TRIANA (EL PATIO)

This album is a glorious piece of progressive rock that unfortunately seems to be a hidden gem outside of Spain. With crisp production, detailed and inspired instrumental passages and emotional vocals, this album checks all the right boxes. This Spanish/Andalusian prog sound that Triana delivers is such an interesting blend that's pulled off with flawless grace. The album opens up with the jaw dropping "Abre La Puerta." I love how it opens up with this menacing acoustic guitar, I can picture the dust settling as we're led into a sweet head bobbing symphonic build up. Touching once again on the vocals, I can only understand a few words here and there with my broken 9th grade level spanish, but the singer has a great sense of emotion and melody in his delivery and due to this it's almost like you can understand what he's saying. This is a sentiment I echo for Harmoniums Les Cinq Saisons. You can really pick out any instrument in these songs and just pay attention to it and you'll be treated to interesting and highly developed parts. The verse opens with these thundering vocals before shooting into an intense galloping groove. The chorus is such an ear worm, I listened to this album in the car before going skiing one day and for the entire 4-5 hours I was on the slopes I just kept singing "Abre La Puerta Nina! Que el dia va a comenzar" (totally didn't fib my way through that second line!). There's a lot of spicy synth work throughout this album as well, the tones used here on the opening track are very tasteful. We're guided through a twisting instrumental passage that surely keeps the energy and momentum going throughout before stripping down to a brief ear-candy ambient passage with acoustic guitar adding in flavors. The final minutes of this track are just epic, reprising the main chorus progression while throwing in fiery instrumentation on top of it. Abre La Puerta is just a rollarcoaster start to finish, the second its over I just wanna hop back in line and ride it again.

The second track Luminosa Manana is another favorite. Honestly if you got social anxiety, just pop in some earbuds while out in public and throw this track on, it just pumps me up. It opens with very "free" feeling instrumentation before the acoustic guitar takes over dropping this filthy Spanish guitar motif with claps and synths layering on top of it. The vocals once again just blow me away with their brooding and larger than life delivery. The track develops into a more flowing cadence with stunning sonic details soaring past you on all sides. Another great track.

Recuerdos de una Noche keeps the same energy with more of that very sinister and menacing sound i've been noting. We kick into a smooth 5/4 groove with very organic instrumentation and vocals providing memorable counterpoint to the afforementioned headbanging rhythm. In the latter half there's a very hard hitting distorted guitar solo and man, that tone is genuinely HEAVY.

Se De Un Lugar was a track that blew my socks off right from the get-go. With a voice seemingly coming from the heavens, grand and passionate vocals kick off the track. This is another song with a very catchy main hook, but what really stands out about this track is the experimental nature of it. The passage starting at 2:11 is gorgeous and it just demands my attention with these layered electric guitars and synths leading us through instrumental ecstasy. It's twists and turns like these that make this album so special, every time I revisit it I'm just blown away because of the density of some of these tracks. Every listen you just hear so many new details. Every note of this instrumental is just on the dot and dialed in and the way it seamlessly flows the listener right into the mighty conclusion that's delivered is just as satisfying. I have to highlight how they choose to end the song, because I love how sort of unconventional and quirky it is. Rather than end on a big crescendo, this track ends on a very fascinating note moreso fizzling out with a greater emphasis on the atmosphere and the overall feel,

Dialogo is another very solid song and it's a nice breather between two very grand and epic songs. This is a very acoustic guitar-centric song stripping down to just that towards the middle of the track for a little spanish guitar solo. The synth begins playing around it carefully easing the listener back into the vocal passage. I find this track to be the most subtle of the songs we get here. It's more of a slowburn but it stands tall with its strong song structure as well as gratifying contrast and pay-offs.

En El Lago is essentially the big grand finale of the album and it's just an exciting trip front to finish. The emphasis on the vocals on this song, more great catchy vocal melodies and ardent instrumentation to back it up. The track stays steady at a high place for a while before delving into a both beautiful and vigorous playout in the final minute and a half. Bookending the album is the short and sweet Todo es de Color with more of a folky feel to it with the sound of flowing water, birds, and just acoustic guitar and vocals closing out the album with a little bit of a peaceful whimsical feel. A very nice little cooldown

Listen to this album, an essential for any 70s prog fan.

9/10