Skontra "Foguera" Self-released
Release date: May 25th, 2015
Running time: 45:30, 13 tracks
Release date: May 25th, 2015
Running time: 45:30, 13 tracks
Four years have passed from Skontra’s third album “Mazcando miseries” to the release of their brand new album “Foguera”. The band from Asturies have had some ups and downs, but they have been able to arise from their ashes like a Phoenix.
During the years 2011-2015 Skontra played some big festivals in Spain and the South of France and a lot of small gigs where they made new friends (they shared the stage with Drink Hunters and The Potes and became close friends with both bands). Unfortunately, César (drummer) decided to leave the band. He was living in Madrid and it was too hard to drive to Asturias and then back to Madrid every single weekend to rehearse with the band. This could have put a damper on Skontra’s career, but they found a new drummer, Mawy, and they were back on the road again. Founding member and bassist Gonza found a job on Madrid too, but he decided to stay on the band and now Skontra are back with a vengeance with their best work to date “Foguera”.
“Semeya de la rabia” (2006) is a classic of the Spanish punk-folk scene. With “Cantares pa dempués d’una Guerra” (2008) the band tried to broaden their musical universe. Instead of keep on being a punk/oi band with pipes, they followed the path opened by The Clash or Mano Negra. Unfortunately, a bad production in the studio didn’t help to push the album and some fans feel that it was a “faux pas”. Their next album “Mazcando miseries” proved that they still were a worth hearing band and added a bunch of classic songs to the band’s set list.
“Foguera” is the band’s most appealing album to date. Musically, it features different sides of the band. The pipes sound better than ever thanks to the production work by Miguel Herrero at ACME studios. And Mawy’s drumming adds a new dimension to the band’s sound too. After listening to track no. 3 “La Foguera” (or their acoustic version at the end of the album), some people could feel that the band has mellowed. Quite the contrary, the lyrics are incisive and the social dimension has not been put aside. Skontra are older, but wiser. They are engaged with their home country (Asturies), their mother tongue (seven songs are sung in Asturian) and the(ir) people.
“Foguera” kicks off with “La nuesa vida” (Our Life). The lyrics for this amazing number are about the band’s life. It can be filed together with Booze and Glory “Off We Go!” or The Real McKenzies “Midnight Train to Moscow”, songs about the same subject.
“Fuego” (Fire) is a call to arms. It’s a guitar oriented number that ends up with a clear message: No van a callarnos (they are not going to shut up our mouths).
“La foguera” (The Homefire) has been launched as single. Pop punk influences can be found on this track. Some buddies guest at the end of the song, singing in their mother tongues: David from Bastards on Parade in Galician, Nuria Martí in Catalonian and Sala Strummer and Ibi from The Potes in Basque. Electric guitar is played by Juanin (Carlinos' brother) and accordion by Igor Sala (The Potes).
“Amargo Despertar” (Bitter Awakening) is another highlight. It has a The Real McKenzies feel, a Spanish punk-rock guitar sound part and great gang vocals.
“La mio forma” (My Way) is a personal fave. Excellent work by Mawy on drums and fantastic piping and guitar work. They shift again to the pop-punk end with some The Clash sounding guitars. The song features a pipe rendition of “Music for a Found Harmonium”.
“Otra oportunidá” (Another Chance) is a reggae number with a punk twist. The lyrics are about the economic crisis. Life's a bitch, but if we fight and stand up, it will bring us another chance. Don’t surrender and you’ll get your reward.
“Sal a la cai” is a raucous punk rock number featuring inflammable pipes with plenty of woah backing vocals. It has a pipes arrangement based on the traditional tune “Pasacáis de Peruyes” as recorded by Asturian top folk band Llan de Cubel.
“El 34” is Skontra at its best. This song about the Asturian Revolution in 1934 was recorded by Asturian folk band Xéliba on their debut album (lyrics are based on a traditional song and the music was written by the band from Avilés). One of the best numbers on “Foguera”.
“A por ellos” begins à la early M.C.D. (punk-rock band from Bilbao) and the guitar work is excellent all along the song. It’s a tribute to the people who kept on fighting against the Franco’s dictatorship after the Spanish Civil War.
Skontra showcase again their love by Mexican music: “Nesi furgon” (In that Black Maria) is a brilliant Mexican-punk number featuring Miguel Herrero on trumpet.
Fernando Madina from Reincidentes (well-known punk-rock band from Sevilla) guests on vocals on “Largo camino” (Long Way), a song about all the African people who try to reach the European coasts in order to start a new life. Ana Caballero guests on fiddle too.
Skontra played a gig at the Elorrixoko Gaztetxea in April 2014, sharing the stage with the band from Arrasate-Mondragón The Potes. At that time, The Potes banjo player was Jul Bolinaga, a former member of Basque damned punk band R.I.P.. The Potes played a version of one of R.I.P. hits, “Condenado” (Condemned) and Berto, a long time fan of R.I.P., jumped on stage to sing with them. Later, they shared the stage once again in Asturies. Sadly, Jul died on stage at a gig in Bergara last year. Skontra have recorded this bagpipes punk rendition together with The Potes members, Igor Sala on accordion and Sala Strummer and Ibi on vocals.
To finish up, Skontra deliver an acoustic version of “Foguera”
The album artwork has been designed by Zapico (pipes) as usual. “Foguera” comes in a digipack enclosing a folded sheep (the equivalent to an 8 page booklet: lyrics to all of the songs, guests, thank yous and credits). I know that the album is available at Bandcamp as a Name Your Price download, but if I were you, I would write to the band to buy a physical copy.
Tracklist:
01. La nuesa vida 03:18
02. Fuego 03:12
03. La foguera 04:02
04. Amargo despertar 03:16
05. La mio forma 04:01
06. Otra oportunidá 03:36
07. Sal a la cai 03:38
08. El 34 02:48
09. Por la libertad 03:27
10. Nesi furgón 03:34
11. Largo camino 03:14
12. Condenado 03:36
13. La foguera (acústica) 03:42
Website
Facebook
Bandcamp
Wikipedia
Click to buy
Bandcamp
If you're interested in a physical CD, contact the band on Facebook.
During the years 2011-2015 Skontra played some big festivals in Spain and the South of France and a lot of small gigs where they made new friends (they shared the stage with Drink Hunters and The Potes and became close friends with both bands). Unfortunately, César (drummer) decided to leave the band. He was living in Madrid and it was too hard to drive to Asturias and then back to Madrid every single weekend to rehearse with the band. This could have put a damper on Skontra’s career, but they found a new drummer, Mawy, and they were back on the road again. Founding member and bassist Gonza found a job on Madrid too, but he decided to stay on the band and now Skontra are back with a vengeance with their best work to date “Foguera”.
“Semeya de la rabia” (2006) is a classic of the Spanish punk-folk scene. With “Cantares pa dempués d’una Guerra” (2008) the band tried to broaden their musical universe. Instead of keep on being a punk/oi band with pipes, they followed the path opened by The Clash or Mano Negra. Unfortunately, a bad production in the studio didn’t help to push the album and some fans feel that it was a “faux pas”. Their next album “Mazcando miseries” proved that they still were a worth hearing band and added a bunch of classic songs to the band’s set list.
“Foguera” is the band’s most appealing album to date. Musically, it features different sides of the band. The pipes sound better than ever thanks to the production work by Miguel Herrero at ACME studios. And Mawy’s drumming adds a new dimension to the band’s sound too. After listening to track no. 3 “La Foguera” (or their acoustic version at the end of the album), some people could feel that the band has mellowed. Quite the contrary, the lyrics are incisive and the social dimension has not been put aside. Skontra are older, but wiser. They are engaged with their home country (Asturies), their mother tongue (seven songs are sung in Asturian) and the(ir) people.
“Foguera” kicks off with “La nuesa vida” (Our Life). The lyrics for this amazing number are about the band’s life. It can be filed together with Booze and Glory “Off We Go!” or The Real McKenzies “Midnight Train to Moscow”, songs about the same subject.
“Fuego” (Fire) is a call to arms. It’s a guitar oriented number that ends up with a clear message: No van a callarnos (they are not going to shut up our mouths).
“La foguera” (The Homefire) has been launched as single. Pop punk influences can be found on this track. Some buddies guest at the end of the song, singing in their mother tongues: David from Bastards on Parade in Galician, Nuria Martí in Catalonian and Sala Strummer and Ibi from The Potes in Basque. Electric guitar is played by Juanin (Carlinos' brother) and accordion by Igor Sala (The Potes).
“Amargo Despertar” (Bitter Awakening) is another highlight. It has a The Real McKenzies feel, a Spanish punk-rock guitar sound part and great gang vocals.
“La mio forma” (My Way) is a personal fave. Excellent work by Mawy on drums and fantastic piping and guitar work. They shift again to the pop-punk end with some The Clash sounding guitars. The song features a pipe rendition of “Music for a Found Harmonium”.
“Otra oportunidá” (Another Chance) is a reggae number with a punk twist. The lyrics are about the economic crisis. Life's a bitch, but if we fight and stand up, it will bring us another chance. Don’t surrender and you’ll get your reward.
“Sal a la cai” is a raucous punk rock number featuring inflammable pipes with plenty of woah backing vocals. It has a pipes arrangement based on the traditional tune “Pasacáis de Peruyes” as recorded by Asturian top folk band Llan de Cubel.
“El 34” is Skontra at its best. This song about the Asturian Revolution in 1934 was recorded by Asturian folk band Xéliba on their debut album (lyrics are based on a traditional song and the music was written by the band from Avilés). One of the best numbers on “Foguera”.
“A por ellos” begins à la early M.C.D. (punk-rock band from Bilbao) and the guitar work is excellent all along the song. It’s a tribute to the people who kept on fighting against the Franco’s dictatorship after the Spanish Civil War.
Skontra showcase again their love by Mexican music: “Nesi furgon” (In that Black Maria) is a brilliant Mexican-punk number featuring Miguel Herrero on trumpet.
Fernando Madina from Reincidentes (well-known punk-rock band from Sevilla) guests on vocals on “Largo camino” (Long Way), a song about all the African people who try to reach the European coasts in order to start a new life. Ana Caballero guests on fiddle too.
Skontra played a gig at the Elorrixoko Gaztetxea in April 2014, sharing the stage with the band from Arrasate-Mondragón The Potes. At that time, The Potes banjo player was Jul Bolinaga, a former member of Basque damned punk band R.I.P.. The Potes played a version of one of R.I.P. hits, “Condenado” (Condemned) and Berto, a long time fan of R.I.P., jumped on stage to sing with them. Later, they shared the stage once again in Asturies. Sadly, Jul died on stage at a gig in Bergara last year. Skontra have recorded this bagpipes punk rendition together with The Potes members, Igor Sala on accordion and Sala Strummer and Ibi on vocals.
To finish up, Skontra deliver an acoustic version of “Foguera”
The album artwork has been designed by Zapico (pipes) as usual. “Foguera” comes in a digipack enclosing a folded sheep (the equivalent to an 8 page booklet: lyrics to all of the songs, guests, thank yous and credits). I know that the album is available at Bandcamp as a Name Your Price download, but if I were you, I would write to the band to buy a physical copy.
Tracklist:
01. La nuesa vida 03:18
02. Fuego 03:12
03. La foguera 04:02
04. Amargo despertar 03:16
05. La mio forma 04:01
06. Otra oportunidá 03:36
07. Sal a la cai 03:38
08. El 34 02:48
09. Por la libertad 03:27
10. Nesi furgón 03:34
11. Largo camino 03:14
12. Condenado 03:36
13. La foguera (acústica) 03:42
Website
Bandcamp
Wikipedia
Click to buy
Bandcamp
If you're interested in a physical CD, contact the band on Facebook.
Review by Kinksmarkham
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