Updates on Día de la Música 2013 @ Matadero Madrid
And now for something (more serious and) completely different. So, here’s the thing: a couple of weeks ago, we posted about this festival which is happening approximately 20 days from now and was featuring some good artists, though mainly “small”/new acts, which despite being good are watchable in some more affordable events — but there was that artist, Spiritualized, which makes you think the ugliest, more unattractive festival is always worthy. That’s what happened with Día de la Música.
Tickets initially cost €40, then the price was raised to €50, and it was reasonable to say yes to it, via Spiritualized with the other interesting acts, even if the line-up also featured Spanish group Lori Meyers.
Then there was this day, Friday May 30th, when the organizer says (via Twitter, without even making a press release right away; fucking jerks!!!): “Yey! We are now announcing fresh names! Here’s the first one for ya: Spiritualized ain’t makin’ it to Día de la Música, and now here’s a bunch of stuff about which no one cares (in 2013), like These New Puritans :)))”. It may even not be their fault, but the least they could do was justify it a little bit or…
One may think that to watch The Fall plus Darkstar, Waxahatchee, Autre Ne Veut, et cetera it is decent to pay €40-50. It is! The problem is that many people bought the ticket (an anticipated one, in a awkward maneuver where 1000 tickets were sold in a day, and the other 1000 took several weeks to sell, huh?), or even the one with the raised price thinking that one of the best bands of all time was going to the festival. More: the date chosen to announce the removing of Jason “Spaceman” Pierce’s band from the line-up couldn’t be worse as it was late, it was the same day they were announcing those names — making us think that it could have been a swap of artists, who knows? — and the people of good were having a great time at a Festival with capital ‘F’ called Optimus Primavera Sound, with a View with capital ‘V’ over the Atlantic Ocean at Porto.
What was the polite and tasteful thing to do? To say: well folks, we’re sorry, we are not here to fool you, so if you don’t think you want to come, we’ll give you the money you paid for it. And then maybe I would say “Ok, never mind, we’ll go the same, it might as well be fun”. Not this crappy “hehe, got ya, now y’all comin’ anyhow unless y’all can sell them tickets for €60. Both of ‘em.
Screw you, Día de la Música :)
P.S.: real festivals like Primavera (Barcelona’s and Porto’s), when they cancel a name, one that, despite important, wasn’t that desired but the whole public, like Rodriguez, among tons of huge acts, do accept the return of the tickets.
!!!EDIT!!! As said in this new post, the organization of the Festival will return half the money you paid for the ticket if you bought it until today, June 4th.
-RC
Optimus Primavera Sound 2013: the preview
Before we leave, we want you to know which acts you shouldn’t miss on this year’s Optimus Primavera Sound. Ok, everyone knows you’re supposed to go see Blur, Nick Cave, Swans or MBV, but there’s more to the festival than those big names everyone knows about. Not that we’re listing pretty much unknown bands below, but… here are our choices. Special guest this year is CC Name of White Fence and Fictional Boys. Go see them. See you tomorrow!
Guadalupe Plata. Thursday, 6pm, Super Bock stage Primavera Sound
2010, Barcelona. A few minutes earlier I had witnessed one of the most intense concerts I’ve ever seen in a festival by three dudes from Israel playing among the crowd. But what most surprised me that evening was a little band playing for some 40 people in the little stage right next to the press lounge. That band was Guadalupe Plata, three bluesmen from Andalucia that anyone who didn’t know who they were could think they came straight from the the American deep south. Their new album (selftitled, like all their other releases) has a song called John Fahey’s Funeral, so now you might know what to expect from them. - DSS
The Breeders. Thursday, 9pm, Optimus stage
In Primavera’s last year’s edition, I happened to choose a 90’s band for my preview of the festival in the “to watch” acts (The Afghan Whigs). This year, once again, I have to make that call to the past: The Breeders, side-project of Pixies’ bassist Kim Deal and her twin sister Kelley, plus Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and Jim Macpherson. Playing their acclaimed LP, Last Splash, from start to finish – although I guess there’s enough time for other songs, since the album doesn’t even last 40 minutes – expect them to teach indie kids how it’s done. All in all, a must see. Well… it is Optimus Primavera Sound’s first day, meaning there’re no overlaps. Just remember not to dine at 9:00 pm (if you dine at all during the 3 days). - BSC
Neko Case. Friday, 6:50pm, Super Bock stage
I’ve got a personal rule while watching (too) many concerts at Primavera, and essentially every other busy scheduled festival: I prefer watching the endings rather than the beginnings. I’ll explain better, in a scenario where a band I like is starting while I’m watching another I also like, I’ll wait to the end of the current show, and then move to the other. But May 31st at 18:50 might be an exception to the rule, as Neko Case is starting her concert at Super Bock Stage, leaving me to only 20 minutes in for Om. The Sun still shining is one of the reasons for my switch (yeah, kinda breaks the spirit and all that mambo jambo for Om), Neko’s beauty is the other reason; you shouldn’t miss one of the best alt-country songwriters out there. At least the very ending of it. - BSC
OM, Friday, 18:30pm, ATP stage
It’s complicated to define Om music as metal or as heavy. At least, since Advaitic Songs, the songs are a lot spiritual, the sludge and drone emerge gracefully and there’s some kind of mysticism in their music. I can give you some kind of advice: If you’re not an expert of the genre (and I’m not), I suggest you to give it a try. They have consistent and mysterious melodies, demonic tones and all of that give them the density and meditative melodies. A lot of textures, a lot of hypnotic repetitive grooves and spaced drums that will make the concert a quite pleasant experience. - CMT
Daniel Johnston, Friday, 8pm, ATP stage
The concert of the iconographic singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston is going to be one of the moments that I most expect. In a way, we can say that the tumultuous figure of the artist truly transcends the musical part. I’m not saying that his songs aren’t that important. They are heartbreaking and unabashed pieces of sincerity, they have the struggles and scars of a life marked by mental illness. In the concert, I suppose we are going to see innumerous affecting moments, devastating masterpieces with their own intentions and meanings, making the night a little bit more existential. We can see the show like a catharsis from the problems of his life and the lonely way how he has trying to fight them. Life lessons you should not miss. - CMT
Shellac. Friday, 11pm, ATP stage
Seriously, do you need me to explain to y’all again why the fuck you should leave Grizzly Bear alone and watch the most exciting rock and roll show of the world instead? - DSS
Four Tet. Friday, 0:15 am, Super Bock
There are beats and bleeps, tweaks and loops. There are laptops and fancy set-ups. And beyond all that, there is Kieren Hebden. A pro in melody making, layering sounds is his specialty. His unpredictable set will belwilder and confound you, but you will want him to keep going just to see what he comes up next. And when the right moment strikes, close your eyes and just shake it. And by it, I mean everything. - SMF
Do Make Say Think. Friday, 1:25am, Pitchfork stage
You could argue we’re not in the mid-00s anymore and listening to post-rock bands that aren’t named “Godspeed You! Black Emperor” is useless nowadays. I’m like that, too: after listening to every single release starred on afterthepostrock back in 2005/06 by bands with more than 4 words in their names, they’re the only ones I come back too every now and then. But if nostalgia is the only reason bands like Jesus and Mary Chain, Pixies or Pavement are still playing shows in freakin’ 2013, why shouldn’t I be pumped to finally see a band whose three early 00s albums I listened way more often than I should? They play at the same time Blur goes on stage, so their show’s attendance will probably look like a Constellation Records fan meeting. - DSS
Glass Candy. Friday, 3am, Pitchfork stage
I saw them play in LA while I was in a duet writing period, and loved Ida No’s voice so much i named a song after her. Tim did a cover of it on
White Fence’s “Family Perfume”. I really hope I can see Swans and Meat Puppets too. - CC Name (White Fence)
Fuck Buttons, Friday, 3:25am, ATP stage
Fuck Buttons music is truly original. They have some kind of visceral power, corrosive swats and some euphoric rhythms. Tarot Sports gave them the credibility of a second album full of climaxes, fuzzy synthesizers and noise, lot’s of noise. The distortion and the vibrations give to their music a gorgeously sonic experience. On stage, we are expecting strong beats and a mesmerizing event. The hard dynamic and craft elements will make the bodies sway and the excitement will be infectious. The abrasive and post-apocalyptical tones will make us dance until our muscles hurt. - CMT
The Drones. Saturday, 7:05pm, Super Bock stage
If Primavera Sound was some sort of worldwide indie Eurovision Contest, my 12 points would go straight to Australia and the festival hasn’t even begun. Arguably OZ’s best band to sprout after the Bad Seeds, the Drones will be playing their only shows in Europe this year at both Primaveras, in support of their new monolyth of an album, “I See Seaweed”. Their intense show at the 2009 edition was one of the highlights of the festival for me - they even made me travel to Madrid later in the year to see them again - and I won’t lie, this is the concert I’m expecting the most. If you’re not yet convinced to go and see this rock and roll monument, perhaps I should let you know that they were picked by Neil Young to support him on his latest Australian tour. Hope that validates my opinion and excitement. - DSS
Dinosaur Jr. Saturday, 8:20pm, Optimus stage
Go grab a couple of beers after the Drones show and proceed imediately to that big stage right next to where you were earlier. Mascis, Barlow & co are still rocking like teenagers some 25 years after they shook the pre-Nirvana American alternative rock scene. After failing to see their show at the Paredes de Coura festival back in 2007 (seriously, what the fuck was I thinking when I stood in the rain for most of the borefest that was the New York Dolls’ neverending gig while waiting for Dino to come on stage only to give up and listen to the concert in a flooded tent instead?) this is a show I can’t miss. - DSS
Dan Deacon. Saturday, 1:20 am, Pitchfork
So you want to have fun at this year’s OPS? Worry no more. Dan Deacon brings with him drums, wires, lights and a myriad of buttons that produce the most danceable noises. But be aware, there’s no standing-with-your-arms-crossed-looking-serious-and-tapping-your-foot bullshit allowed. Hold on to your straw hats and ray-bans, pay attention to the choreo class and get ready to dance like you already had one too many sangrias! - SMF
Titus Andronicus. Saturday, 1:55am, ATP stage
This is the most uplifting concert you could see in this year’s edition of Optimus Primavera Sound and we think you could use a punk rock-infused shot of energy to help you make it through the night. Don’t forget there’s still a Fucked Up show not to miss at 3am. - DSS
Fucked Up. Saturday, 3am, Pitchfork stage
I’ll go straight to the point here, here’s a bunch of reasons for this being probably the best concert of Optimus Primavera Sound:
- It is preceded by Titus Andronicus, Dan Deacon and My Bloody Valentine. Whichever you choose, you’ll get a decent warm-up at least, either the inspirational rock of Titus Andronicus, the partying Dan Deacon OR YOU KNOW, THE GET-YOUR-EARS-RIGHT MY BALONEY VOLATILE (WHAT?! MY DARLING CLEMENTINE?!)
- It’s Saturday night, and only two concerts to go. Do you really want to play that “Man, I’m exhausted” card?
- And Fucked Up is set to be at the Pitchfork tent, ahahah this will end badly
So there you go. If you miss to be carried in the arms of Damian Abraham during the punkest of the hardcore punk song, you’re failing in life. - BSC
The Magician. Saturday, 4 am, Pitchfork
It’s the final countdown to the end of the festival. Your last chance to buy an overpriced beer to that girl you’ve been chatting up. Or just to dance until your feet hurt. The Magician will definitely pull some of my favourite remixes out of the hat, and perhaps will have some italo disco, synth pop or new beat up his sleeve. Who knows? A good magician never reveals his secrets. But remember, ”they‘re called illusions, Michael”. - SMF
Finally. Optimus Primavera Sound 2013 starts next Thursday, May 30 and we’ll be covering all aspects of the festival - be sure to follow our live coverage on Twitter and Facebook as well as the extensive review we’ll publish next week. And by extensive we do really mean “write about all the concerts our collaborators are able to attend”. For now - like we did last year - we’re publishing the colored printable timetable everyone loves so you don’t miss any concert. Again, we teamed up with the Portuguese website P3 to give you the most printable beautiful timetable in town. There’s also an Excel version of it in case you feel like editing the cells’ colors to highlight the concerts you can’t miss.
“Ivory Coast”, off Pure Bathing Culture’s selftitled debut EP was one of my favorite songs of 2012. The former Vetiver collaborators will finally be releasing their first LP, Moon Tides next August 20 on one of Bolachas’ favorite labels, Partisan Records (of Deer Tick fame). Can’t wait.
DSS
The National – Trouble Will Find Me
When the National became what we could arguably call “present’s world greatest indie band”, a classification Brooklyn-via-Cincinnati group (tks, P4k) achieved among some folks with their widely acclaimed 2010 album High Violet, they’ve sort of crossed the river of relative “pop/rock starness”. That can be tough, can lead to get your own fans to stop from being your fans, can lead, in a band like the National, to an extreme, pernicious mainstreamization, to be sloughy about your song writing and music composition. Even if some people, like that friend of mine (no pun intended) who claimed that despite being a huge fan of Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers and Alligator, and “all tolerant” about Boxer (that enormous collection of catchy – though kinda sad – songs), thinks High Violet is awful, its drumming is unbearable, et cetera, et cetera, the fact is that a record like that only happens once in a blue moon. High Violet is the sad (and officier) version of Seinfeld, the sitcom, of the 21st century, in the form of a music record. Also, the National’s evolution with time is unbelievably well, I dare say flawlessly planned. They have grown as a band with the years, just the way most of their records do the more and more one listens to them (Alligator or its little brother Cherry Tree EP are, probably, the finest example of it), and their strategy is a good one: each time a new record comes out, a new sound, a new topic is added on top of what we already knew.
On Trouble Will Find Me, it’s probably that baroque, basso continuo-alike sound, listened right when the album starts, with a great, strong, proper ballad, “I Should Live in Salt” – one of the nationalest songs in the record, too.
Some (yeah, in this text we only care about people who like the band – or at least don’t hate all the National’s work) may be disappointed with the absence of the roughness, especially on the lyrics they had us used to, but, at the same time, I believe some of that roughness was rather naïve, being fare to say that Matt Berninger, even though still able to produce little amazing drunken phrases like “I wish everybody knew / what’s so great about you”, has matured a bit, which is, sorry for the cliché, not better or worse, it’s just different.
On “Demons”, first song officially put out, the repetition of a boring and meaningless verse (“I stay down / with my demons”) sort of spoils the mood of the listener, right on the second track. Fortunately, “Don’t Swallow the Cap”, with the well-known drumming of Bryan Devendorf, introducing higher than usual pitched lead vocals, comes not to show up as the album’s best moment, yet as a very good tune, with an excellent guitar work. The National do know how to rock and roll, and it’s songs like this one or, and especially, “Sea of Love” (with that bass – Scott is great – inherited directly from Boxer) and “Graceless” (the best on TWFM, a song which has had the awful luck of being born in the shadow of a similar, and even greater, one: “Bloodbuzz Ohio”) are proof more than enough of it.
Assuming a bit of taste, even the biggest fan (and for credibility sake I have to admit I am one) knows this is the record of expendable songs. “Fireproof” is one of those songs (srsly, Cherry Tree is there, it’s amazing, no point on overdoing it), and, nearer to the end, “Pink Rabbits”, a pretty but way toooooo slushy (too mnstrm! that’s what I was talking about earlier) slow which isn’t able to convince – even with those solid, as usual, words here and there.
Still, the record isn’t far from great. Sorry, it’s only the truth. The level on the best songs already mentioned or ones like “I Need My Girl” (Dessner brothers are the best guitarrists on the indie world right know, I assure you) with the sweetest, simplest melody and amazing lyrics; or the not less beautiful, “Gospel” (the outstanding song that closes 2007 Boxer) sound-alike “Heavenfaced” – a wonderful instrumental arrangement, from the guitar to the keyboards, highly elaborated, ever growing, not the best but doubtlessly the loveliest. And, like returning to the beginning, so long ago, of an American americana-rock band some people thought was the successor of Silver Jews on 2001 The National, “This Is the Last Time” is nothing else than a bridge from “American Mary” to 2013. On “Slipped”, an enormous piece of songwriting, Matt apologizes for everything (something he’s so fond of doing) and states that doesn’t need “any help to be breakable”; it’s the band’s lead singer telling the listeners nothing has actually changed. “Humiliation” suffers a bit from the problem of being eclipsed by so many better songs this band has done in the past, but “Hard to Find” is, once again, different, in a good way, it contains the sweetness that is the most valuable acquisition of the National in this process of evolution. All in all, with all the (objective) odds against them, they “failed to fail”. Which is great.
Another friend of mine (again, no pun intended) trusted them with her skin. I, by now, am fairly sure I’d trust them with my life.
- RC
