Andalusian Record Shops part 2: Granada

The last stop of our Andalusian road trip was Granada. Our stay there lasted for 3 days, and we enjoyed everything about it. Obviously the famous Alhambra is a joy to the eyes and the heart. One of the world's definitely must-visit sites. The adjoining Albayzín district is, just like the Alhambra and Generalife gardens, declared an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. But Granada isn't a museum city. It's a lively and noisy Mediterranean city, of the kind a Greek like me feels instantly at home in. More than any other place, it exemplifies the marriage of Spanish and Moorish culture that's typical of Andalusia. And yes, it's very touristic but that doesn't reduce its charm (too much). Calle Elvira for example has this Moroccan flavour, with its tea salons and hookahs which are charming but not very convincingly authentic. Beside the touristic places, there is also a vibrant night scene with tapas bars and rock clubs. Calle Navas is one of the most popular streets to go out, but I suggest to bypass the more famous bars and head straight for Loop on Calle San Matías 8 (at the end of Calle Navas). This record shop/bar plays great alternative rock music, shows rock documentaries on screen, and serves delicious tapas free with every drink. It sells vinyl LP's, of which there's a small variety but good quality. No CD's or 2nd hand albums, but an eclectic collection of indie rock and garage punk for €18-25. Highly recommended! Other than this, you will find many good -and more conventional- record stores in the neighbourhood around the Cathedral.

Flamenco lovers should head straight towards Gran Vía Discos at Calle Gran Vía de Colón 21. Next to flamenco, you'll find Classical, Latin, Jazz, World and Pop CD's at the usual prices, as well as some offers for €5,95. Festival Discos at Calle Príncipe 7 is likewise focused on flamenco. Crate diggers will find their paradise at Reciclaje (Calle San Jerónimo 13, the street starts directly from the cathedral). This 2nd hand store (typically a Librería/bookshop) is the best place for CD/LP bargains.

A well-ordered shop with a great collection of used CD's (flamenco, classic rock, prog, metal etc. including many out-of-print rarities) for €5-10. Also lots of great vinyl (folk rock,70's and 80's indie, and more) mostly priced €5-10. Discos Bora-Bora on Plaza Universidad has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. When I visited there was some kind of event, apparently an in-store gig had just finished and D.J's were spinning records, while some custom-designed music-related t-shirts and other items were exhibited (and on sale). It's a fairly large shop with a variety of vinyl (classic rock, indie, spanish rock. New LP's €20, used €10-20, some offers for €5. Also sells 7' singles). CD's €10-20 new, some used for €5-10. Last but not least, also in the neighbourhood, is Discos Marcapasos (Calle Duquesa 6). It's very well stocked, especially in the more underground/ alternative/ garage rock scene. I enjoyed finding albums from some obscure bands and unusual rock band T-shirts (€15). LP's cost around €20 (new) or €10-15 (used). CD's in the usual price range (€15-20) but also many offers for €6,5-10. All in all I got a very positive vibe from Granada. Behind the many touristic shops and cafes mostly gathered near the Albaicin district, there's a youthful, modern, vibrant city where the nights are long and music is king. If you're ever there, don't limit yourself to the wonderful Alhambra. Explore all of the city including, by all means, its record shops.

Gibraltar Record Stores

OK, this is one I never thought I'd write about: A presentation of Gibraltar's Record Shops. As far as I know, no-one has ever written a similar piece, so consider this a gift for record store day: the record hunter's final frontier, the last place you'd go to seek a record. Well, don't get overexcited. There's a reason you never hear about Gibraltarean record shops. Nobody ever goes there to buy CD's or records. Some go there for the natural reserve and for its most famous primates: Not Gibraltarians, but the Barbary macaques. C'mon people, I didn't mean to insult anyone: Firstly, humans are primates, too. Secondly, be honest: Can you honestly name one human Gibraltarian as famous as its apes? The one that has come the closest is this politician: Kaiane Lopez actually made the pages of the highly esteemed British press. So that's all a Gibraltarian has to do to get noticed: (1)win a beauty contest, (2)get elected mayor, and (3)make enthusiastic patriotic statements. Then she can get her photo on the Sun, provided she looks great in a gold bikini. I heard that the Sun people had already tried to start this trend (female politicians in gold bikinis spouting patriotic nonsense) before with Theresa May, and that she had duly obliged them but the result was deemed potentially harmful to the Tories and pulled out at the last minute. Other than the apes, one can visit Gibraltar for the chance to eat some authentically British fish and chips or steak and kidney pie under the bright Andalusian sun. Or for the breathtaking view of the Mediterranean and Africa. Or, like me, to be a smartass and say they've been in a country where few others have gone (well, technically a British overseas territory, but one with its own constitution and government). Worth sitting 4 times through border control (leaving Spain, entering Gibraltar, leaving Gibraltar, entering Spain) though I don't know how thousands of Spaniards commuting for work put up with it daily. As for The Rock's Record shops: in one sentence, there aren't any. But because Gibraltarians love music as much as anyone else, there are places you can buy CDs (as well as DVD's, Games and electronics).

So if you happen to be in Gibraltar and feel like record browsing, what you need to do is park at the edge of town and head towards its main street. You can't miss it, Main Street (actual name) is a long pedestrian road at the centre of the old town. On number 114 you can find Music Corner, on 127 ViJay and on 164 Euphoria. Of these, ViJay has probably more surface but Music Corner has the better CD collection. Prices are in £ and about the same or slightly more expensive than in the U.K. But there are also mid-priced items around £10, and some lesser known and older releases on offer for as little as £3-5. If you don't have any pounds on you, I'm sure that you can also pay with euro's, as in most shops in Gibraltar. It's a pity that, as far as I know, there are no used records shops or any shops that sell vinyl LP's. Or maybe it isn't a pity at all, but an opportunity: Fancy being the only retailer of vinyl records in one of the last British colonies? Here's your chance! 30,000 inhabitants, some of them are bound to be deprived vinyl lovers! Plus I hear that the local tax legislation is seriously business-friendly...

P.S. Nick Cave's "Rock Of Gibraltar" has been playing in my mind's ear for quite some time, so I'm posting this video for no other reason than that. Enjoy!

Sunny Vegas "Sweet Mobile Home Recordings" 2014***

I saw this band a few days ago, supporting Pavlov's Dog in The Hague's Paard van Troje. When I walked in the club, 10' after doors opening, they were already into their set, playing to maybe a dozen people. Despite that fact they played with gusto and gave a solid performance of straight rock'n'roll: the tight power trio was only augmented by keyboards (with a little help from the headliners) for one song. What little information is available on the internet on them is mostly in German, which wasn't too helpful for me. It seems they've only released this one album (in December 2014) and have often been touring together with Pavlov's Dog since. The road obviously agrees with them, just look at the title of their album! Singer/guitarist/songwriter Matthi Birkmeyer is clearly a talented individual who knows how to pen a classic rock song. He has a good singing voice too, with that whiskey-and-tobacco tint that I always associate with Southern U.S. bands. None of that German accent (you know: like the villains in old movies) familiar from 70's Krautrockers. The music is country- and blues- based rock, with catchy choruses and solid guitarwork but without excessive soloing or unnecessary production flourishes. The opening trio of songs are among the best: "A Girl Made For Love" is a rolling boogie, "Out Of My Mind" melodic folk rock and "Road To Hell" a relentless hard rocker. "What If You Were A Cowboy" is a country ballad with vocals that reminded me of Axl Rose while on "Set Me Free" and "See Your Face Again" they take a more relaxed approach to the genre. "Take Your Chance" and "Welcome To My Life" are more riff-based hard rock, and album closer "Playing God" a nice mid tempo country rocker. In conclusion, the band has a bunch of catchy songs that keep reminding you of something (from The Black Crowes to The Hellacopters and from Bad Company to Guns N' Roses) without ever sounding like mere copies. Neither are they particularily original, but one thing's for sure: either live or on the (car) stereo, their music is good fun. Don't pass them by.

**** for A Girl Made For Love, Out Of My Mind

*** for Road To Hell, Set Me Free, Take Your Chance, What If You Were A Cowboy, Welcome To My Life, What A Day, See Your Face Again, Playing God

Andalucian Record Shops Part 1:Seville and Cordoba

I recently took a trip to the region of Andalucia at the South of Spain. Beautiful weather, great sights and sounds, tasty food, and friendly people (though most only speak Spanish, so communication can be an issue). As always, I tried to visit as many record shops as I could in the area, and to buy something from most of them. The plane touched down at the Costa Del Sol airport in Malaga, but our stay there was too short to look for records. From there we started our road trip with a hired car, making stopovers at a beach resort (I forget the name) and at The Rock of Gibraltar. I did look for records there, but I'll have to keep my remarks for another post. God forbid I should discuss Gibraltar in a post on Spain - especially now that the subject is extremely sensitive, with Brexit on the way. The next day found us in Seville. We visited the wonderful Real Alcázar just as a film crew was preparing to shoot a scene of destruction. Seeing as Seville is the setting for the Kingdom of Dorne in Game Of Thrones, I'll bet something bad is about to happen to those devious Sand Snakes. Remember you saw it here first! Other than that, the city seemed preoccupied with the preparations for the Semana Santa. There wasn't a single bar, bakery or boutique without big posters of Jesus on the cross or the Virgin of Macarena (I know, I also thought that Macarena was just a 90's dance craze) everywhere you looked.
I took a couple of hours from my schedule trying to map the record store situation in the city. My first stop was the giant Fnac store (Avenida de la Constitución 8, opposite of the Cathedral). Among books and electronics there's a big selection of CD's and some LP's. I find the listening stations of such shops to be a big plus, especially when you're in a foreign country and want to buy some local CD's but aren't sure which. Here you can choose from a rich selection of flamenco (Andalucia's pride and biggest cultural export), as well as Spanish folk, pop and rock. If however you prefer to browse at smaller shops, you should search for the narrow but very central Calle Amor De Dios. There, on number 4, you can find Discos Latimore.

It's the best place in Seville for vinyl (mostly used, all kinds of music and usally around €10-20) as well as pop-related T-shirts (€14) and similar paraphernalia. Further down on number 17 there's Record Sevilla. Lots of 2nd hand records and CD's. Used LPs around €10-20, with some offers at €5 and new albums €20-30. A good selection of CD's (used mostly €5-7, some offers €3) flamenco, Spanish and international Rock and Metal. Still further down the road (no.66) there's TotemTanz which sells DJ equipment and dance music. Not far from here is the Feria street where every Thursday there's an open market. Records and (especially) cassettes are on sale also. Mostly junk, but one man's junk is another's treasure isn't it?

In Triana, on the other side of the Gualdaquivir river, is Don Cecilio, a shop that apparently keeps irregular hours and has the appearence of an antique/junk shop. The online shop lists some interesting records, but browsing was like any ole' thrift store, just random stuff: about 50/50 of Spanish and international music LP's (€5-20), 7' singles, and almost no CD's. Lots of old cassettes though, if that's your thing. Next stop in our journey was Córdoba with the impressive Mezquita Mosque/Cathedral and the old town with its narrow streets and beautiful patios. I visited what seems to be the city's last record shop, Vitalogy Records on Calle Alfonso XIII. This one was pleasantly unclattered and especially good at Reggae, funk, eletronica and rock. New LPs cost above €20, used ones €10-20. No CDs but I guess one can buy those at the Media Markt across the river. Like most of the records stores I already mentioned (and, indeed, shops in general in this region) Vitalogy observes siesta time, meaning you should never bother to go record hunting between 2 and 5 p.m. Eat your lunch and then take a nap, or enjoy the sun at some plaza with strong coffee with ice cubes ("Café con Hielo") to refresh yourself and fight the midday drowsiness.

Just outside Córdoba one can find the ruins of a medieval city called Medina Azahara. We didn't visit it but I'm mentioning it because it gave its name to Córdoba's most famous rock band. Actually, during the 70's a whole sub-genre emerged from Andalucia (Rock Andaluz) merging Flamenco and Progressive/Hard Rock. All Andalucian record shops are well stocked with the complete discographies of the most famous bands of this style (Triana, Medina Azahara) whose records are not that easy to find in other regions of Spain. Record buyers visiting the region should pick up at least one Rock Andaluz album. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for part 2. where I'll present the record stores of our last stop of the trip, Granada.

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan "Hawk" 2010****

This album takes me back to the time I saw the two artists perform these songs live, on the stage of Groningen's Oosterpoort. I spent my first couple of years in The Netherlands at the Northern provincial city of Groningen, and still remember it fondly. Hollanders often talk about is as it's a god-forsaken place inhabited by some kind of weird-talking hillbillies (if there were any hills in The Netherlands, which there aren't - sand dunes is as high as it gets). To emphasise how far it is, the Dutch say "there's nothing above Groningen" - to which Groningers have given a positive spin, as in "there's nothing better than Groningen"). Don't let the bad publicity fool you: It is a beautiful and vibrant student city with great night life and lots of culture, including the Eurosonic festival in January with bands from all over Europe, and Noorderzon in August (theatre, music, all arts really...) Then you have many live venues like the temple of the Alternative scene Vera (bands like Joy Division and Nirvana played there when they were still unknown) and bigger halls like the Oosterpoort. The latter also houses the Take Root festival, which in 2010 had a pretty strong lineup, including among others Wilco, Iron & Wine, Dave Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch, Black Mountain, and Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan.
Now, how exactly does a Glasgow girl fit into an event sub-labeled "Festival For Past, Present and Upcoming American music"? She does, not only because of her choice of collaborators, but foremost because of her songs drawing from American folk tradition, and especially the great country duets: Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, George Jones & Tammy Wynette, June Carter-Cash and Johnny Cash. Nothing about the gentle pop of her former band Belle and Sebastian could have prepared you for this dive into Americana, which is why I was surprised to learn she was the creative force behind the duo. Another reason may have been that her sweet and soft voice on the record plays second fiddle to Lanegan's strong, gravelly baritone. Music critics invariably used the same metaphor for this pairing: the beauty and the beast. As well as their voices, the two singers' exterior justifies the simile: Isobel's fragile good looks make quite a contrast with Lanegan's unkempt gloomy lumberjack appearance. On stage, though, Campbell was the one in control: If Lanegan was the leading man, she was obviously the director, stepping in at the right moment with her vocals, guitar, cello, piano and other instruments. Theirs was a very successful (artistically, at least) partnership, but "Hawk" was to be their 3rd and last album together. Probably they felt the formula was getting old, which is why they try some different approaches here: the rich strings and R&B backbeat of "Come Undone" is a definitive winner, probably the duo's best moment. "You Won't Let Me Down Again" could have been an acoustic outtake from Lanegan's collaborations with desert rockers Queens Of The Stone Age - if it wasn't for Isobel's soft and sensual backing vocals. "Snake Song" is a similarly sturdy acoustic blues, featuring great vocals from both performers. "Get Behind Me" is a rockabilly scorcher and "Hawk" a rollicking instrumental with howling sax. On the one hand I applaud their desire to shake things up a bit, but on the other I have to admit that those two kinda break the mood of the album. Despite all the efforts to mess with the formula, the pair are at their best when they stick close to it: the Nancy-and-Lee style ballads "We Die And See Beauty Reign", "Time Of The Season", "Eyes Of Green", and the fantastic closer "Lately" with Lanegan channeling Leonard Cohen and gospel-style backing vocals. Then, as if we're witnessing a real-life idyll unravelling, Campbell goes at it alone for the haunted ballad "Sunrise" and Mazzy Star-soundalike "To Hell & Back Again", and even exchanges Lanegan for a younger man (American singer-songwriter Willy Mason) for a couple of duets: "No Place to Fall" and "Cool Water". Good songs, and the addition of a Celtic violin on the former (as well as "Eyes Of Green") is another nice touch by Campbell-the-record producer. Mason sounds like a cross between Tim Hardin and Johnny Cash. Actually, he's like a younger, less gritty and world-weary, Lanegan - now doesn't that sound like rebounding from a failed romance? But, as far as I know, Mark and Isobell's coupling was never a romantic one and just naturally ended for the singers to follow their muse elsewhere. At least they left behind three albums of beautiful music, all of which are highly recommended.

***** for Come Undone

**** for We Die and See Beauty Reign, You Won't Let Me Down Again, Snake Song, No Place to Fall, Get Behind Me, Time of the Season, Eyes of Green, Lately 

*** for Sunrise, To Hell & Back Again, Cool Water

** for Hawk

Hey, posts are going to slow down for a while as I've almost exhausted my draft folder and have recently had very little time for writing as I've been busy both at work and at play. I recently returned from a trip at the South of Spain, so expect presentations on Andalucian record stores and reviews of lots of Spanish albums from Flamenco to Indie to Prog to Folk Metal to... Meanwhile I'm busy cataloguing my collection for the first time. It's a work in progress and will take some time but at the end I'll know exactly how many records and CD's I have - and which ones. No more buying CD's I already own. You can check the current state of the list on discogs. These are the albums we'll be presenting on this blog. Just don't pay any mind on the ratings. I haven't heard most of these albums for years, so the stars are arbitrary and, more often than not, underrated.

The White Stripes "De Stijl" 2000*****

1917 marks (among other important anniversaries) the centennial of the art movement "De Stijl". It's celebrated all year throughout The Netherlands, but especially in my neighbouring city of The Hague which has caught De Stijl fever. lots of exhibitions and happenings going on, with many shop owners joining in and decorating their windows in the famous Mondriaan rectangular style. The movement's theoretician  Theo van Doesburg explained it as moving away from "the individual" (seen as the essence of "old" art as well as the cause of society's evils, World War I being the prime one) towards the "universal". By eliminating the influence of the artist's personality and stripping everything down to geometrical shapes and primary colours, one is supposed to reach an abstract, mathematical, universal truth and provide a common reference and unity of all nations and people. In reality there wasn't even enough common ground between The Style's leaders: they famously had a falling out because of the diagonal line: Mondriaan viewed it as an abomination while van Doesburg thought it provided an essential dynamic to the stillness of the horizontal and vertical compositions. 

Despite its short lifespan and regional character (an almost exclusively Dutch phenomenon) De Stijl has had an enduring influence that transcended the visual arts, spreading out to architecture and design - and even, unexpectedly on the dawn of the 21st century, rock music. A young -then unknown- band from Detroit called The White Stripes had found an aesthetic kinship between the simple forms of De Stijl and their own minimalist approach to rock music. The real-life couple (sometimes posing as siblings) of Jack and Meg White fashioned its sound from the most basic ingredients, usually just his guitar and voice and her drums - incidentally White is Meg's surname which the former Jack Gillis assumed after their marriage and kept after their divorce (kinda like Tina Turner). This kind of sparse instrumentation is expected by acoustic folk duos but The White Stripes also served some of the century's biggest hard rock riffs, garage noise, revamped blues, teen pop and country ballads, all in their uniquely distinctive style. Relistening to this album, I was reminded of their range: from the Beatles/Kinks pop of "You're Pretty Good Looking [For A Girl]" and "Apple Blossom", country ballads of "A Boy's Best Friend", "Sister, Do You Know My Name?" (with Ry Cooder-ish slide guitar), and Woody Guthry folk of "Your Southern Can Is Mine" - actually a Blind Willie McTell song from 1931. 

The acoustic "I'm Bound To Pack It Up" and crunchy rock of "Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?" benefit from a few melodic lines played by guest violinist Paul Henry Ossy. There's also the noisy psychobilly of "Let's Build A Home" and "Jumble Jumble" and spaghetti western guitar and Supertramp(!)like piano of "Truth Doesn't Make A Noise". And, of course, the band's speciality: bluesy hard rock a la Led Zeppelin with low fi garage production. "Hello Operator" combines a monster riff a la AC/DC with blues harmonica, while "Little Bird" and Son House's "Death Letter" are almost like listening to Led Zeppelin with Ringo on the drums instead of John Bonham. Despite the obvious Jimmy Page influences, Jack White proves his greatness by devising and perfecting his own expressive style instead of obsessing over technique and speed. It'd bring him fame and fortune later, with "7 Nation Army" becoming an instant classic. It is a road started here: while their lo-fi debut showed promise, it is with De Stijl that White Stripes perfected the formula they'd stick to during their career, from the music down to the visual style of its cover.

***** for Hello Operator, Death Letter, 

**** for You're Pretty Good Looking [For A Girl], Little Bird, Apple Blossom, I'm Bound To Pack It Up, Truth Doesn't Make A Noise, Let's Build A Home, Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?, Your Southern Can Is Mine

*** for Sister Do You Know My Name?, A Boy's Best Friend, Jumble Jumble