☯☯☯☯☯ FESTIVAL NRMAL — Lineup 2012 ☯☯☯☯☯

MP3: Los Embajadores - "Peso"

Danae Morales has a voice that naturally lends itself to fragile, urgent pop ballads. Her heartbreaking performance in the brilliant “El sol” by Niños del Peru illustrated emotional defeat while advancing a loose narrative on two compilations concerned with “ the end.” The end of an era on Los Herederos (the final Fonogramáticos) and the end of the world on Michita Rex’s Música para el fin del mundo.

“Peso,” the first proper single from Los Embajadores, shows Morales channeling the same fragility that marked “El sol” but with a newfound strength thanks to the aid of some beautiful and focused production from other band members, including Cristóbal Gajardo of Voz de Hombre. This is a song that confronts the weight of the world with serious restraint, then progresses into a celestial time-lapse. Pure joy. Los Embajadores will soon release Faisanes, their debut LP, and “Peso” has quickly converted it into one of the most anticipated records for 2012.

♫♫♫ "Peso" | Download Single + Remixes

Andrea Balency Trío - "Lover"

Andrea Balency’s race to stardom seems unstoppable. “Lover,” the second single (and last one with her band before going solo) from her forthcoming EP under the same title, makes it evidently imminent. Following the gorgeous “El Desorden,” and as classy as we’d expect from the ensemble, “Lover” is a crestfallen chamber pop track, which encounters the leader’s melancholic heights-reaching singing manner in one of her very best performances. Like a spy film, the initial guitar base suggests mystery, which is quickly suppressed as the other instruments–piano, accordion and Balency’s blissful voice–fall effortlessly into place and draw nostalgia as the song potently progresses into an emotional ride where tears might be shed and susceptibilities may be affected. Andrea Balency Trío, which lamentably will dismantle after this release, already possess a characteristic sound of their own and, based on the two tracks released so far, Lover EP appears to be the work where they’ve fully polished without venturing into eccentricity or unnecessary experimentation, simply with a lot of class.

MP3: Carrie - "Boats" (feat. killyourcat)

It’s been four years since the release of Carrie’s superb 1981. As we waited for a follow up, Guadalajara’s melodically refined Laura B. has announced the unforeseen departure of this project. But it’s not all bad news. She promises to come back stronger than ever with a new project and is giving the Carrie era a soothing closer with one last single. “Boats,” unlike most of Carrie’s shy-at-heart singles is significantly plainspoken. The quiet vocals are still echoing from the artist’s fountain of naïve pop, but, lyric-wise, she has grown in temperament. As she sings “I don’t care about boats, I don’t care about cities… not anymore,” you can tell Laura B. has scattered Carrie’s ashes into far-reaching emotional waters. Boats’ instrumental B-side, “Pendulum,” plays as a cleansing encore of the remains. Grab the single + its b-side HERE.

♫♫♫ "Boats"