ll have the chance to understand how’s the sound of this new generation of independent musicians. You don’t want to be told about it, you want to be part of it.

Grados. Minutos. Segundos. Track-by-Track Pt. 2

HABITAR LA MAR – “Enrea” & “Ruina”

“[…] in both tracks we wanted to experiment a bit more with weird and dark sounds; we even broke some cymbals in order to get different sounds… we thought it might be stupid but the final result was interesting with new cool textures. Regarding lyrics, it talks about different people I met in the past in the area where I grow up… you know those guys who wanted to move forward and go out of streets for a better life, but the place sometimes made things difficult and they could even end up being worse than those others who complicated their life at first. It is also a tribute to Madrid rapper Darmo, a nice fella I respect and who’s very close to this idea of going out of the streets “[…]”

This was the first track to be written. Both guitarists Kike and Frego came up with it during the first part of the pandemic, and it was surprising ’cause we could see other musical areas to be explored by the band from now on. The text here is quite depressing… it’s about the idea that the end will be exactly the same for all of us… In fact, the first demo was initially called “Mictlantecuhtli” and it was covering all this stuff about King Mictlan, the dead in Mexican culture and this kind of things. I finished changing a little bit the concept so it was closer to the other track “Enrea” and that’s how I finished writing some lyrics in “calé” (language spoken by gypsies in Spain, similar to Romani) “[..]”

ACID MESS – “Algo grita”

“[…]” this is a song about toxic relationships happening on a daily basis, no matter the context. Do you know when you desperately need to get rid of something which causes you tons of anxiety but you do not know how to? That’s it, but also about the impotence of seeing someone close to you going through a difficult time and not being able to do anything as your advice or opinion won’t be accepted “[…]”

CRÓ! – “Buah”

‘Buah is a spanish word to express astonish, some kind of mesmerizing WTF. “Buah!” describes a laughing psychedelic trip during one (maybe several?) nights with different stops and feels that fit the music and vice versa. The music represents quite well the moment of the band where the multiple influences appear everywhere supporting the band own creativity; everything seems possible from Classical or Electronic to Forest Doom or Constructive Laughing. We would resume this in Galician language saying: “Buah, qué movida neno!”‘

THE DRY MOUTHS – “More Oo No Fluid”

“[…] Similar to our previous instrumental album ‘Memories from Pines Bridge’, this song is based on experimentation and jams, in this case heavily influenced by Middle-East melodies. “More Oo No Fluid” creates that tensed atmosphere in which you can get trapped forever whilst you wait for a storm which is coming but you don’t know when […]

SATURNA – “Volver a empezar”

“[…] “Volver al Final” was an idea conceived by Rod (bassist) some years ago while we were writing our last album ‘Atlantis’. As there were only a few riffs to jam with, the song was kept out because of its Andalusian Rock feel. But when Spinda Records offered us the chance to include just one song for the split series “Grados. Minutos. Segundos”, we began to see it as a particularly suitable track for the project, as well as a chance for the band to record something in Spanish. Actually, we took the chance to explore and pay tribute to all those great Spanish bands from the ’70s, such as Triana.

Based on a 6/8 time signature, we chose softer rhythm guitars to create more layers and breadth for a more open and psychedelic sound, exploring with reverse instrument signals and effects. We also counted with the participation of the amazing Tabatha Puig, whose keyboard sounds helped to achieve that vibe we were looking for.

Vocally, we added some dark poetic lyrics and flamenco influenced melodies and harmonies for a final touch that, for us, keeps the spirit of Saturna, as well having that freedom to to keep exploring “[..]”

LAVERGE – “Y.D.H.A.S.”

“[…] “Y.D.H.A.S.” (You don’t have a soul) exposes what lies under the skin. True intentions are often hidden under flags, signs of identity, social groups, political ideologies, images or simple kind phrases. Authenticity is an expensive thing today. To show happiness when you are sad is to lose your soul. Becoming a star by saying what you know you have to say at every moment with no regard for your own thoughts or emotions reduces your soul. To use anger for no true purpose other than to fit in with the angry people around you because without any ability to see beyond, is to have no soul. The 21st century seems to have been designed to be soulless. “Y.D.H.A.S.” sounds like a knife and hurts like reality [..]”

The Dry Mouths, “More Oo Less Fluid” official video

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For those who’ve already purchased the box set, the second volume of Spinda Records‘ massive split-series compilation project Grados. Minutos. Segundos., reportedly ships out this month. You might recall a few months back, the label here unveiled a track-by-track for the first installment, and once all the songs are out digitally in October, we’ll do that again with the six bands sharing three new split 7″ releases as part of building toward the whole box: strong>Habitar la Mar and Acid Mess, Cró! and The Dry Mouths — whose video for “More Oo Less Fluid” is premiering below as well — and Saturna and Laverge, all of whom are paired thusly.

In the meantime, to herald the arrival of this second of four installments, Almeria three-piece The Dry Mouths are premiering their track “More Oo Less Fluid” in the video below. You’ll see the Tabernas Desert featuring heavily along with some Egyptian imagery and a belly dancer, none of which feels especially out of place with the heavy psychedelic instrumentalism the band bring to bear. One might recall they offered two full-lengths in 2019 with Memories from Pines Bridge (review here) in April followed by Lo-Fi Sounds for Hi-Fi People in November — working with a range of labels in the process — in celebration of the life of bassist Andy Reyes, who passed away early that year. Of the two, “More Oo Less Fluid” has more in common with Memories from Pines Bridge in its sans-vocals psych methodology.

In sharing a 7″ with the exclamatory Cró!, The Dry Mouths find unity in a heavy underpinning even as they complement that band’s more outwardly proggy style. As the curation of Spinda Records plays out over the course of the series, one only continues to look forward to what’s coming in this one-of-a-kind celebration of the modern Spanish underground.

Enjoy the clip:

The Dry Mouths, “More Oo Less Fluid” video premiere

Track extracted from Spinda Records’ compilation boxset ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’

Buy ‘Grados. Minutos. Segundos.’: https://bit.ly/2WDDCnv

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Music by The Dry Mouths
Video by Rubo Reugner

Produced by The Dry Mouths
Recorded in 2020 and mixed in 2021 by Christ O. Rodríguez at Desert City Studio (Spain)
Mastered by Pike Cavalero at deLEI Music (Spain) in 2021

The Dry Mouths:
Josh Morales: drums
Víctor Gutiérrez: bass
Christ O. Rodríguez: guitars
Andy Reyes: soul

The Dry Mouths website

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The Dry Mouths on YouTube

The Dry Mouths on Bandcamp

Spinda Records on Facebook

Spinda Records on Instagram

Spinda Records on Bandcamp

Spinda Records website

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