__________________________________________________________________________
AY AY AY. Matias Aguayo (Kompakt Germany, Chile/Argentina)
Chile’s Matias Aguayo has delivered not just one of the best techno records of the year, but one of the best records of the year period. Ay Ay Ay continues the evolution of one of today’s most unconventional and unpredictable producers. For 11 charming and breathless tracks, Aguayo seemingly deconstructs minimal techno into a schizophrenic street party of his own creation.
MP3: “Ritmo Juarez”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
GOODBYE VICTORIAN HOUSES. Antoine Reverb(Happy Garlic, Mexico)
Well, to paint a quick picture, I might have to resort to another tool that I usually hate: comparison. Think of Broken Social Scene inviting the guys from Belle and Sebastian to work on an old bunch of songs that Billy Corgan wrote with Brian Wilson… and then keep in mind that Antoine Reverb sounds exactly like none of the above. They sound like kids of the age of global inspiration.
MP3: “Fantastic”
Review
VALENTINA FEL. Valentina Fel(Independiente, Chile)
“Valentina Fel is like a hyperbole of music’s very own fetishism; her powerful funky voice literally devours any beat coming her way, it’s erotic, wacky, fascinating, and at the end, very pleasurable. Valentina Fel sounds gigantic; it’s the realm of pop on the verge of detonation. Valentina treats music as the vein that projects her own wisdom.”
MP3: “Sin control mi diversión”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
THE ONE THE TWO THE THREE. Laboratories(Gha-Ngha Records, Mexico)
“The One The Two The Three or one of those calculated sequences where art and science meet. The concept: a persecution of space and time, or as better put in one of the album’s comic frames, “the sonic display and interpretation of human realities is quintessential entertainment upon the senses and subsequently the mind.”
MP3: “The Battle of Us Fools”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
ALMISMOTIEMPO, Camila Moreno(Sello Azul, Chile)
“A showcase of pop and folk in the lines of Gepe and Lisandro Aristimuño, but more earthly in its approach to command multi-dimensional songs that are not necessarily trying to escape from Latin-American folk as the world knows it, but definitely sounds too personal to fall into epic or protestant guidelines.”
MP3: “Millones”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
EMPACHO DIGITAL. Villa Diamante(ZZK Records, Argentina)
“Empacho Digital is a filthy, messy, exuberant if not impossible beautiful album of strange musical complication, reconciliation, and above all, discussion. It’s not just another cumbia mashup; it’s a progression of all sorts and an improvised connection of Latin-American pop.”
MP3: “Chancha Villa Circuit vs Lil’ Mama”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
ANTIAVENTURA. Anti(Federacion de Universos Pop, Spain)
“Hence the title, this is not your typical electropop album and definitely not a sonic adventure. It’s a collection of seductive episodes about love and despair (surprisingly not depressing). Fortunately, it’s generous to the adult ear, compassionate perhaps, on the verge of detonating light through its twelve pieces one can’t help but dance to.”
MP3: “Corazones Legendarios”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
MAS MEJOR. Piyama Party(Independiente, Mexico)
“An album mostly about stories, which requires lyrical efficiency and a ‘pure’ human touch that is able to keep these anecdotes (whether true or not) at bay. This is ultimately Piyama Party’s most attractive virtue; their songs are reachable without sounding less complex than the progressive-wall-of-sound acts around.”
MP3: “Fan de Carcass”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
PEDROPIEDRA. Pedropiedra(Oveja Negra, Chile)
“¿Qué le pasa a Pedro? ¿what’s wrong with him? Well, judging by his debut solo album, I could offer three answers. Número uno: not one thing. Número dos: a worrying lot (of tragic proportions). & número tres: just enough for him to be able to write his way successfully into the high realm of enduring songwriters.”
MP3: “Sol Mayor”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
SELMA OXOR. Selma Oxor(Nene Records, México)
“In its brainstorm of sound we could compare them with Bam Bam of course, but also Sonic Youth, White Denim, Jessy Bulbo and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, all which I find very accessible but flourish in rock’s advancement. Selma Oxor is the vindication of a blasted youth that has fun exploring rock, techno and pop, an all-in-one much distorted vision that according to their MySpace sounds like a cow giving birth.”
MP3: “Memo El Gremlin”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
EL BOSQUE EN LLAMAS. Pumuky(Jabalina, Spain)
“El Bosque En Llamas is a musical storm with all the mystery to hold its name to any altitude. Somewhere in between Bigott, Nacho Vegas, Sr. Chinarro and Zurdok, Pumuky’s second album holds its melody with a terrific merge of obscure strings, powerful distressing lyrics and the night’s scary and heart-trenching roar, these are the signs and souls of loneliness and despair in search of salvation.
MP3: “Los Enamorados”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
PORQUE NO ME DAS TU DINERO. Klaus & Kinski(Jabalina, Spain)
“Spain’s Klaus & Kinski released a remarkable debut LP last year, definitely the sleeper hit of 2008 which earned them a ‘band to watch’ status, some publications have gone further enough to call them the missing foot of Spain’s indiepop. Five tracks that ideally should keep the momentum rolling and catch plenty of new fans along.”
MP3: “Nunca estas a la altura”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
(Sony/BMG, Mexico)
“In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to compare Hu Hu Hu to a great play. Lafourcade has finally created a record with a singular vision aside from mere genre exercise. While her music could easily appeal to children, she dials down the preociousness and plain pathos to focus on that post-adolescent feeling of insecurity and confusion.”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
COMERCIAL, Los Amigos Invisibles(Nacional Records, Venezuela)
“You gotta give it to them; Los Amigos Invisibles have earned themselves a spot as a major transcendental band that goes beyond playing ‘Latin rhythms’, they’re Venezuela’s most predominant asset and their sixth studio album is more than a continuum to a healthy career with plenty to say and breath.”
MP3: “Vivire Para Ti”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
CHORANDO APRENDESE, Emilio Jose(Foehn, Spain)
“Emilio Jose is an unbelievable revelation to keep an eye on; he is the owner of a graceful sense of melody and an out-of-this-world ambition that cements amazingly clever moments throughout a double album of 28 tracks total. But don’t let such big number scare you, he makes this voyage a precious moment of non-stop march-like protestation.”
MP3: “Antigua”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
BESTIA. Hello Seahorse!(MUN, Mexico)
“Through the enigmatic summit of ghostly beauty, the third album by Hello Seahorse! discharges some of the most precious moments music will give us this year, Bestia is the consolidation of the trio as a major enforcement in Mexico’s indie.”
MP3: “Universo 2”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
ROBA ORGON DE PLANTAS Y ANIMALES. Pepepe(The Poni Republic, México)
“If we were to hand-cut a bunch of little pieces of sound from the stuff around us, even those we can’t quite see on the eye, and try to give them some form while keeping a heterogeneous base, they would sound like Pepepe’s latest EP, his finest and most inspired moment yet. Roba Orgon de Plantas y Animales is like Goku’s Genki Dama”
MP3: “Jacinto Cenobio”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
FIN. Bigott(Grabaciones en el Mar, Spain)
“Proves to be one of Spain’s most prolific artists and one of their best kept secrets. In full command of his folk, Bigott adds the strings of the Spanish guitar, brings roots from traditional music and as if it wasn’t fascinating enough, he brings that thespian pessimism making an album as if it really was his last one, it’s raw and deadly, and a victory too.”
MP3: “Algora Campeon”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
CUMBIA LULU EP. Los Labios(Independiente, Argentina)
“Los Labios has this pedestrian vibe and immediate charm to spice up anyone’s misfortune. Cumbia Lulu consists of five irresistible pieces, they’re all mellow anthems about love, but don’t let them scare you so quickly, this is where unpretentiousness pays off, resulting in pure genuine and sincere music.”
MP3: “Bus Estacion”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
VERACRUZ. Veracruz(Yo-Yo Industrias, Spain)
“The band has no regret sounding plainly rude with their ambient rock, they’re pleasantly vulnerable to get rushed by the urgency of its core, and yet delicate while constructing the noisy patterns that make this sophomore production a success and one of the year’s best rock albums.”
MP3: “Odetta Satan’s Rum”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
SOY SAUCE. Mexican Institute of Sound(Nacional Records, Mexico)
“Instituto Mexicano del Sonido’s third feature is a monument of musical festivity; let it be for its complex production or funky catch tunes, but especially for its multi-layered sound that elapses time and conjuncts the diverse musical palette and periods of Mexico’s alter melodic spirit.”
MP3: “Reventon”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
EL PRIMERO ERA MEJOR. Manos de Topo (Sones, Spain)
“El Primero Era Mejor is erratic, bizarre, dramatic, unique and even pointless, Manos de Topo is a challenge, enter one of the most bizarre places Iberoamerican music has taken us, and that by itself is merit of recognition.
MP3: “Ejercito Ruso”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
THE REDDEST RUBY. Nuuro (The Poni Republic, Venezuela)
“Olympian and astrological, it points to a bridge of humanistic renaissance visualized through modern musical echoes, mystifies its themes and makes them available, a daring colossal artistry like very few in electronic pop.”
MP3: “Avila”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
MERMAID SASHIMI. Juan Son(Universal Music, Mexico)
“Mermaid Sashimi is Juan Son’s most beautiful creation; he finally reaches a point of musical freedom where pop is his biggest alia and he not only dresses up the music, but sharpens the needle to create his costumes.”Review
__________________________________________________________________________
PIBE COSMO. El Remolón (ZZK Records, Argentina)
“Designed as a bird’s journey throughout the American continent; a chromatic experience is built as one discovers the consequences of such trip. The creature brings a handful of beautiful memories translated into epically illuminating songs.”
MP3: “Cumbia Bichera”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
BAILAR Y LLORAR. Teleradio Donoso (Oveja Negra, Chile)
“Bailar y Llorar is ultimately resonant to the idealism of gender and its urgent collision with age. The album gives plenty of chances to exhilarate your pain or happiness, but most especially, it whispers into the ear that it is perfectly okay to let those feelings invade the body and soul.”
MP3: “Granada”
Review
__________________________________________________________________________
ALIDA ST. Y La Bamba (Gypsy Pop, USA)
“This is an astonishingly confident breakthrough with a precise scope in its angelical vocals and the revelatory lyricism which is evocative and religiously codified, an album that should be able to overpass its folk and break into the pastoral side of the melodramatic popular song.”
MP3: “Alida St.”
KATY. Mr. Racoon
(Delhotel, Mexico)“Katy brings the very best of alternative pop, if that musical field exists at all. The album moves on fluently, in a revelatory phase that unfolds itself with much sympathy, one of the first high quality albums of the year.”
MP3: “Ferry 3”