Konkord 102
skopje
My House In Spain
„It’s desire, stupid“, someone once told me, meant as a sure reminder of what is keeping us on our toes. Desire does. Like an image ripped out of a daydream portraying wide open spaces begging to be filled with tunes. To drive off the soothing loneliness only wide open spaces claim as their inherent virtue. Let us enter that space, and hey, we are just in time to witness a harp’s hesitant call followed all of a sudden by a timid guitar responding … they are seemingly destined to mate, it’s that time of the year again. And yes, all of nature’s creatures are finally springing back to life after the hardships of winter. Soon foals will be clumsily bouncing on their Paddock - which is the title one of those magical songs on Skopje, the latest release by label-favourites My House in Spain.
Vocalist and guitarist Thomas Schöffl, Mr. Bassman Florian Husbert Huber and Anselm Fischer on drums own said house. But their house is nowhere near spain nor is it in the appalachians, as their music is likely to suggest. Located in a dull central european city not called Skopje it harbors mostly run-down tenants and a shady corner bar that has seen better days, too. It is situated opposite a small park, hotly fought over by two gangs: retirees vs. mothers with their kids is the name of the game, and sharp tongues are the weapons of their choice. Growing up in a neighbourhood like that teaches you a lesson for life. Desire is the dream of otherness.
Unsurprisingly, that otherness smells like a desert, not like a sandbox. A desert full of pleasant surprises. My House in Spain have lots of little but splendid ideas, and they are always keeping them subtle and simple. A few tenderly sketched notes on the piano here, a little bit of bass and guitar there - that’s all the boys need to create intensity. The drums are used lightly most of the time, except when they’re pounding as in Tire Swing, the opening song. It features a rocking bassline, a twangy guitar and if you listen carefully you can imagine Firewater clicking their fingers and nodding their heads in appreciation.
„Keep it simple, stupid“, someone once told me, meant as a sure reminder of what makes music great. It’s wide open spaces begging to be filled with tunes. And desire does exactly that. Because it is an energy on its own. And while only few can afford a house in spain, My House In Spain is something you’ve got to afford. Because dreaming the dream is not enough. You have to make it your own.