Capsula

Capsula are a Bilbao, Spain-based band from Buenos Aires, Argentina formed in 1998 by Martin L Guevara and Cyborg Coni Duchess. Their name is the Spanish word for capsule and derives from the David Bowie song "Space Oddity".

Their album '' Solar Secrets'' (2013), produced by Tony Visconti, was described by ''Rolling Stone'' as "garage-glam heaven on a platter" and it called them "a dynamic compression of the Who, the Cramps and Sonic Youth in a high tide of psychedelia."

History

1997–2002: Early career in Latin America: Sublime, Yudoka, Capsula. Berlin.

Influenced as much by 1960s South American psychedelic rock as by garage rock, they started in Argentina in 1998. Without an album out yet, they toured in Europe playing shows in Madrid, Toledo, Vitoria, Pamplona, Bilbao and London at Dublin Castle and Bull'n'Gate. In Bilbao, Martin L Guevara started recording the songs of Capsula's first album, called ''Sublime'', that was finished in Buenos Aires in 1999. Back in their city of origin, they played underground shows and presented '' Yudoka'' in 2000 with VHS video visuals filmed by Coni Duchess as backgrounds. That same year Martin L Guevara and Coni Duchess moved to Berlin and London, playing some shows including drum machines in clubs in both cities. Later they moved to Bilbao, where they have since relocated.

Bilbao, Road and Songs & Circuits: 2003–2006

In 2002 they issued an album called ''Capsula'' with their first songs in English, using surrealist automatism and cut-up techniques for writing. ''Capsula'' (2002) was published and distributed by the alternative editorial DDT diskak and it was presented from 2003 with intimate acoustic shows at libraries and radios.

In 2005 they started recording ''Songs & Circuits'', an album published by the Madrid-based label Discos Liliput. Capsula played shows in France and appeared for the first time in Ireland at Psycho Fest #1 in Dublin. While on tour in Spain, they recorded an alternative version of "Voices Underground" for a compilation album that was out in 2005 as "Bandas on Tour". Described as "Garage rock for the 21st Century", "Masterpiece" and "Enorme", ''Songs & Circuits'' was distributed worldwide by the label Northern Star Records. Capsula toured ''Songs & Circuits'' playing 110 shows in USA, Canada, Europe and South America, receiving rave reviews of their live gigs.

Bcore Disc, SXSW, 2007–2011

In October 2008 Capsula signed with the independent record label from Barcelona BCore Disc, releasing ''Rising Mountains'' in April 2009. Capsula toured with ''Rising Mountains'' playing 54 shows in Europe, USA and South America and presented ''Rising Mountains'' at SXSW 2009, where David Fricke chose them as one of the best surprises of the festival. In his column "Fricke's Picks" for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine he wrote:

It was only 9 p.m. on opening night when I hit my first pay dirt of this year's SXSW in Austin: Capsula a kinetic trio from Bilbao, Spain — singer-guitarist Martin Guevara and bassist Coni Duchess, the band's founding couple, are originally from Argentina — who were supposed to be obsessed with the Velvet Underground (according to a newspaper preview) but were actually a high-velocity union of the Cramps and the Who, coated in corroded glam. Guevara attacked his guitar with a serious case of Pete Townshend, and drummer Alberto Diez was an improbable mix of Keith Moon and the Velvets’ Maureen Tucker: flash with heartbeat. In the last song of the set, a furious space-out that sounded like the Who doing Pink Floyd's “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” Guevara swallowed his mike Lux Interior-style and scraped his guitar strings along the edge of the stage. You don't get those visuals with Capsula's new album, Rising Mountains (BCore), but you get the idea — and everything I heard.

In July 2009 Capsula recorded a new album, collaborating with New York City rock legend Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), titled ''Ivan Julian & Capsula – The Naked Flame'' and released in Spain by Bloody Hotsak.

In 2011 they issued ''In The Land of Silver Souls'', produced by John Agnello. The album was toured live in the United States playing 39 shows including KEXP Concerts At The Mural, in Seattle Amphitheatre and City Arts Festival. In Mexico they appeared at Festival Nrmal, in Europe, they played 108 shows and they also toured South America including shows in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

2012 – 2018, Bowie, Visconti, Psychedelia and Surrealism

In 2012 they went back to the studio to record again with John Agnello a personal reinterpretation of the classic album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' by the artist David Bowie. The process of recording the album was presented in a documentary called Dreaming Of Ziggy Stardust and it was presented at the Official Section of the Music Documentary Film Festival in San Sebastián, Dock of the Bay. The album was described as "More than simple curiosity, a contemporary approach to the album. A bit more lo-fi, garage. A bit dirtier. Equally rocking."

In 2013 they recorded a new album first called ''Xul Solar'' inspiring the songs "Constellation Freedom", "Seven Crimes" and "Trails of Senselessness" and finally named '' Solar Secrets'', produced by legendary producer Tony Visconti, who'd just completed David Bowie's powerful comeback album ''The Next Day''. The album included the song "Blind", which was premiered by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine and Chicago Tribune. The album had great reviews, described as "garage-glam heaven on a platter" and "a dynamic compression of the Who, the Cramps and Sonic Youth in a high tide of psychedelia (long echo, watery tremolo, massed spires of treble guitar) that makes 'Riverside of Love' and 'Trails of Senselessness' sound like a fresh afterburn of the ’67 Pretty Things and an acid-charged X".

Capsula played 53 shows in the United States presenting the album touring together with influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes and 57 shows in Europe. They performed at Austin Psych Fest 2013. ''The Austin Chronicle'' wrote about the Capsula show at APF: "These aren't musicians playing at a band, they're a fabulous gilded snake, writhing on a big stage while plying seismic garage rock." Capsula also opened for L.A. punk band X in December 2013, and singer, artist, and poet Exene Cervenka expressed: "I was not expecting Capsula. They surprised me, the same way The Blasters, The Cramps, and Alleycats did." "I like Capsula because they are exciting, unpredictable, honest, brave, beautiful. I like Capsula because they sing and play for real. It is rare that I like any new bands."

Capsula appeared at SXSW from 2008 to 2012 and also at San Sebastian Jazz Festival, in 2013, Día De La Musica Festival in Madrid, in 2013; Nox Orae in Vevey, Switzerland, in 2013; Sonorama Festival in Burgos, in 2013; DCode Festival in Madrid, in 2012, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, in 2011; Bilbao BBK Live in 2010; Low Cost Festival in Benidorm, in 2011; Nrmal Festival in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2010; Decibelle (formerly Estrojam) in Chicago, in 2010; Incubate (festival) (formerly ZXZW) in Tilburg Netherlands, in 2008 among others festivals. In November 2015 they opened for Pearl Jam in Argentina at Estadio Único de La Plata.

In 2016 they recorded ''Santa Rosa'', heavily influenced by surrealism, The Cramps, Dead Kennedys and science fiction, playing 110 shows in 220 days, in 93 cities.

2019: The era of ''Bestiarium'': Beasts and Exquisite corpse with algorithms

In 2018 Capsula start writing a new album titled ''Bestiarium'' inspired by the antique bestiaries and by Jean Cocteau film of 1962 where he asks the 2000s humans if they have already become robots. The album ''Bestiarium'' is Capsula's personal answer to that curious and accurate question. Each song of the album has a beast or creature that is half-human, half-beast, half-animal, half-god, including cyborgs as beasts of the future.

To write the lyrics of ''Bestiarium'', instead of using the surrealistic method of an exquisite corpse among humans, the band used the surrealistic technique writing sentences and visual ideas with algorithms, using digital platforms. ''Bestiarium'' was half created, thought and dreamt during months by Capsula and by learning and prediction algorithms.

Recorded at Silver Recordings, the songs of this album have a noir spirit. The first singles are 'Sirens's Lips', 'Cry With You' and a version of the band The Lords of the New Church's 'Russian Roulette'.

The album is published on March 22 of 2019. Barcelona's magazine ''Ruta 66'' describes ''Bestiarium'' as 'A dark retrofuturist and punk paradise' and the musical publication MondoSonoro as a 'Devilish and exciting artifact' 8/10.

Band members

*Martin Guevara — vocals, guitar
*Coni Duchess — vocals, bass

Influences

Capsula covered "I Need Somebody" and "Gimme Danger" by Iggy Pop & The Stooges, the album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' by David Bowie, "Run Run Run" by The Velvet Underground, "Planet Caravan" by Black Sabbath, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" by The Ramones, "Color Humano" by Almendra, "Mejor No Hablar de Ciertas Cosas" by Sumo, "Imágenes Paganas" by Virus and "Russian Roulette" by The Lords of the New Church.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Sublime'' 1999. La Nena Records, Hotsak
*''Yudoka'' 2000. La Nena Records, Hotsak
*''Ultimo Fragmento'' 2000. La Nena Records
*''Capsula'' 2002. DDT diskak
*''Songs & Circuits'' 2006. Discos Liliput, Devil In Her Heart
*''Rising Mountains'' 2009. BCore Disc
*''Ivan Julian & Capsula – The Naked Flame'' 2009. Bloody Hotsak, 02:59 Records
*''In The Land Of Silver Souls'' 2011. Krian Music Group, BCore Disc
*''Dreaming Of Ziggy Stardust'' 2012. Hotsak.
*''Solar Secrets'' 2013. Krian Music Group
*''Santa Rosa'' 2016. Silver Recordings, Vicious Circle and Hotsak.
*''Bestiarium'' 2019. Vicious Circle, Dynamo Tapes, Silver Recordings, Hotsak..

Live albums

*''Dead Or Alive'' 2014. Hotsak, Krian Music Group

Compilation CD albums

*"Voices Underground". Bands on Tour Compilation. 2005. Ria Records
*"A boy through airwaves" Bendito Pop. Junk Records. 2006
*"Found & Lost" This Is The New Bcore Sampler For 2009. 2009. B-Core
*"Found & Lost" Psychedelica 4. 2010. Northern Star Records
*"In The Land Of Silver Souls" Bcore Disc Sampler 2010. 2010. B-Core
*"Magnetic Brain" Live At KEXP Volume Seven. 2011. KEXP
*"Under The Woods" À Découvrir Absolument Vol 24. 2011. À Découvrir Absolument
*"Hit 'n' Miss" Bigotes, Bombines y Decibelios Vol. 1. 2011. Señor López Discos
*"Hit 'n' Miss" Bcore Disc Sampler 2012. 2012. B-Core

Singles

*"Imagenes Paganas" 2001. Virus Tribute. White Label
*"From the Sun" 2004. White Label
*"Shshout" 2005. White Label
*"Run Run Run" The Velvet Underground Tribute. 2007. Green Light / Electric Mountain
*Siren's Lips 2018. Silver Recordings, Hotsak

Filmography

*2014 – ''Dreaming Of Ziggy Stardust''

References

External links

Official site
* Capsula discograph
Capsula
at Discogs
Capsula
at Spotify

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Argentine rock music groups
Argentine alternative rock groups
Argentine indie rock groups
Psychedelic rock music groups
Garage rock groups