The Cavern
Rock & Words
VETUSTA MORLA
"Robaron las antenas, la miel de las colmenas,
no nos dejaron ni banderas que agitar.
Cambiaron paz por deudas, ataron nudos, cuerdas
y la patrulla nos detuvo por mirar.
Fue un atraco perfecto, fue un golpe maestro
dejarnos sin ganas de vencer."
“C”
Main Decade: 00’s, 10’s
Main Eras:
Indie (2001 - ???)
Key Members:
Juan Pedro Martín “Pucho” (vocals)
David García “el Indio” (drums)
Álvaro B. Baglietto (bass)
Jorge González (percussion and programming)
Guillermo Galván (guitars and backing vocals)
Juan Manuel Latorre (guitars and keyboards)
Key Songs:
Los buenos, La marea, Un día en el mundo, Copenhague, Valiente, Pequeño desastre animal, Los días raros, Lo que te hace grande, En el río, Maldita dulzura, Boca en la tierra, El hombre del saco, La Deriva, Golpe Maestro, ¡Alto!, La Grieta, Fuego...
Vetusta Morla are a rare bird in the current music scene. Especially if we're talking about the current Spanish music scene. It had been a long time since a band in this country had achieved such critical and popular success, and sold so well. Who were the previous ones? Héroes del Silencio, perhaps?
Although I personally see them more as alternative pop-rock, they are often pigeonholed as indie, considered by many to be the main Spanish reference point for the genre, along with Love of Lesbian and Lori Meyers. But Vetusta's idiosyncrasy lies in breaking with the established norms and in their ability to transcend not just borders, but genres and musical styles. In the tremendous intensity and emotion of their concerts, we can find among their fans teenagers who shout along to their suggestive lyrics and old-school music lovers who are already sporting gray hair. Of course, they also have their detractors. Many and very vocal. And curiously, veneration and criticism coincide in highlighting the same points: voice, melody, lyrics, and textures. What truth lies in the insults and the praise? Where is the middle ground?
Let's find out.
Vetusta Morla formed in the late 1990s, during the high school years of its members, in the small town of Tres Cantos, near Madrid. Initially, they covered songs by Loquillo y los Trogloditas, Aerosmith, and Lenny Kravitz, and before adopting the name of the immense tortoise from The Neverending Story, they considered such unfortunate names as Látex. Their beginnings were quite difficult, with concerts that barely drew a dozen people (sometimes not even that many), and having to overcome adverse circumstances, such as when Pucho left to work in London.
Their first demos, 13 Horas Con Lucy (2000) and Vetusta Morla (2001), represent a search for their own style. Moving from raw rock to pure funk guitar, singing in both Spanish and English, they transitioned from the standard to the experimental. However, by their third demo, La Cuadratura del Círculo (2003), they were already more recognizable. We even have an early version of "La Marea" that would later appear on their first album. Someone noticed them, and they got their big break: playing on Los Conciertos de Radio 3, one of the highest-quality music programs in Spain, far removed from the mainstream (the show will forever be remembered for Muse's "Fuck-Fucking" version of "Feeling Good," a protest against censorship).
Appearing on television gave Vetusta's career a huge boost, reflected in the increased attendance at their concerts, but even so, record labels weren't willing to take a chance on them. Independent labels tell them their sound is too commercial, while major labels say it's too independent. They record an EP, Mira (2005), which mixes studio tracks with songs from their appearances on Radio 3's live concerts. Despite being only available at their shows and on their website, Mira sells well, and the dream of an LP seems closer. Fueled by excitement and enthusiasm, during an event in Beirut in 2006, beer in hand, the band members hatch their plan: they will all abandon their comfortable, stable jobs and dedicate themselves entirely to music. But in 2008, with a decade of experience under their belts, they grow tired of waiting for an offer that never comes and decide to found their own label, Pequeño Salto Mortal, and self-release their first album, Un día en el Mundo (2008), one of those albums that dazzles from the first listen and has surely made more than a few people tear their hair out. In their lyrics, stark social criticism and savage cynicism are camouflaged with exquisite delicacy. In their sound, bare, simple acoustic melodies are mixed with powerful guitar riffs and intercultural rhythms. Immediately, the odious comparison to pre-OK Computer Radiohead arises. A comparison I dislike intensely. I admit that certain stylistic and even lyrical parallels are undeniable (for example, the false happiness of "Un día en el mundo" versus the artificial society of "Fake Plastic Trees"), but no. Just as Soda Stereo aren't "the Latin Beatles," Vetusta Morla isn't Radiohead. They're something else. And it's here, in not living up to the imposed label's promise, that the criticism begins. At first, someone says they wish they were Radiohead. Then they add how unbearable Pucho's voice is. Later, someone says "pedantic," and another adds "overblown." You also hear talk of "posturing" and "populism," and it seems we're finally talking about a parody band, a mockery of good taste. But no. No. Vetusta Morla are definitely not Radiohead. They are Vetusta Morla, and they are a great band that makes good music. There will be people who don't like them. It's a matter of taste, like everything else. But there are those who automatically dismiss any work that sells over 500 copies and gets interviewed by Rolling Stone because when an artist stops being a treasure known only to them, they lose all interest and respect. Fucking hipsters. There are also those who can't stand anything that isn't played more than ten times a day on any radio station. They need to be shown the way and act like Pavlov's dog, salivating at every stimuli. And of course, there's always the die-hard fan who elevates everything to a miracle. More harmful than any other. A world without shades of gray. And well, I refuse to argue with human nature.
The truth is, the debate is open, and VMorla has managed to elicit an opinion from everyone; an extreme opinion in most cases. The applause far outweighs the boos, but the latter are certainly loud. Everyone eagerly awaits their second album. Mapas (2011) is less direct and accessible than its predecessor. The band seeks to evolve and avoids, as much as possible, repeating the formulas of success from their impactful debut. There are no more epic anthems or raw guitar riffs. It's a more polished and better-produced album, but I'm not sure it manages to match the level of their previous work. This time they don't generate as much of a stir, but it's enough to keep them on top.
The next step is much more modest. Almost unknown: Los ríos de Alice (2013) is the soundtrack to a delightful and poetic mobile game. More than a video game, it's a playable poem, and please excuse the digression. Their collaboration on this project, the mobile app El explorador de Mapas (Map Explorer), and the free streaming availability of Mapas before its release are good examples of how, far from being a detractor—as is common in the music industry—Vetusta has always embraced the internet and new technologies as allies. As for the content, Los ríos de Alice (Alice's Rivers) features lullabies, almost instrumental melodies, and invented languages. It's an almost Zen-like album that shouldn't be considered a rarity. Absolutely enjoyable.
Vetusta's latest album to date has been La Deriva (The Drift) (2014). Its political critique is more direct than ever. Without metaphors or artifice. Its production is rougher, and overall it sounds quite monotonous. And while there were already some weak songs on both Un día en el mundo (A Day in the World) and Mapas, here, for the first time, I find tracks that deserve to be labeled as blatant filler. Perhaps it's an album that grows on you with time and repeated listens, like Mapas, but for now, it seems to me their weakest work. And yet, they're still well above average, and once again, I see their desire to reinvent their path. From the absolute freedom they gain through self-publishing, they give the impression of enjoying what they do and showing absolute respect for their audience and their profession, believing that music is an end in itself, not a means to an end. These days, whether you like their songs or not, that's something to be grateful for.
We'll be following the turtle's next steps with interest.
Damn, their sweetness.
by marlaior
Oct/16/2014
Corvan's Note (December 14, 2024): I'm taking the liberty of adjusting Vetusta Morla's band rating and raising it from the D+ that Marlaior gave it to a C at the insistence of my son, who is a huge fan. He basically pointed out to me that a D+ isn't enough for their level, and he's right. After the closure of La Caverna, they released Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar, and Cable a Tierra, which, while I don't think they reach the heights of their first three albums, did represent a shift in their sound without significantly lowering their quality, and with tracks like "Corazón De Lava" and "Consejo de Sabios" that are absolute gems. That, along with the incredible level they maintain live (I saw them just last year), makes me continue to think they are the highest-quality active band (not just living off their past glories) on the planet right now.
