Vetusta Morla

Vetusta Morla
Background information
Origin	Tres Cantos (Madrid)
Genres	Indie rock Alternative rock Indie pop Pop rock
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Pequeño Salto Mortal
Members	Pucho David "el Indio" Álvaro B. Baglietto Jorge González Guillermo Galván Juanma Latorre
Website	vetustamorla.com.es

Vetusta Morla is a Spanish indie-rock band originally from the city of Tres Cantos located near Madrid, Spain. The band was formed in 1998 and took its name from the giant old tortoise Morla, a character in the children's book The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. "Vetusta" means "extremely old" or "decrepit" in Spanish.^[1]

The history of Vetusta Morla began in the summer of 1998 at the José Luis Sampedro Secondary School in Tres Cantos, Madrid, where a few students decided to perform at the institute's culture week and founded a rock band. This project was more like a hobby for the participants; lead singer Pucho was engaged in graphic design, drummer David "el Indio" ("the Indian") Garcia worked as a teacher, guitarist Juan Manuel Latorre had a program on Radio 3, and keyboardist Jorge Gonzalez taught physics.

The first demo, "13 Horas Con Lucy" ("13 Hours With Lucy") was released in 2000 and won a few local music awards. Winning the Concurso de Rock de La Elipa en 2001 brought them to the attention of a professional producer, David Hyam, who produced the band's first EP, La Cuadratura Del Circulo, which wasn't released until 2003. At the end of 2001, the new bass-player, Alvaro Baglietto replaced Alejandro Notario and from then, the band's composition has not been changed.^[2]

For several years Vetusta Morla tried unsuccessfully to find a label. Indie music labels were not attracted to the commercial sound of the band and large ones did not see prospects for their music. The situation changed in 2006, when, after performing at the international Festival Anti-Crise in Beirut, the musicians decided to start working on the project seriously and quit their day jobs to fully devote themselves to music. To solve the problem of lacking a label, they created their own, Pequeño Salto Mortal (Little Fatal Leap).^[3]

Due to the "hobby" aspects of the project, Vetusta Morla performed intensively at various festivals and on radio and received some awards but their first album wasn't released until February 2008, after the band had been in existence for almost a decade. This album, titled Un día en el mundo (A Day in the World), contained twelve songs, one of which, "La Marea" ("The Tide"), had first been released on the La cuadratura del círculo EP in 2003. By the end of the year, Un día en el mundo appeared on almost every music chart in Spain and was called the best Spanish debut rock album.^[4] That same year Vetusta Morla went on their first big tour.

Three years later, in the spring of 2011, the band released their second album, Mapas (Maps), which also became popular. It had a more complex and minor-key sound than Un día en el mundo.^[5] The next year, having rich tour experience and two full-length albums, the band decided to undertake an experiment by recording with the Regional Symphony Orchestra of Murcia in order to raise money for the restoration of the Narciso Yepes Conservatory building in the city of Lorca, which had been damaged in an earthquake in May 2011. The concert was officially released almost a year later in the spring of 2012.^[6]

Later that same year, the band completed another interesting experiment and released an original soundtrack album for a video game called Los Rios De Alice (Rivers of Alice) from Delirium Studios. The disc consists mainly of instrumental compositions with only one track, "Los Buenos" ("The Good Ones"), a song in their usual style.^[7]

At the end of 2013, the band announced the release of their third album, La Deriva (Drift). The first single "Golpe maestro" ("Masterstroke") was released in Spain on February 23, 2014, and the album itself on April 8, 2014. This was accompanied by numerous concerts and music videos.^[8] Their, Mismo sitio, distinto lugar (Same site, different place), was recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin and released on November 10, 2017.^[9]

In 2017, the band took part in an unusual audiovisual project from the Spanish national broadcaster Radio 3. Called Suena Guernica, (Singing Guernica), it commemorated the 80th anniversary of the painting of the same name by Pablo Picasso. As part of this project, famous Spanish musicians performed several songs in a front of the painting, which hangs in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. Vetusta Morla performed three songs: "Alto!" and "Golpe Maestro" from their third album and "Puente de los franceses", a folk song from the Spanish Civil War.^[10]

In 2020, the band released an experimental album MSDL - Canciones dentro de canciones ("Songs in Songs"), which the musicians themselves describe as a nesting doll, where the songs from the fourth album were rethought in a different format.^[11] In 2021, they announced the upcoming release of a sixth studio album, Cable a Tierra (Cable to Earth).^[12]

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Critical Eye Awards	2008	Modern Music	Vetusta Morla	Won	[13]
Latin Grammy Awards	2018	Best Alternative Music Album	Mismo Sitio, Diferente Lugar	Nominated	[14]
		Best Alternative Song	"Consejo de Sabios"	Nominated
	2020	Best Recording Package	MSDL - Canciones dentro de canciones	Nominated	[15]
	2022	Best Pop/Rock Album	Cable a Tierra	Nominated	[16]
		Best Rock Song	"Finisterre"	Nominated
		Best Long Form Music Video	Matria	Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards	2011	Best Spanish Act	Vetusta Morla	Nominated	[17]
Premios Odeón	2021	Best Alternative Artist	Vetusta Morla	Won	[18]
		Best Alternative Album	MSDL - Canciones dentro de canciones	Nominated
	2022		Cable a Tierra	Nominated	[19]
Rolling Stone en Español Awards	2023	Album of the Year	Bailando Hasta el Apagón	Nominated	[20]
UFI Awards	2009	Best Artist	Vetusta Morla	Won	[21]
		Best Album	Un Día en el Mundo	Won
		Best Rock Album		Won
		Best Song	"Valiente"	Won

Note: At the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, Mismo Sitio, Diferente Lugar was also nominated for Best Recording Package, the nomination was received by Rubén Chumillas as the art director of the album.

Recognitions

• "Copenhague", the fourth track from Un día en el mundo, was chosen as one of the three best Spanish indie songs of the last 30 years in a vote carried out among Internet users and listeners of Radio 3 as part of a song contest called "Indispensable" launched by the Independent Phonographic Union and Radio 3 to celebrate July 4 as Independent Music Day. "Copenhague" came in third place after "Qué nos va a pasar" from La Buena Vida and "La revolución sexual" from La Casa Azul.^[22]
• Vetusta Morla's first album, Un día en el mundo, occupied the second position in the MTV network's classification, where the 2008 favorites were chosen.^[23]
• In 2011 the group was named Best Group of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine and their second LP Mapas was named Best Album of the Year.^[24]
• In 2012, after performing a total of 107 concerts, 6 of them with the Murcia Region Symphony Orchestra and 28 abroad, the band received the award for Best Tour of the Year from Rolling Stone magazine.
• In 2019 Vetusta Morla was awarded the Gràffica Prize for the visual aspects of their presentation. "In their records, design, illustration, visual resources, the packaging itself, and typography are an indispensable part of understanding the concepts they relate musically. Also on stage and, specifically, in their scenography, everything is a visual spectacle that emphasizes the need to also graphically narrate their stories. For uniting music and image in a unique and original format to convey ideas beyond music."^[25]

Band Members

• Juan "Pucho" Pedro Martín Almarza (vocals, percussion)
• David "el Indio" García (drums, vocals)
• Álvaro B. Baglietto (bass guitar)
• Jorge González (percussion and electronic music)
• Guillermo Galván (guitar, keyboards and vocals)
• Juan Manuel Latorre (guitar and keyboards)

Discography

Studio albums

• Un día en el mundo (2008)
  • Autocrítica (04:42)
  • Sálvese Quien Pueda (03:22)
  • Un Día en el Mundo (04:12)
  • Copenhague (05:03)
  • Valiente (03:28)
  • La Marea (03:43)
  • Pequeño Disastre Animal (03:34)
  • La Cuadratura del Círculo (04:35)
  • Año Nuevo (04:26)
  • Rey Sol (03:27)
  • Saharabbey Road (04:37)
  • Al Respirar (03:35)
  • Un Plan Mejor (04:14)
• Mapas (2011)
  • Los Días Raros (06:27)
  • Lo Que Te Hace Grande (04:12)
  • En el Río (03:07)
  • Baldosas Amarillas (04:16)
  • Boca en la Tierra (03:47)
  • El Hombre del Saco (03:05)
  • Maldita Dulzura (03:47)
  • Cenas Ajenas (04:02)
  • Mapas (03:51)
  • Canción de Vuelta (03:53)
  • Escudo Humano (04:35)
  • Mi Suerte (04:40)
• La Deriva (2014)
  • La Deriva (03:39)
  • Golpe Maestro (03:48)
  • La Mosca en Tu Pared (03:44)
  • Fuego (04:05)
  • Fiesta Mayor (03:36)
  • ¡Alto! (03:13)
  • La Grieta (03:46)
  • Pirómanos (03:39)
  • Las Salas de Espera (03:40)
  • Cuarteles de Invierno (03:55)
  • Tour de Francia (04:15)
  • Una Sonata Fantasma (03:50)
• Mismo sitio, distinto lugar (2017)
  • Deséame Suerte (03:49)
  • El Discurso del Rey (03:41)
  • Palmeras en La Mancha (03:37)
  • Consejo de Sabios (05:18)
  • 23 de Junio (03:27)
  • Guerra Civil (03:34)
  • Te lo Digo a Ti (02:27)
  • Punto Sin Retorno (04:40)
  • La Vieja Escuela (04:13)
  • Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar (03:42)
• MSDL — Canciones dentro de canciones (2020)
  • Deséame Suerte – MSDL
  • El Discurso del Rey – MSDL
  • Palmeras en La Mancha – MSDL
  • Consejo de Sabios – MSDL
  • 23 de Junio – MSDL
  • Guerra Civil – MSDL
  • Te lo Digo a Ti – MSDL
  • Punto sin Retorno – MSDL
  • La Vieja Escuela – MSDL
  • Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar – MSDL
• Cable a Tierra (2021)
  • Puñalada Trapera (03:34)
  • La Virgen de La Humanidad (03:05)
  • No Seré Yo (04:31)
  • El Imperio del Sol (02:58)
  • Corazón de Lava (04:17)
  • La Diana (02:46)
  • Palabra Es lo Único que Tengo (03:15)
  • Si Te Quiebras (03:39)
  • Finisterre (03:16)
  • Al Final de la Escapada (03:54)

EPs

• 13 horas con Lucy (demo, 2000)
• Vetusta Morla (demo, 2001)
• La cuadratura del círculo (demo, 2003)
• Mira (EP, 2005)

References

1. Abad Nebot, Francisco (2001-01-01). "RESEÑA de: Real Academia Española. Diccionario de la lengua española: vigésima segunda edición. Madrid: Real Academia Española de la Lengua, 2001". Epos: Revista de filología (17): 488. doi:10.5944/epos.17.2001.10203. ISSN 2255-3495.
2. "Vetusta Morla | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
3. "Если долго-долго-долго. История Vetusta Morla" (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-08-30.
4. "El 'indie' también es para los niños". Ethic (in Spanish). 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
5. "Vetusta Morla: "Mapas"". Retrieved 2020-09-03.
6. "Esmerarte | Se publica el concierto de vetusta morla con la Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia a favor del Conservatorio Narciso Yepes de Lorca" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-03.
7. "Los ríos de Alice: Una aventura (gráfica) onírico-musical | Cactus" (in Spanish). 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
8. "Vetusta Morla - Temporada Alta". Retrieved 2020-09-03.
9. "Vetusta Morla: mismo sitio, distinto lugar". Vip Style Magazine (in European Spanish). 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
10. "Suena Guernica - Radio 3". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-29.
11. "Vetusta Morla: "La obsesión por regalar canciones no nos hace ningún bien"". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
12. "Vetusta Morla announces new album: "Cable a Tierra"". Spain's News. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
13. RTVE.es (2008-10-21). "Vetusta Morla, Premio Ojo Crítico de 2008". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-29.
14. "19th Latin Grammy Awards Nominations" (PDF). latingrammy.com. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
15. "Nominados al Latin Grammy se anunciarán en septiembre". AM Querétaro (in Spanish). 18 June 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
16. "23rd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards Final Nominations" (PDF). The Latin Recording Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
17. "El Pescao, Nach, Russian Red, Vetusta Morla y Zenttric, nominados a los MTV Europe Music Awards" (in Spanish). Europapress. September 20, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
18. "David Bisbal, Rosalia, Pablo Alborán & More Earn 2021 Premios Odeón Nominations: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
19. "C. Tangana arrasa en las nominaciones de los Premios Odeón". ABC. February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
20. "Conoce la lista completa de ganadores de los premios RSEE". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). October 30, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
21. "Vetusta Morla Thriunfant In The Ufi Awards - Bilbao BBK Live News". www.festivalticker.de. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
22. "LOS MEJORES DE 2008". 2009-01-13. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
23. "Tras la 2 - Mejores Miradas". www.rtve.es. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
24. "Esmerarte | 2 Premios Rolling Stone para Vetusta Morla" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-03.
25. premiosgraffica (2019-11-18). "Desvelados los 10 Premios Gràffica 2019". Premios Gràffica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-29.