1995's Blue Moods of Spain has become a bit of a lost classic.
It wasn't quite like anything else at the time (a mix of dramatic brood a la Tindersticks and slowcore). The band didn't appear on the album cover nor in their press materials giving them an extra enhancement.
They weren't complete unknowns though. Their label -Restless Records- was as ambitious as any indie label in the mid 90s.
The band's leader, Josh Haden was son of Jazz Legend Charlie Haden and brother of indie icon / thatdog.'s singer Petra Haden.
Spain made three records, and for a blip on the indie scene, their songs did make an impact though, covered not only by Soulsavers, but on Unchained, the Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash ("Spiritual").
Blue... has a near-five star score on Amazon, though struck with a 3 star review given by allmusic. Individually, there were some excellent songs. "Untitled #1" was easily one of the best songs of that year.
Now, when taken at once, the album does blend together, a collection that could not quite deliver on the promise of the single. Josh didn’t have the presence of a Nick Cave or Stuart Staples, but the soundtrack style ambience was striking.
Spain came back after hiatus with a new album in 2012- The Soul of Spain. Once again, they had a killer single and received critical plaudits. The band released albums in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and have tons of live and previously unheard music on their Bandcamp page.
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