Adios Sancho is the 12th release from Spanish surf rock luminaries Los Coronas and it might just be the most perfect record to take a long drive down the coast to. Over the past two decades Los Coronas have made a name for themselves as one of the most important and iconic surf rock revivalist groups seamlessly informing the infamous wobbly twang of Dick Dale with a Spanish heritage. Who’d have thought that surf rock and Spanish culture would marry so well?
Adios Sancho manages to work consistently on a number of levels. Though the music is explicitly upbeat and jovial throughout most of the record, it retains some very sinister undertones. Something about the Spanish influence reeks so heavily of Spaghetti Western exploitation it’s hard to listen to without visualising the gruesome death of a thousand angry Mexicans at the hands of a poncho wearing Clint Eastwood. The references to the infamous soundtracks of Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly are about as subtle as Clint’s .44 Colt itself. This record is less a casual nod to Sergio Leone and the Spaghetti Western genre and more a rambunctious and unashamed celebration of it.
Though this record is lighthearted and fun, there are points, notably the closing song Way To San Jose, where surf rock aggression is substituted for a mariachi inspired ambience. This contrast is what makes this record such a compelling listen. From start to finish the record is refreshingly clear in its intention. It’s a road less travelled by Los Coronas but it’s full of sincerity and entirely free of pretension. It’s good, honest, dirty fun.
BY KEATS MULLIGAN
Best Track:Adios Sancho
If You Like These, You Like This: LOS SAICOS, ENNIO MORRICONE, DICK DALE
In A Word: Magnifico
