Five good musical news items before the summer ends

The Importance of Being a PSB

What is it like to be a Pet Shop Boys? This is the story of the wonderful team formed by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, a British duo that is one of the great musical references of the last thirty years. The list of groups that would not exist without them is long and of quality, from Saint Etienne to Astrud and a profound et cetera. It seems like a cliché, but nothing could be further from the truth: their biography tramples the rest of tedious pop books. A story that revolves around the difficult mission of recognizing oneself as a music star, with all that this entails, facing the challenge of live performance with little experience but colossal success, and friendship. Literally is not only a great book about the Pet Shop Boys, it is also a great book about a pluperfect story.

The Caliphate visits the Fòrum

Califato ¾ at Les Nits del Fòrum. September 16.

One of the few good pieces of news that the pandemic will leave in the musical sphere is the entry of the Fòrum as a concert venue, a venue more accustomed to mass events. Under the umbrella of the Primavera Sound festival, the concerts held on its esplanade are one of the best alternatives we have to enjoy outdoor concerts in Barcelona. Taking advantage of the return from vacation and the good weather that usually occurs in September, a new cycle with artists to keep in mind has been organized.

Among all the programming ---where there are names as popular as Los Planetas or Bad Gyal--- the most exotic name on the bill probably stands out: Califato ¾. They are, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and original bands on the national scene. Formed by eight musicians and originating in Seville, theirs is a self-proclaimed futuristic folklore project. What is this? Well, a mix of roots music, electronics, and certain pop and punk reflections. Theirs is a commitment to catharsis, energy, and freedom: Dance to processional music? Why not? Everything is possible in the universe of Califato ¾, a band that gathers various traditions (flamenco, Arab, Western) and combines them as you've never seen them before. An unmissable concert to go to with your ears wide open.

The summer song

Even with summer giving its last gasps, one of his favorite songs in Catalan has beenEva and Jana. Ginestà's cannon shot does not remain only as ahitvacation, surely it will be one of the great songs of 2021. The duet formed by the Serrasolsas brothers has navigated from singer-songwriter music, which they successfully cultivated in their first two albums, to pop that is not afraid to seembubblegummer.

The song tells the story of two women from adolescence to adulthood, a beautiful and endearing narration of love and friendship that hooks with its unbeatable chorus: triumphant, addictive, and impossible to get out of your head once it's in. Also noteworthy is its music video, moving between yeyé aesthetics and 80s cutrelux, adding tons of self-irony. L'Eva i la Jana is a great love song that will mark a before and after for the Barcelona duo, who already showed interesting things in Ginestà, their self-titled album, and who now have to confirm it in their third: if it's anything like this, things look very, very good.

The pop hairdresser

Behind Navarri's verses and chords, we find one of the most enthusiastic and productive personalities of the Barcelona music scene. Ruben Navarri is a rare bird: a musical activist who waits to turn forty to get on stage to show his songs after decades of being a regular among the audience of concert halls. A hairdresser by profession ---he runs a recommended hair salon in the Horta neighborhood--- he was known for being the man behind Maldaltura, a wonderful pop music festival in Llessui, a tiny village in Pallars Sobirà located at 1,445 meters of altitude. Once the project was momentarily parked, Navarri finally dared to show all those songs he had tucked away. First, he formed a band, then he debuted live, then an EP arrived, and now he promises another one before the end of the year. His thing is pop songs in Spanish with echoes of Sr. Chinarro, Chucho, or La Costa Brava, collecting the best tradition of national indie and adapting it to today's times. Navarri arrives late, but he arrives.

The new kings of Mallorca

They don't stop surprising us. The new Mallorcan wave multiplies like the loaves and fishes. After the great surprise that was Maria Jaume, surely one of the big names of 2020 in music sung in Catalan, this autumn Reïna emerges. Between the brand new singer-songwriter from Lloret de Vistalegre and this new group from Manacor, home to bands like Miquel Serra and Jorra i Gomorra, there are a couple of common points: both have consecutively won the Sona 9 contest for young talents; Lluís Cabot, the talented mastermind behind Da Souza, has produced their latest releases and they have a powerful female voice at the helm.

Carme Vives, Reïna's vocalist, has tones and registers to spare, and is one of the strong points of a band that doesn't have songs as obvious as it seems. This September they release Arts Marcials, their first album, and it is expected to be one of the revelations of the season. Listen to Carinyo, their first single, and you'll understand why they are a hope.