My Top Albums of 2010

These are the five albums I bought last year that had me listening to them on repeat in a very obsessive manner.


La Polla Records -Salve- (1984)



I first heard a few songs by La Polla on Pandora, like"Revistas del Corazon", "Txus", "Nuestra Alegre Juventud", and "Venganza", so I decided to up and buy the whole album with the hope of liking the whole thing. I can honestly say that I love every song on this album.

This and the next album on this list is the beginning of a real awakening to ska punk rock music in Spain, because upon further research, I discovered that La Polla Records are from the Basque Country. This piqued my curiosity, and with research, and knowing a bit of the contemporary and past history of Spain and the Basque country, the existence and popularity of ska and punk in Spain makes complete sense.

Of course, La Polla Records don't like to be labeled and defined as a particular genre, and it is the message that is the most important. Also notably, if one does a search for "La Polla Records" in eu.musikazblai.com, the "best encyclopedia for Basque music", nothing will turn up, which can be interpreted as how the people who set up that website see La Polla Records and the widespread impact they had.

My top songs from -Salve-
"Muy Punk" (criticizing the moment when punk becomes a fashion, a cool thing, moda punk)
"Salve"




-Bat, Bi, Hiru...Hamar!- (1998)


A collection of popular songs in 80's and 90's Spain by Basque artists in the broadly-defined genre of rock radical vasco, a term that became known to me via Wikipedia. This album came up in an itunes search with -Salve-, as La Polla Records has two songs on the album, so I decided to buy it, mostly out of curiosity.

There is a documentary titled "Salda Badajo: Los inicios del rock vasco" by Iker Trebi~no, dated 2002, that goes into great detail (in castellano and euskara) about rock radical vasco and its rapid development and inspirations, lasting from the beginnings of the 1980's to the end of the decade. Each of the artists on this album are mentioned in the hour-long film.

Oh, and eu.musikazblai.com also has translations from Euskara into Spanish and occasionally into English.

My top songs (with Artist) from -Bat, Bi, Hiru...Hamar!-
"A La Calle" (Kortatu) (clip is just part of the song) - in the documentary, the narrator describes the arrival of Kortatu in 1985 as the "nuevo boom"

"Oihuka" (Zarrapo)
"Gaueko Historiak" (Jotakie)

"Ezin Leike" (Delirium Tremens) - in the documentary mentioned above, Andoni Basterretxea, singer and guitarist of Delirium Tremens, states that (my translation and I'm paraphrasing), although he was in a band, he didn't know how to play guitar and only then four chords that from there he could make into a song. Hence the inspiration of the Sex Pistols and the Clash, the punk from England, because although they liked groups like Kansas and Deep Purple, they couldn't play at that level.

"Euritan" (Zarama)



Kortatu -Kortatu- (1985)


I bought this because I loved "A La Calle", which I heard on -Bat, Bi, Hiru...Hamar!-, and because I listened to a few tunes from the album on YouTube and.. I can't even begin to describe the elation I feel when listening to this album.

Kortatu is known for being politically charged--remember, this is post-Franco and when the USofA was sticking its rich fingers in Central and Latin American pies (the 80's, for those not in the know). I heard "Sarri, Sarri" and enjoyed it immensely; when I looked up the lyrics on the wonderful site eu.musikazblai.com ("encyclopedia of Basque music"), I found that the song has to do with the ETA.

"Zu Atrapatu Arte" and "Don Vito y la Revuelta en el Frenopatico" are now two of my absolute favorite songs. Beautiful.

I love music for its sounds and the way it makes me feel, but sometimes the lyrics are important, too. (Of course, there must be a reason I am drawn to these songs...)

Top songs
"Don Vito y la Revuelta en el Frenopatico" (this may be one of my favorite songs ever, full stop.)



Emir Kusturica and the No Smoking Orchestra -Unza Unza Time- (2000)


Long story short, I was listening to YouTube and clicked on the title song, loved it, then proceeded to listen to it the whole day. I bought the album shortly after that.

Top songs from -Unza Unza Time-
"Unza Unza Time"

I found the history of this band interesting. According to Wikipedia, they used to be "garage rock", born in the former Yugoslavia. After breakups and evolution due to wars and politics, in 1999 the band renamed itself to its current name, Emir Kusturica & the No Smoking Orchestra, with a new sound, like what is heard in this album (a far cry from garage rock).


Bersuit Vergarabat -La Argentinidad al Palo- (2004)


I have long held Bersuit close to my heart; the first song I heard by them was "Se Viene" about eight years ago, and I have loved them since. However, I had not heard any of the songs on this album until I fully embraced Pandora radio and all its wisdom. Unfortunately, itunes only carries one of two albums that comprise this particular set, so I only got half the goodness.

Bersuit is Argentina, to put it vaguely. Their songs generally deal with Argentinian issues, and this album in particular, as revealed by the title, is no different. They incorporate their complex history and the variety of genres that can be found in that part of South America into their music. "El Baile de la Gambeta" is about futbol, and "La Argentinidad al Palo" is like listening to a five-minute documentary on the history of Argentina; "Va Por Chapultepec" is pura cumbia and rock, and the voices that come from Bersuit are heavenly.

Top songs from one part of -La Argentinidad al Palo-
"La Argentinidad al Palo"



images: Salve (fruitonia.blogspot.com); Bat, Bi, Hiru... Hamar! (gorkalimotxo.net); Kortatu (rateyourmusic.com); Unza Unza Time (rapidmusi-k.blogspot.com); La Argentinidad al Palo (bacteriusargentum.blogspot.com)

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