From Seville Spain, Blacanova plays an indie rock that is equal parts ambient and shoe gaze on their Madre EP. The mark of indelible music is that it transforms boundaries. The Spanish language vocals on this EP could be an impediment for those who don’t understand Spanish, but the composition and beauty of the vocals make a common spoken language unnecessary. The guitars are both shimmering and haunting as they lay a groundwork for an album that reveals more with each play. Manuel Begines, Pepe Fernández, José A. Pérez, Inés Olalla, Armando Jiménez y Paco Arenas make up the band.
From the opening shoe gaze reverb on “La Incredible Verdad” it is apparent that Blacanova have a firm grasp on the overall mood of what they are trying to accomplish on Madre. The steady build on this song grows to a blissful point.
“Decima Victima”, that hearkens to both early production from the Cure to the vocals that harbor memories of My Bloody Valentine. This is my favorite track on this very strong EP.  Another beautiful build to a prolonged wave of shoe gaze reverb.
The combination of Ines’ sultry vocals and the texture of the guitar effects creates a haunting sound that forces you to pay attention. Blacanova realizes a top level shoe gaze recording on Madre. The mix is brilliantly done and the smoldering sonic builds to crescendos are well thought out and leads to a hypnotic effect on the listener. This is such an accomplished EP.
Related Links:
Blacanova on BandCamp
Blacanova on Myspace
Blacanova on Twitter