Shanty Rd.

When we all thought they had split-up, these three genius came back from who-knows-where to leave us absolutely hit and openmouthed. We only knew from them their only release, the seven inch “Maider” (Marry Me Records, 1998), and some songs in the five-band split “Five Missiles in Orbit” (BCore, 1997). That was enough for us to realize the huge value of their sound: 33% experimentation, 33% groove and 33% punk-rock. And all this with a unique sensibility, born from the activity of three brains crazy for their instruments and for a peculiar poethic discurse. The hiper-active drums by David, the subterranean bass by Didac and the unpredictable guitar by Wences and his personal voice are just the parts, as the global result becomes an entity beyond the single personalities. No band sounds like Shanty Rd., so psycothic and so funky at the same time. Or so powerful and so jazzy. All of them qualities that make their first long release, a complete must.
Shanty Rd. could be set in a kind of a middle point between the demolishing sound of their friends No More Lies (they toured Spain together in 1998) and the Washington DC-oriented sound of their brothers Aina (methaphorically and technically, as Didac is Aina’s drummer brother). Anyways, those who love the crazyness of The Dismemberment Plan or The Candy Machine, the groove of Girls Against Boys or that jazzy Karate sound should find in Shanty Rd. a whole new experience in this little wonder of risk and rythmic fuel.
And, as they came, they went away one year later, leaving this only album as a legacy. Wences (vocals, guitar) joined Nueva Vulcano some months later, while Didac (bass) focused on his photographer career and you still can see David (drums) playing some djembe in any Barcelona park…