''Per la bona gent'' (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: ''For the good people'') is the fifth album by Spanish
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band
Manel, and their first to be released on their label Ceràmiques Guzmán. It was released on 4 October 2019 and produced by Jake Aron. Music videos were filmed for "Per la bona gent" and "Boy Band". The band toured in support of the album from November 2019. The album debuted at number one on the Spanish albums chart.
Background
The band emphasised that each song was intended as a "small island" and disconnected from the rest of the album. On the album, they also began to incorporate the use of
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s and a "more electronic" sound, as well as to make extensive use of
sampling—for example, the title track samples "Alenar" by
Maria del Mar Bonet
Maria del Mar Bonet i Verdaguer (Balearic Catalan: ; born 1947 in Palma, Majorca) is a Spanish singer from the island of Majorca.
Early life and career
Bonet studied ceramics in the school of arts, but eventually decided to dedicate herself to ...
, and "Aquí tens el meu braç" samples "Vine a la festa" by
Lluís Gavaldà.
Critical reception
Joan S. Luna of ''
Mondosonoro
''Mondo Sonoro'', sometimes shortened to ''la Mondo'', is a Spanish magazine established in 1994 which focuses on current alternative, popular and indie music, as well as national emerging bands. Co-founded by Sergio Marqués and Jose Macarro in Ba ...
'' called the album "solid and remarkable" and noted the "ironic political connotations" of the title, writing that Manel's "lyrical and musical universe returns to throw splinters in very different directions" and that they have managed to find a new sound without "copying themselves".
Writing for ''
El Periodico
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
'', Juan Manuel Freire acclaimed the band's experimentation, noting that "there are injections of electronics, Latin stitching, a lot of rhythm diversity and imagination in the arrangements, but 'Per la bona gent' is really something else. Or twelve new things."
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
2019 albums
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