Album Review: Los Blancos – 'Sbwriel Gwyn'
Nostalgic alternative punk to feast your ears on.
Sbwriel Gwyn is the new album from Welsh rock band Los Blancos. It’s a punk album, especially in the extremely raw production, with a 90s alternative, somewhat akin to The Replacements. In this way, Los Blancos are a bit of a throwback, nostalgic even, without being blatant rip-offs.
Opening track ‘Dilyn Iesu Grist’ (‘Follow Jesus Christ’) is the heaviest ‘most punk’ song on the album. it comes in like a kick in the teeth MC5-style with its noisy and fuzzed up guitars. However, many of the following tracks are more laid-back. For instance, there’s a gnarly punk vibe in ‘Pymtheg Stôn o Anhrefn Pur’. But Los Blancos don’t go hell for leather on all twelve tracks. ‘Ti Di Newid’ is still heavy, but played at a slower tempo. It’s a big grunge-esque number that is reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins or the more recent indie band Tribes. Los Blancos play on the 90s alternative go-to song writing dynamics of ‘quiet/loud’, and then throw in a monstrous Dinosaur Jr style solo in for good measure. This 80s/90s US alternative approach is continued in songs such as ‘Chwarter I Dri’, as it exhibits a nice jangly guitar riff alongside smooth vocal howls that wouldn’t go amiss on a Pixies song.
Los Blancos are allegedly “re-defining Welsh pop music as raw, immediate and relevant.” This is certainly the case with Sbwriel Gwyn. Furthermore, the Welsh language doesn’t create a barrier here for non-speakers – Los Blancos are proof that music is a universal language and that anyone can get into this if the songs are powerful enough.
Words by Matthew Brocklehurst