Guatafán

Guatafan is Spanish for Twee!

Happy Fiesta Roja!  I have discovered that language has made Fiesta Roja very different from last year’s Dutch Week.   The bands we covered during Dutch Week sang primarily in English; the bands I’ve been listening to from Spain sing primarily in Spanish.  It makes doing research on the bands a little more difficult, but I think it adds something interesting to the listening experience.  Coming from a classical background, I’m used to wordless music.  But generally, when lyrics actually do exist, they exist for a reason and play an important role in our understanding the work as a whole.  Then again, I’m really enjoying listening to these Spanish indie bands even though I don’t know Spanish–the emotion behind the music speaks for itself, and while understanding the lyrics would be helpful, it’s not necessary.  I guess if anything can barrel past a language barrier, it’s the arts.  I’m rambling.  Your thoughts?

Moving on, I am ecstatic to present you with Spanish twee!  Guatafan is from Valencia and seems to be brand spankin’ new, from what I can gather.  Don’t they look adorable? Maria and Suso make sugary sweet bubblegum indie pop, even more so than She & Him–think more along the lines of the School.  Their first single “Cucurucho” debuted on the Elefant Records compilation, “New Adventures in Pop,” which is a nice little compilation of songs by up-and-coming groups that need an outlet and MUST be heard!  While Guatafan hasn’t released any albums yet, I encourage you to check out their myspace page for their stuff and “New Adventures in Pop” for their stuff + other cool stuff.  If you’re looking for great summer music, you’ve found it.  My recommended tracks are “como un fan” and “la merienda”.