Ahora vinyl

Ahora, the new record by Melenas, is the polar opposite a third-album slump. Other bands might suffer from a lack of inspiration typical of such a critical creative moment, but this Spanish quartet reappears more invincible than ever, reassembled with a splendid palette of sounds raising the question: can you make jangle pop and garage rock with synthesizers? The likes of 'K2' and 'Bang' recall a resounding yes; in fact, the glorious throb of analogue keyboards, which dominate the album, do not betray Melenas' sound, and in fact propel it to an ascended pop heaven. Textured vintage synths, such as the Korg Delta or the Yamaha PSR-36, provide and maintain said immediacy, also imprinting a fascinating gamut by stretching the band's sonic identity, a transformation heard not only in the the crystalline pop of '1986', but the sombre, but moving undertones of 'Flor de la Frontera'.