There was a time in the 90s when sad and slow bands like Red House Painters and Tindersticks, and songwriters like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen dominated our playlist; quietly sad, and beautiful, and while they were all sonically gorgeous, Spain took a lot of those same sadcore elements and added a warm smokiness that brought them a refined and well-rounded quality that somehow elevated their sound to something beyond rock and roll, yet cost them none of their edge to do it.
Well, many years an...
There was a time in the 90s when sad and slow bands like Red House Painters and Tindersticks, and songwriters like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen dominated our playlist; quietly sad, and beautiful, and while they were all sonically gorgeous, Spain took a lot of those same sadcore elements and added a warm smokiness that brought them a refined and well-rounded quality that somehow elevated their sound to something beyond rock and roll, yet cost them none of their edge to do it.
Well, many years and several albums down the road, and we're still listening to slowcore, and Josh Haden and Spain are back with their sixth album, Carolina. Loaded with alt-country elements, Carolina is Spain walking us through history, coming-to-terms of the death of Spain frontman Josh Haden's father (jazz bassist Charlie Haden), nostalgia over lost youth, and cautionary observations on our future.
You may be familiar with Spain's song "Spiritual" from Johnny Cash's version on his Unchained album, or Mark Lanegan's Soulsavers' version on the album It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land album, and neither are a bad introduction, but if it's all you know about Spain, it's time to visit the source.
There are a lot of great samples at Spain's soundcloud page, give them some exploration, early in the morning or late at night is our favorite time with them.
We are opening the guest list with RSVP beginning now. Pre-order/purchase of Carolina, or one of Spain's catalog titles will get you priority entry and an event poster. RSVP in person or by calling 562.433.4996
