Superioridad Moral – Dr Explosion (Slovenly)
Long story short: Spanish garage rock band that’s been on hiatus for 11 years resurfaces on an American label with a German office that sells records to the USA, Mexico and Japan as well as the EU. Sounds about right in today’s digital world, but it’s also proof that rock and roll still spans multiple cultural borders.
As a confirmed Monolingual, I know when I’m beaten. “Superioridad Moral” (“Moral Superiority”) is sung entirely in Spanish. I have no clue what Dr Explosion is singing about. But the songs sound strong with touches of psych rock and pop running prominently throughout.
You’d hope it’s good because this isn’t Dr Explosion’s first rodeo/bullfight. “Superioridad Moral” is their eighth studio album and they are a festival level band, with a huge reputation in the non-English speaking underground music world.
Singer Jorge Explosion is a renowned production hand in his own right and has recorded the likes of The Jackets and The Fleshtones. He committed “Superioridad Moral” to tape with 100 percent analogue in his own Circo Perrotti studios in Gijon.
The record was mastered by Frank Arkwright (whose production credits span New Order, The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis and Arcade Fire) at Abbey Road in London, and it does sound superb.
Melodic video single “Vestir De Mujer” reveals a band (or a band leader) determined to push some preconceptions about stereotyping in the same way The GoBetweens’ Robert Forster did in the ‘80s.
It’s a little out of step with the rest of the album that takes a more garage rock path, the pick of which is the fuzz-laden “Insatisfacción”.
There’s lots to like: Jorge Explosion is a killer vocalist. “Grises” recalls The Flaming Sideburns or The Morlocks at their peak. “La Gente No Sabe Gastar” summons an impolite pop groove while “Apego Evitativo” reverts to type with a touch-as-teak fuzz riff and chunky backbeat.
“Superioridad Moral” is as the title infers - musically superior to much of what's around in today's garage scene, plus a reminder that there's plenty of life left in Spanish rock and roll.
