HELLEVILLE DE LUXE, BUNBURY
EMI, Spain **
Rating: 48
By Carlos Reyes
So yeah, Bunbury has a great singular voice that we will probably never differentiate from legendary Heroes del Silencio, but he has never been a music genius like many claim he continues to be. Just like I like Gustavo Cerati better solo than with Soda Stereo, Bunbury is a lot more sober when working alone. Truth is, I’m never been a fan, but it came pretty damn close when he joined the underrated Nacho Vegas some years ago. Helleville De Luxe is already being accused of plagiarism by several writers, Bunbury acknowledge using some verses but doesn’t consider that to me morally wrong. Whatever the outcome is, this album isn’t sustained by any extraordinary lyricism or melody for that matter. When the titles of the songs are the highlight of an album, it really shows how uninspired and empty the album is. His previous offer El Viaje a Ninguna Parte was at least classy enough to self-title its purpose. We’re not asking Bunbury to renovate himself, but perhaps he should extend his playlist so we don’t get the exact same album over and over. The best we’ve heard Bunbury in the last decade is featured in Lila Down’s Shake Away, he is brilliant in the track “Justicia.” Bunbury always accentuates his guitar arrangements, a landmark of traditional rock that’s best presented in the first single “El hombre que delgado que no flaqueara jamas.” Helleville De Luxe is like the recent recycled works by Julio Iglesias or Roberto Carlos, just wearing a cool leather jacket and dark sun glasses. Okay, fans will not like me comparing him to pop artists, so I’ll compare it with the new album by Oasis, to groove and boring.
Hellville De Luxe, Enrique Bunbury
Artist of the Week: Chak
Artist of the Week: Chak
Genre: Folk, Rock, Pop, Acoustic
Country: Mexico
Chak is no ordinary artist, so I’ll just do a list to try to honor him.
01. Because his debut album Lo Que Vino is a five-star album and among my top 10 favorite Latin albums of this decade.
02. Because he carries his indigenous roots with pride and embraces them poetically through his music.
03. Because when I first listened to his album I almost had an orgasm.
04. Because he is the single most underrated artist in Mexico and deserves international attention.
05. Because he is a male Lila Downs meets Kevin Johansen meets Cabas.
06. Because the song “Lo Que Vino” reflects Latin America’s current state of multilayered fear.
07. Because every time I listen to him I take out my albums of Mercedes Sosa, Toña la Negra, Ibrahim Ferrer, Caetano Veloso and Susana Baca.
08. Because my iPod says Chak is one of my most listened artists, and already a reference when evaluating music.
09. Because he makes me travel to so many different untraveled lands and wanting to visit so many others, hopefully soon.
10. Because he is one of the reasons I’m blogging about Latin music; to spread the word on great discoveries like him.
Bestiola, Hidrogenesse
BESTIOLA, HIDROGENESSE
Austrohungaro, Spain ****
Rating: 83
By Carlos Reyes
Hidrogenesse is yet another great band from Spain’s current indie scene. Their music might be too hipster for many, they are known for alienating the purists and putting a big smile on the experimental followers. They sing in Spanish and Catalan (Spain’s second language) and sometimes they just let the music communicate their thoughts. They were virtually unknown until their last album Animalitos (2007), which I found unusual, bizarre and simply uplifting. Bestiola is a continuation of Animalitos and way more experimental than any of their previous works. The album itself presents very little new material but does a solid job making a cohesive album full of color and roundness. The kind of album that works perfectly when playing it on Windows Media Player and its chromatic visualizations. Genis Segarra and Carlos Ballesteros are simply unique, sometimes they seem to have child-like personalities, and other times they’re simply weird. First single “Schloss” is full of lasers and groundbreaking clashes of bytes. The song reminds me of their anthem hit “Vuelve Conmigo a Italia” (also included here), songs designed to be perceived as audiovisual pieces. My favorite track in the album is “Fuig Llop Fuig Llop Fuig”, a playful song that brought the best and the worst of my childhood. Hidrogenesse really doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before, perhaps because their biggest influences come from Euro countries such as Germany and Hungary. In their last album they wrote about many animals, including ponis and tigers, the title of Bestiola refers to “the little beasts”, to the disfigurations they have made out of their previous versions. They make fantastic videos too; I’m still magnetized to their colorful Disfraz de Tigre video. Don’t make Bestiola your first experience with Hidrogenesse; I suggest you first digest Animalitos and have Bestiola as a dessert.
Bruno EP, Jovenes y Sexys
BRUNO EP, JOVENES Y SEXYS
The Poni Republic, Venezuela *****
Rating: 95
By Carlos Reyes
The very best EP we’ve heard this year comes from this Venezuelan duo who promises to become huge (indie standards of course) in a close by future. Bruno EP consists of four enchanting tracks that were developed by female vocalist Loocila in Distrito Federal (Mexico) and Cheky in Caracas (Venezuela). They send material back and ford and found common ground in this astonishing debut. Jovenes y Sexys give us a great acoustic album that really steps up what it is to be an indie artist. They recorded the album with limited equipment; we can actually hear external noise in the background, capturing the atmospheric sounds of Caracas as a capital burg. An album of pure gentle approach, finds in simplicity a delicate but groundbreaking way to say so much. “El Reloj” is introduced by the sound of clicking and then the always engaging cuckoo sound that welcomes a beautiful voice that will later be accompanied by handclapping and sparkling instrumentation. “Suerte” shows influences from Juana Molina and is all about escapism and finding a midpoint to digest the toxics around us. Next is “Divine Hammer”, a clincher that right away became a favorite as I find The Breeders to be an amazing band. It is precarious to accept, but I confess I like this cover better than the original, as it is younger and sexier. The final track “Gold Day” features Joeiejoiejoie (Clement Marion) another great French artist signed under The Poni Republic. All four tracks are magnetically orgasmic and majestic in so many levels. Lo-fi pop with touches of folk and brushes of cheerful cosmos enhancing the greatness of a tiny project. This has an assured spot on my year’s top 10 albums for sure, close to the peak along with Juana Molina’s Un Dia and Arcangel’s La Maravilla. If you don’t download this album, which is FREE, you are nuts. I also include a brand new song titled “Sonic Sex for All”, which is a cover of the Mexican band Maniqui Lazer; it is not included on the EP but available for download at this MySpace page.
Download the Bruno EP FREE!
♫♫♫ "El Reloj"
♫♫♫ "Divine Hammer"
♫♫♫ "Sonic Sex For All" (Via Turn That Shit Off)
MySpace
Ximena Sariñana at NPR and KCRW
by Jean-Stephane Beriot
Very early this year Carlos had raved the first album by a young and quirky actress that was unknown to most of us. Very few weeks later she became a favorite on internet radio and a favorite of MySpace. However, the bomb didn’t explode until we experienced one of the best performances an artist has given at the Latin Alternative Music Conference. She had wowed me and every artist, producer and general attendees. That performance followed a wave of rave after rave, from The New York Times referring her as a new Fiona Apple and Edith Piaf, others found a new Astrud Gilberto and a lineup of jazz singers that clearly influenced this new promising artist. It’s rare, but she is one of the few artists that first got attention from the big media and now is finally getting the attention from the indie scene. Rolling Stone was impressed; giving the album the highest rating they have given a Latin album in many years. Latin pop radio stations don’t play her, but it’s not sad as she is getting regular programming on so many indie stations across the U.S., reminds us of when Ely Guerra amazed us all with her masterful Lotofire, one of the best albums in Spanish I have ever heard.
The British act Metronomy, one of the coolest electronic bands in the world, even made a remix for "La Tina". A hard worker now getting many nominations at both the Latin Grammy and MTV Latin-American Awards. The album is no masterpiece and doesn’t fully capture her marvelous voice, but it is one of the most accomplished albums of the year. Her performance at Morning Becomes Eclectic (KCRW) was simply astonishing. Now Ximena has been featured on NPR, which is HUGE for any new artist, such a big cultural institution of the media and especially of music. I had no idea she was so fluent in English, we will be listening to a full English album very soon, people are already asking for it. I’m not sure if Mediocre will be getting an special edition as it did in Mexico, but I’m loving a new song by her called “Pajaritos” which is an English and very cute. I will leave you with links where you can hear her session on KCRW and her great interview at NPR. Also, a majestic performance of Ximena before recording Mediocre, she is covering the classic song “Volare”, her most popular video on YouTube and watch-or-die kinda thing.
Just as a note, my favorite songs on Mediocre: "Sintiendo Rara", "Normal", "Un Error", "Mediocre" and "Gris."
Ximena Sariñana @ KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Ximena Sariñana @ NPR
Nacotheque 8.0
Nacotheque makes me dance, did you know I ALWAYS (once a month) clean my room listening to their awesome mixes? Reminds me of the Tropi-rollo cassettes my mom used to play while cleaning the house. Try them, they are way better than a RedBull when it comes to giving you energy, it’s all natural, they get into your senses no matter what. Nacotheque throws the best parties in New York; we all know that, they are so kind to give us some great compilations to download. Are you tired of your parents, tios and tias taking control over the music on your birthday parties? Tell ‘em to give you a break or send them to watch their telenovelas and play Nacotheque 8.0 loud and louder, they’ll come back to dance, it’s irresistible!.
♫♫♫ Nacotheque 8.0 Part 1
Nacotheque 8.0 Part 2 ♫♫♫
1. Intro
2. Panico Ramirez - La Banana
3. 60 Tigres - Dentro De Mi Cuerpo (santi edit)
4. La Casa Azul - No Mas Myolastan
5. $6M Weirdo - Love Transmission
6. De Falla - Popozuda Rock N Roll
7. La Vacazul - Vuelo
8. Hidrogenesse - Vuelve Conmigo A Italia
9. Pastilla - A Marte
10. Los Romeos - Mi Vida Rosa
11. Amandititita - La Muy Muy
12. Afrodita - Morena
13. Julio Voltio - El Mellao
14. Vanexxa - Desheredada
15. Acuario - Rema, Rema, Marinero
16. Los Pico Pico - La Pinata
17. Divina Gloria - Desnudita Es Mejor
18. Babasonicos - Microdancing
19. Sara Da Pin Up - Mi Codo
20. Righeira - Vamos A La Playa
21. Los Mustang - Tan Felices (santi edit)
22. Alive - Discusiones Bizantinas
23. Gaby Vex - Palpito Papito
24. Ruby Y Los Casinos - No Te Conosco Muchacho
25. Alaska - El Rey Del Glam (huracan mexicano)
26. J y M Capuano - Molino Al Viento Charito
27. Elis Paprika - Hasta Que Te Conoci
28. Adicta - Lo Que Enferma
29. Jaime Sin Tierra - Auto
30. Abrentaora Pop - Ramo Verde
31. Raphael - Ahora
Lagrimas y Gozos, Ska-P
LÁGRIMAS Y GOZOS, SKA-P
Octubre, Spain **1/2
Rating: 59
By Jean-Stephane Beriot
First, know that I find the saxophone to be the most obnoxious instrument there is. If I’m not able to digest the fuss for Paquito D’Rivera and his collages, perhaps SKA would be my only opportunity to tolerate it (perhaps Los Fabulosos Cadillacs as well). SKAP has been the only band that has forced me to digest the sound and until now they had been a favorite. The Spanish band announced their breakout in 2005, I was devastated and later I was happy to find out they were releasing a new album. My expectations should have never been so high. Lagrimas y Gozos sounds just like the albums by Los Rabanes, not a good thing. Funny thing is I was excited when I read the tracklist a few weeks ago where the lead track was titled “Ni Fu Ni Fa”, I assumed it would be a cover of the excellent song by Tego Calderon, I should know better. Truth is, SKAP is way too safe to even think about stepping out of their secure box. Most of the songs here feel either way too stuffy or others just plainly aspiring for the crudeness of Molotov or the mastery of Calle 13 to attack politics or religion, but yet again they are too closed to get creative. Will this get you jumping at a concert? Probably, especially on songs like “El Imperio Caera” which messes with the collapse of the U.S.A. “Americans, the empire will fall.” They are trying way too hard to be political and funny. There is however a great song here and it is a great first single, “Crimen Sollicitationis.” The vocals are great as usual, the best out of all the other notable SKA groups around: Maldita Vecindad, Doctor Krapula, Mago de OZ and of course Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. The cat in their album covers had never looked so strong, but listening to the album it should be old and tired. Warning! video not for the easily offended.
Fenomenos Naturales, La Naranja China
FENOMENOS NATURALES,
LA NARANJA CHINA
Cuatro Gatos, Spain ****
Rating: 80
By Carlos Reyes
Marcapasos, Niña Dioz
MARCAPASOS, NIÑA DIOZ
Independiente, México ***1/2
Rating: 72
by Carlos Reyes
Mexico has always offered the urban genre a very limited space, very few albums actually make it to indie radios and we can finger count the amount that actually get in the shelves. Control Machete was by far the most important foundation of the urban we hear today. Toy Selectah (Toy Hernandez) is nowadays one of our best producers and supporters of underground; from hip hop, alternative, pop and sonidero. Niña Dioz seems to be one of her protegees and should have no problem dueling La Mala Rodriguez, Anita Tijoux or Vanexxa. Marcapasos is her debut EP, a very confident embodiment of rhymes, reminiscent of the progressive rap we all love and a lot tougher than her female MC collages. In the U.S. we have the great music evangelists from Pitchfork controlling independent music, indie acts in Mexico better impress the radio station Reactor 105.7, Niña Dioz’s “Cuando Cuando” became one of the surprising hits of the year. A bit too influenced by American Rap? Perhaps, but that doesn’t make her music any less honest. “Desde mi productor” has some great lyrics and eos a fine job filling the time gap between the time the sung was recorded and the moment it reaches its listener. We expect big things on a future production, seems that she is really getting the attention she deserves especially among her collages. Whether she is getting respect by fellow urban artists is at this moment unknown, but she has impacted several alternative bands around including Plastilina Mosh who features her on their latest All U Need is Mosh's "Danny Trejo". No doubt, the best Mexican MC right now.
Suspension of Disbelief: Video Bizarro #5
"Gillette", Yasuri Yamilleth (Oscarvs, YouTube)
For many of us this video is OLD, but I still find it damn funny. Yasuri Yamilleth is so bad that it is good? WTF did I just said? I can’t believe this was a big hit at clubs around South America; it is cool that it never reached the mainstream media in the U.S. like other dummy hits like “Pasame la Botella” or “La Bomba.” In reality, Yasuri Yamilleth is a made-up character by a radio host for Los 40 Principales in Panama, it was her idea, wrote the song, and sings it, but guess what? This hot radio host was too shy to shoot a video and become famous. The whole business seems so confusing; all I know is that this song is hilariously stupid. Some people even find it crude and violent as the song warns that “if you mess with me I’ll pull out my Gillette.” This to me is a lot funnier than El Chiqui Chiqui and destined to become a classic on the humorous corner of YouTube.
Lyrics excerpt.
Mi nombre es Iury, Yasuri Yamileth te metes conmigo te saco la gillete. Te
dejo una ye, que no es de yeyésino de Yasuri, Yasuri Yamileth. Vivo en El
Chorrillo con mis ocho chiquilloscomiendo chorizo y parqueo en
VeranilloYami,yami,yami Yamileth te gusta la salsa tambien el reggae. Yami
yami,yami Yamilethel típico, la soca y bachatas tambien Yami yami yami yami yami
Yamileth Yami yami yami yami yami Yamileth
Cursi, Circo
CURSI (DELUXE EDITION), CIRCO
Sony/BMG, Puerto Rico ****
Rating: 81
By Carlos Reyes
Circo is the coolest rock band from Puerto Rico (some could debate for Black Guayaba or Polbo), truth is ever since their 2001 debut No todo lo que es pop es bueno they have been a Latin Grammy favorite and are once again nominated for two awards this year. The electroacoustic quartet will be battling Babasonicos, Café Tacvba, Manu Chao and Julieta Venegas; we were shockingly surprised to see Circo among these alternative mavericks. Also unexpected is the band’s interest to work with producer Aureo Baqueiro, known as the man who cleaned up trashy pop and brought a lousy middling wave of accessible pop music. We must say this might be Baqueiro’s best work as a producer and another fine proposal by Circo. Cursi is unique because it stands as their connecting bridge of rock and electronic pursuits, it concretes its vision through furnished synthesizers and gives it a confident attitude of the glam their live performances display. Puerto Rico is still too fresh to sustain a rock scene, in a way Mexico has adopted the band with great acceptance, perhaps because they don’t sound like anything else out there. A few weeks ago while driving with some friends I was playing their single “Alguien” outloud; my brother later asked if that was a new song by Andrea Echeverri or Aterciopelados, I laughed hysterically. Listen carefully and my brother’s comment isn’t so out of proportion, main difference is Fofe’s (vocalist) pitch is an open invitation to dance and less explorative. His pitch and timbre in “Velocidades Luz” is rough and yet so magnificent, here we have one of the best vocalists in Latinoamerican rock, one of the few that display vocal resonance. Leading track “Antes del Fin” was on of my favorite rock songs of 2007 and talks about a man’s wish of one last night of sex before death arrives, “darkness took control over my sins… before you come and look for me I want to destroy myself in other arms.” This deluxe edition includes two new great tracks and some breezy remixes by no other than Marcello Cunning from Nacotheque.
The National Flavour, The Cosmetics
THE NATIONAL FLAVOUR EP,
THE COSMETICS
Naranjada, Mexico ***1/2
Rating: 77
By Carlos Reyes
“I had been waiting for more” says the first track of The National Flavour, the first official release by The Cosmetics. In 2003 Sony/BMG released a collection of four “music boxes”, ironically compiling the highlights of the new wave of independent bands from Latin America. This was our first encounter with a huge label taking a broad interest in a bunch of new indie music. Great bands like Porter, Austin TV, Nortec Collective, Maria Daniela, Los Abandoned among many others immediately catch the attention from big labels interested in distributing their music. The Cosmetics apparently fell short of commercial appeal and never got to put their thoughts on record. I will never understand bands across Latin America justifying singing in English because it’s “universally appealing”, but we must be able to take it for what it is. Just like I said about the Russian Red album a few post ago, The National Flavour doesn’t sound Mexican at all (great intended cover btw), it sounds like pure English rock, especially relatable to new wave bands such as Spoon & The Artic Monkeys. Pay close attention to “Newcomers” and “Mag Queen”, already big hits at music festivals in Mexico, perhaps too colorful for the Chikita Violenta super fanatics. Their MySpace lists in their influences bands such as The Cure, The Smiths, and The Kinks, this band follows traditional rock that in our culture would be mistakenly catalogued as hard rock. The six tracks in the EP travel through clash, ups and falls and may appear too broad in themes but always sophisticated in their instrumentals. I still prefer Los Dynamite over The Cosmetics, but this is great proof a small garage band somewhere south the border can rock in any language and do a good job at it.
Parte de Mi, Rosario
PARTE DE MI, ROSARIO
Universal Latino, Spain ***
Rating: 62
By Carlos Reyes
The latest album from our favorite Spaniard muse Rosario Flores dropped today, an anticipated collection of the music that has inspired her to become a contemporary ‘adult’ diva. Indeed it is a solid set of songs from rookies such as Juan Luis Guerra, Roberto Carlos or Camilo Sexto to the edgier Vicentico or Antonio Vega. Besides Rosario having a unique raspy voice, what astonishes everyone is her flavor; she embodies and embraces Spain’s rumba and flamenco, adding touches of the Caribbean and mastering boleros. Parte de Mi is flawed because Rosario is at times unrecognizable; she forgot to make all those classics her own, except for the one home-run track in the album: “Como me la maravillaria yo.” Yes, a song by her late mother, her greatest idol, the great Lola Flores, a truly touching moment that concludes an album of inspirations. Rosario and long-time producer Fernando Illan take very little risks to make a song like “Algo Contigo” (Vicentico), a song that is so dimensional and lyrically universal that it had the potential and begged to be interpreted explosively. This is by far her most pop album yet, she projects sensuality in everything she touches, but this is a second-rate Rosario that is way too secluded to be memorable. But please listen to “Por tu ausencia” (from Manzanita), a song in Spanish and Portuguese that keeps this album from feeling mediocre. Sure Rosario makes one of her most personal works yet, but unlike Niña Pastori in Joyas Prestadas, she doesn’t strike for the authentic. We are not asking for reinventations of these songs a la A.B. Quintanilla, but it would have benefited from more transitions and less adaptation. Self-awareness is a tough business, let’s hope she comebacks with something as rewarding as her Latin Grammy winning albums Muchas Flores and De Mil Colores.
Artist of the Week: Diogo Nogueira
Artist: Diogo Nogueira
Genre: Samba/Brazilian Romantic Music
Country: Brazil
Our artist of the week is Diogo Nogueira, as you know one of Paulo Correa’s favorite new artists this year. Since Paulo is busy at a busy trip right now I’ll babble a little bit about him. This is the third and last nominee for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammys (we won’t talk about Kany Garcia or Ximena Sariñana as they are huge right now), personally to me Nogueira is the weakest singer and weakest musician from the nominees, but like we’ve said before we have a strong competition this year and Diogo is part of it. I don’t quite understand Brazil’s fascination towards live albums (Ao Vivo), but they at least get it right production-wise. Only in Brazil does an artist breakthrough with an Ao Vivo first album. Judging from a skim through several Brazilian music blogs, it seems that the love towards Nogueira is unanimous. He is being called a power force of the new generation of Samba enthusiasts.
En Ventura EP, En Ventura
EN VENTURA EP, EN VENTURA
The Poni Republic, México ****
Rating: 87
By Carlos Reyes
“Free music for fucked up kids,” Poni Republic has really stepped out as the best net label for tiny projects with humongous vision to showcase their music. The label features acts from around the world, our favorites so far are the Venezuelan youthful Nuuro and especially Jovenes y Sexys. Although the label is based in Mexico, En Ventura is one of the few local bands to be featured, also the best rock EP we’ve heard from them. This is a colorful travel to a psychedelic universe of its own. Monterrey is said to be our most supportive city when it comes to rock music, but that was 10 years ago, since the end of Zurdok the Regios have been falling behind. The punk of Panda and its derivatives are just not radical enough; En Ventura is one of the best new bands to emerge the North of Mexico. There is an exciting movement of artists exploring cosmos; they almost feel animated and surreally happy. En Ventura is like a hybrid of Porter and Vaquero, very experimental and catchy at the same time. If the new iPod Chromatic feature of assembling songs together works as well as they say, this should follow the great new music of Natalia Lafourcade who just reinvented herself. You’ve been listening to the lead track “Avant” at our Rocola #5, a very energetic song for the dancehalls. The essential track here is however “Los Granjeros del Amor,” which is not only bright and bubblelicious but has some social commentary behind it. “Chantilly” is so mystical that it manages to become the center of attention in a great album. “Y lo mejor es que es gratis.” – Marina Farfán (Cecilia Suarez, Parpados Azules by Ernesto Contreras)
Fiesta de Locos, Calle 13
Sony International should really take care of Calle 13’s upcoming Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo, which was initially supposed to be out today, but has been pushed for release on the 21st, date that will coincide with the release of Rio, Aterciopelados’ latest, that Tuesday will be multi-orgasmic. In the mean time the album is leaking track after track, we love what we’ve heard so far, especially “Que Lloren” and the lastest leak “Fiesta de Locos”, the most lauded song by the public at the MTV Tr3s VMA pre-party. This song is on fire, a club banger with some great male vs. female chorus, controversially religious and the great infectious humor Rene Perez is known for. “CALLE 13 VIENE SIN LUBRICACION.”
Cosa Astral, Coconot
COSA ASTRAL, COCONOT
BCore Disc, Spain ****
Rating: 88
By Carlos Reyes
Ever since I was able to get my hands on this album, I seriously cannot stop playing it. Coconot is a three member band from Barcelona which includes El Guincho, one of our favorites and the most acclaimed new artist along with Mrs. Sariñana. Tropicalia had rarely been so transcendent on indie music blogs, I’m going to jump and say El Guincho is currently the most lauded Hispanic act in the global indie scene. Listening to Novo Tropicalismo Errado, their first album back in 2005, we knew this was something to keep an open ear for. Coconot's sophomore effort is not as vigorous as their debut or Alegranza!, it doesn’t stop it from being a triumph and having one of the coolest singles of the year. One could only describe “Conservad el rayo” as a neopsychedelic piece that is heavy on percussions. The intro recalls the shutdown of a mechanical subject, perhaps a car, perhaps the heart? Once the harmonies are ready to appear the downward sound serves as a base utilized throughout the entire song. Coconot sounds less like El Guincho a lot more like Animal Collective, there is less sampling technique and a lot more instrumentation which immediately make this album much more tribal. Jens Neumaier and Subira show plenty of revelation; they particularly adjoin their understanding of alteration as opposed to the repetition we heard in Alegranza!. Listen carefully to “Miles de Ojos” and notice the vividness in its production, the much improvised quietness in “Polen Muchaha!” and how it twists back an ford between the colorful harmonies to a hard and shadowy mood. Cosa Astral will be available in stores next month, for those of us who are yet to have El Guincho’s solo record in an actual package, it will finally be distributed next week. “I see thousands of eyes and flowers, I see thousands of eyes and trees.”
Un Dia, Juana Molina
UN DIA Juana Molina, Argentina
Domino Records
By Carlos Reyes
In the first song of the album Juana Molina warns us that one day she will do things differently, she will stop singing and let the music unfold its motif causing its listener to format reasoning. For those of us who have been following her for a while, we are beginning to understand her abstract world of Sonics. Seems like Molina is taking the necessary steps to make music come back to its primitive essence, which by itself is more sophisticated. Let lyrics wash out so that that the voice, the body’s center of communication, becomes just another instrument. Other artists that have understood the proposal are imposing it themselves. The outcome is resulting on a lineup of artists such as El Guincho or Juan Son endorsing music as an audiovisual experience.
Molina is our enfant terrible of experimental music, always cycling around playful combinations, fusions and unbalancing any line that is appropriate. Many listeners will feel alienated from start to finish, once again, understanding musical form is crucial when something as radical as Un Dia comes our way. I feel like I’m teaching a Good Latin Music 101 course, but just like Juana Molina does, one must find in repetition its greatest ally; the brain retains only a certain number of seconds before it follows the next idea. Realizing that ideas (and musical notes, numbers, colors, words, etc.) can coexist by manipulating how one perceives sound makes the emotional response a lot more unexpected, a lot more honest. Molina is a master accommodating sound and silence, she knows when to let one explode and at what time the next one should shutdown.
Careful, I’m not talking about innovations, it’s Molina’s deep-felt emotional approach to music; the power of music lies not in what’s hidden in between lyrics, treasure is found behind lyrics. Just like cinema is a visual media, music’s ultimate command is its sound resonance. “One day I will be a somebody else, I’m going to do things I didn’t do, I won’t care about what others say, neither if they will work out, I will travel, I will dance, dance dance, I want to dance!…” The first single starts with truly poetic lyrics, the entrance to a world of its own, one that reunites abstract vocals, sweet fairies and factories of sound loops creating new beginnings.
Un Dia isn’t an intellectual album for intellectual listeners nor it inspires towards that goal, but it does push for the appreciation of auteur music. That itself takes the album apart from other investigational gurus like Bjork whose latest albums manifest nothing but art pretentiousness. The track “Los Hongos de Marosa” for example is a multilayered piece with 4 different dominating harmonies; they are particulars coexisting in the same musical universe not because they want to show they can work together, but because there is a force behind them that feels the necessity to have them interacting with one another. The album itself consists of 8 pieces that are perhaps too long for regular radio programming, but Juana Molina isn’t radio anyway.
The Argentinean mastermind is especially mischievous in the song “El Vestido”, one of the sexiest songs of the year in its own quirky way. While sons like “No Llama” and “Vive Solo” are great hybrids of psychedelic and folk. Whether Juana Molina’s comment on lyrics is true or not, it will be interesting what her next step will be, one thing is for sure, Un Dia is her most challenging album yet, the hardest to digest especially for newbies, but don’t get scared get on the wagon and enjoy a unique journey that will grant you momentary disclosure from this world. Cheers to one of the best albums of the year and only the second one to get the five star rating.
Vino = El Teatro de lo Absurdo, Robi Draco Rosa
There is news all over the web about a new album by MASTER Robi Draco Rosa, it is called Vino, and everyone claims it as “the long awaited album in Spanish”, but didn’t we get that already? The articles are referring to songs like “Te Fumare” and “Desnudo”, songs included in El Teatro de lo Absurdo, which is a masterpiece that was placed as the #6 most acclaimed album of 2007 by our critics’ list compilation. It might be that the album we are still listening to was not edited in the U.S., we know for a fact it was available in Puerto Rico and Draco offered his album for free through Rolling Stone Mexico. So let’s get it straight, El Teatro de lo Absurdo and Vino are the same album. The album will only be available digitally, which sucks since I would have bought the physical edition of it since it is so freaking amazing. I won’t go into detail about the album as it deserves a full review.
Barracuda, Kinky
BARRACUDA, KINKY
Kin-Kon/Nettwerk, Mexico ***
Rating: 68
By Carlos Reyes
Kinky is the most accessible good alternative band to Hispanic listeners in the U.S. They are probably the only cool act that actually gets regular programming at MTV Tr3s so their popularity is high rocketing. Their self-titled debut Kinky was stellar, sophomore album Atlas was passable, Reina was awesome and yet their fourth album feels incomplete. Experiencing Kinky in concert is exotic and especially energetic; Barracuda is like the shy kid of a family of highly tuned dancers that overshadow its existence. Don’t worry they have not lost their delicious brand yet, but a couple of tracks do feel a bit to lounge even for foot stepping. There is very little intervention of the norteño accordion & brass support, and unlike Café Tacvba in Sino, Kinky’s horizon is a bit blurry. We can already see huge masses of followers dancing to “Avion”, the first single, the perfect reflection of the band’s eye for electronica and rock. As time goes by, Kinky is loosing its strings from the music made by Monterrey, reminds us of Plastilina Mosh’s liberation with Hola Chicuelos. As I’m spinning through the record, “Masacre Sonica” is freaking addictive, one that jokes “this is the day I lost the beat”, one destined to become a single. “Hasta Quemarnos” is the catchiest song here, runner up being “Those Girls” which features Randy Bright from Molotov. Expect to hear some song intros and climatic passages on any TV show, commercial or cinema like on the previous productions. Mexico is the only country where Barracuda will be released physically, the rest of the world is stuck with digital format.
Para Siempre, Vicente Fernandez
PARA SIEMPRE, VICENTE FERNANDEZ
Sony International, México ****1/2
Rating: 90
by Carlos Reyes
Mr. Fernandez is a legend; his singular falsetto and emotional touch have made him the best performer of Regional Mexican music to ever exist. An individual given to his people and the iconic image we all have when the word Ranchero or Mariachi comes up. Throughout the decades he has made a long and firm collection of hits, but it had been a while since he released an album with this much caliber. Joan Sebastian is the other giant in Mexico’s popular music, he wrote and produced all the songs in the album; together they have manufactured a bold, elegant and hardcore ranchero album for the ages. Let’s start with “Celos”, the first single that immediately told us Mr. Fernandez was willing to step out of his comfort zone. The few readers that enjoy ranchero music will know how big of a deal this song is; a piece accompaniment by both, mariachi and classical orchestration. Our music is infected with lousy romanticism that does nothing but dramatize human condition. When a song like “Para Siempre” echoes the idea of forgetting the past and focus in the future and manages to keep it simple but emotionally wrecking, we call that sublime. But hold on, the very best track in the album is a diamond itself, “Millon de Primaveras” is the song in which both masters really connect. Sebastian’s lyrics are heartbroken; the lady that inspires these great musical poems wants him to cut her name out of them. He asks her for time to forget her: “only a million more spring seasons before I forget you, I’ll only adore you for a few more centuries… after that I won’t ever bother you.” The song goes even deeper when a dog is the subject of a metaphor, a dog that keeps barfing to the wrong lady. “Please hold a bit more, be patient and don’t throw him another rock… he won’t barf at you no more.” Get it? The dog is the man! Know that this is the highest grade I have given a regional Mexican album since “X” by Intocable; the best populachero albums this decade has given us, and the only ones to get nominated at the Latin Grammys for Album of the Year.
Quedate Callao, Siete Nueve (Tiraera a Daddy Yankee)
Media went crazy a few weeks ago when candidate John McCain introduced Daddy Yankee as one of his supporters at a Phoenix High School. People were shocked to see reggaeton’s icon endorsing McCain, of course him supporting Obama would have meant nothing to the press. I’m personally over the Republican plan and ready for a change. Fat Joe and company criticizing Yankee for his stance on politics need to get themselves educated. I’m not a fan of opportunistic offerings, but a rapper by the name of SieteNueve has manifested his anger in the song “Quedate Callado.” A very clever song, nicely put-together, which does an excellent job making its point, “mejor quedate callado si vas a hablar por nosotros.” The reason behind the song might not have as much weight to be so aggressive, I actually hate the title of the song simply because it goes against my beliefs; it is time to speak out, keeping silence is for conformists. But I must say this is a great rap tiraera song that does a fine job picturing the current political tension among the Latinos and especially Puerto Ricans (living in the Island), American Citizens who cannot vote. "Quedate Callao" is available for free download at Siete Nueve's MySpace.
La Rocola #5
La Rocola #5
“Andan Diciendo”, Arcángel
“Avant”, En Ventura
“Avión”, Kinky
“Chicos Malos”, La Casa Azul
“Cigarettes”, Russian Red
“Conservad el rayo”, Coconot
“Cucaracha Popurri”, Los Machucambos
“Cumbia sobre el rio”, Celso Piña
“Dentro de mi cuerpo”, 60 Tigres
“Divine Hammer”, Jóvenes y Sexys
“El Arbol”, Natalia Clavier
“La Crema”, Calle 13
“Los Pollos”, Lila Downs feat. Gilberto Gutierrez
“Mediocre”, Ximena Sariñana
“Mentiras”, Maria Daniela y Su Sonido Lasser
“Microdancing”, Babasonicos
“Move” (Cut Copy Remix), CSS
“My Party”, Plastilina Mosh
“Nacotheque Mix 8, Part 1”, Marcelo Cunning
“Palmitos Park” (El Guincho Cover), The Ruby Suns
“Prometes”, Daniela Romo
“Rio”, Aterciopelados
“Rosario”, Los Amigos Invisibles
“Sacala a Bailar”, Spanish Harlem Orchestra
“Samba Vexillographica”, Devendra Banhart
“Shiva”, Austin TV
“Showtime”, Quiero Club
“The Whistling Song”, The Pinker Tones
“Tu Pum Pum”, El General
“Tu te las trae” (Origial Remix), Yomo feat. Jowell y Randy, Ñejo y Dalmata & Voltio
“Un día”, Juana Molina
“Un Paseo”, Nuuro
“Victoria”, Keny Arkana
“We Begin”, Bufi
“Willie Whopper”, Willie Colon
“Won’t say anything”, Hello Seahorse!
“Ya me voy”, Ceci Bastida
Nectar, Natalia Clavier
NECTAR, NATALIA CLAVIER
Rating: 70
by Carlos Reyes
Our site meter currently shows the city of Tempe (AZ) as the city with the most individual hits to our blog. That’s because of all my friends residing at Arizona State University; all of them, with no exception have found this album “dreamy”, “boring” and “lazy.” I don’t find it near sleepy at all; its soulful downtempo is an intended resource to actually make you listen. Nectar is a World Album; expect great outcome from that particular corner and not as much attention from others. Sweetness and contrasting instrumentation are found throughout an album that does a lot more than relaxing its listeners. It is however flawed by an inconsistent mixing that overuses echoing. First single “El Arbol” is quite sublime, is like having the instrumentation of Ceci Bastida’s Upfront and the composition of Ely Guerra’s Loto Fire. In the song we find acoustic guitars, piano, middle bass and a great deal of twists and turns that make this song a must-own. “Tu que puedes vuelvete” does great homage to the traditional music of Argentina, feels like an alien among the rest of the songs that even though carry influences of jazz and Brazil’s pop, they feel very contemporary. “Hasta el amanecer voy a permanecer entonando mi triste canción,” exclaims “Simple” another highlight of Clavier’s album in which she promises to stay up until morning rounding her sad song. Few weeks ago I reviewed The Greatest Hits by Acida, an album with very similar structure and feels much more enjoyable simply because it frees itself from wannabe glossiness found here. Nectar is always seductive and a great session of world music lounge enlightened by Natalia’s angelical voice.
Sinfonia Soledad, Panda
SINFONIA SOLEDAD, PANDA
Movic Records, México *1/2
Rating: 34
by Carlos Reyes
Panda is the band everyone admired early this decade for one reason or another. They don’t have a style or substance, the attitude is there but so what? Unlike most journalists I think that their first albums were disastrous, their version of “Maracas” was annoying, they even managed to make Plastilina Mosh look bad in one of their songs. It wasn’t until 2005 that the band went from noisy garbage to an actual rock band. Para Ti Con Desprecio was a hit, splendid production-wise and surprisingly clever. Somehow fans were disappointed; the album was eventually acquired for distribution by Warner and they won the “sellout” tag. Their next album Amantes Sunt Amentes was also a commercial hit, a mediocre album with some amazing tracks like “Los Malaventurados No Lloran” or “Prodecimientos para llegar a un comun acuerdo.” Panda seems to be getting creative on the artwork, the song titles and image; they are now standing on the verge of mediocrity and it is time to evolve the teenager punk to a more solid ground. Sinfonia Soledad is an incorrect, bad-produced, unnecessary live album that recounts the band’s career. How this album ended up getting a nomination at the Latin Grammys is beyond belief, there was other great material submitted. Listening to “Mi Muñeca”, the first single, makes me think they just might end up becoming the punk Mana (we don’t like Mana in case you haven’t notice). Because we are so nice, here is an advice for bands looking to record a live album, don’t try to capture the experience of a massive concert, you either wait for MTV to call you or get yourself a modest concert venue with great acoustics.
Announcement.
More reviews in shorter words.
Because we want to talk about every album we listen to, but College literally eats our brains off, we will be writing a lot of MINIS from now on. Of course, some albums will still get full reviews, particularly those that we found exemplary and are easy to buy, you may have notice we are giving our full reviews very high ratings, that’s because good music inspires us to write in extend. We will include a link to a ‘key track’ from the album if it is available, preferebly if it is an unreleased or remixed version of an original track. We don’t upload any music ourselves, but if they are around a playlist of a fellow blog, we don’t feel is wrong to share it for sampling purposes.
And by the way, get yourself SAFARI, our blog and any other site looks much elegant and kitsch with it. Firefox would be ok, anything but Internet Explorer.
I Love Your Glasses, Russian Red
Eureka Records
by Carlos Reyes
Russian Red is one of the new great sensations coming from the rich indie scene in Spain. Her legit name is Lourdes Hernandez and releases a very confident first album that will have no trouble traveling. Universal music because her music is about emotions, singing in English with some of the best vocals I’ve heard this year. We immediately think of a much acoustic oriented Feist and definitely searching for folkloric waves and therefore following Ainara Legardon or even fellow Christina Rosenvinge. She owns a quirky personality that only makes her music even more charming, sometimes depicting nostalgia and even an eccentric way of seduction. Honestly, this album doesn’t feel Spaniard at all; it more accurately belongs to the great pop we’ve been getting from England lately.
The amusing vocals might overshadow the music a bit too much, causing the album to sometimes feel extremely dry and repetitious. But I Love Your Glasses is an album of great linear and a rare debut that understands music form; the organization of sound and silence. Listening to her performances on YouTube (watch this, WOW) decreased my admiration towards the album; it doesn’t capture the monstrous potential that could have been recorded in a much acoustic and atmospheric production. The sound design feels loopy, a great distinct quality to have when working with the gentle and delicate music.
Even if it has not been released as an official single, the track “Cigarettes” has become a signature song with plenty of catchiness and enchantment. Covers from fans are popping here and there. “All the cigarettes that I have never smoked, and all the letters that I have never smoked,” a song about the lack of patience one has, even for love. A song with vocals that follow its instrumentals and manage to develop itself in accord without overshadowing the backgrounds. The first single “They Don’t Believe Me” is probably the most energetic track of the album; a nu-jazzy piece based on repetition and backed up by response of second vocals.
To me, the best song in the album is also the less synthesized at the engineering studio. “Gone Play On” feels like almost like it is narrated instead of singed. “This never ending song is coming and is gone, it’s travelling on a plane on my way,” I just love when songwriters insert life into music principles. Another highlight is “Take Me Home” which I have no doubt has been influenced by Dolly Parton. Some of the songs in between don’t have as much charm, but are middling fillers that manage to support the mood of an impressive if not great first album. Expect to read and hear more about Russian Red, there are already rumors of a U.S. release date.
Artist of the Week: Prietto Viaja al Cosmos con Mariano
Artist: Prietto Viaja al Cosmos con Mariano
Genre: Experimental, Psychedelic, Rock
Country: Argentina
Argentina’s music industry is probably the only one in Latin America to actually proclaim the rock genre as a business market. The rock scene in the Southern country is tremendously big, but for the last couple of years we have been getting a series of albums that certainly feel stuck, unlike the indie scene in Spain & Mexico, we assumed they were loosing the hunger for discovery. Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos Con Mariano just shut my mouth; they released a fantastic EP and are already promising to become a band to follow. Collages have notice their similarity with Porter, a great comment indeed, let’s hope they don’t break up so soon like “The rock band that will change Mexican rock” (Los Angeles Times). Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos is a two-member collective and brings pure freshness to Argentinean rock.
Suspension of Disbelief: Video Bizarro #4
“Mi Conejito”, Los Conquistadores del Ecuador (Ecuatorianos, YouTube)
To be honest, I have no clue how to describe this video. This is an actual official video that has been a sensation in several countries in Latin America. Remember when the members of Austin TV used to dress like rabbits? Well, is kinda like that, except that the music here is far from good, but it is also probably not a serious video or is it? We’re not sure, but if the intention of the video was to make us laugh, it has succeeded. Los Conquistadores de Ecuador offer us their all, including an unprecedented choreography that we all should be practicing at clubs. They even describe their music as “techno for all clubs.” Of course, we don’t mean to offend any artistic approach or culture, but this is damn funny. Expect this song to be included in one of the great gatherings of Nacotheque, they probably have it already.
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