Lisabö is for me on the harder side of my listening spectrum, as I do not fancy metal or screamo whatsoever. However unfitting it might seem, there are many post-hardcore bands that I do have a liking for. Lisabö is one such group, and one of the better ones amongst them in my opinion. The band comes from the Basque Country of Spain, and thus are the only band I have ever heard that sings in the Basque language. Accordingly, I haven't a clue what they're saying, but it doesn't sound like Spanish. I cannot say for sure they don't sing in Spanish ever, and I wasn't able to tell perfectly, but I don't believe there's any Spanish on Ezlekuek (which if my years of French have served me well, is not a Romance language rooted word as they don't commonly use the letter 'k'). Information of the band is hard to come across, at least in English. Last.fm states they utilize a dual drumming band set-up, which is logically with the large amount of percussion on the tracks. The band isn't a brash post-hardcore along the lines of These Snakes Have Arms, but more of a calmer thought out style with post-rock leanings in some parts. The singing is fantastic if in impossible to understand save for the world's very small percentage of Basque speakers (being unrelated to the Spanish, Catalan and French doesn't help). If you're in the mood for something unique, but not merely an oddity, they're an excellent choice.
To be had here:
Lisabö - Ezlekuak
I'm from Barcelona, I'm full-blooded spanish, and I can't tell where the heck this language comes from. Nobody knows I guess. Actually, there are four languages coexisting in Spain: Spanish, Catalan (which I speak as much as I speak Spanish), Galician (Galicia's language) and Euskera (Basque country's). As you can see, we do like language diversity, haha.
ReplyDeleteLet me recommend you another metal band from Basque Country: Berri Txarrak. They're really good, and they sing in Basque too. The only reason why any of these bands never sing in Spanish is because of they nationalism. It's a very long story though…
Politics is my other passion, I aware of the nationalism at play, but doesn't mean the music isn't good. Thanks for the confirmation that that Basque is something strange to speak and the recommendation. Hope you're liking the blog.
ReplyDeleteI am! You have such good taste in music.
ReplyDeleteMusic is one of my most precious treasures, so you can imagine how much I appreciate sharing it with other people.
Not at all! Actually, strong feelings make music true and powerful. Anyway, when nationalism becomes terrorism, things get worse... if you really enjoy politics, try to find out about Basque Country & Spain history, from its beginning to nowadays... so tragic, man...
PD: Yesterday I downloaded The Dodos and I'm REALLY enjoying their music. Too bad I'd never heard of those guys before...
excellent
ReplyDelete