Some of our favorites tell us their favorites... best of 2008

Don’t get tired of Best of the Year lists so soon (there’s much to come), as promised, we asked our favorite artists of the year to tell us their favorites. A big bunch of artists didn’t respond and so we don’t like them anymore, just kidding, we know how busy people are. But very special thanks to those that did help us out. We asked for a Top 3 or a Top 5, limited to albums made in Iberoamerica. Notice the presence of Hello Seahorse!, a band I absolutely love and was part of my Top 10 of 2007, but I realize the album got a commercial release just this year and so most people would consider it a 2008 production.

AUSTIN TV. One of our favorite bands and Mexico’s most important band today. Fontana Bella is a spellbinding absolute masterpiece that will for sure provide us with some singles for our year’s best songs of the year. We can’t wait for their next one, quality assured.

• ·         Mexico, 1982. – Hummersqueal
  
• ·         La Cura- Raton Perez
  
• ·         Vicente Gayo
  
• ·         Hoy a las Ocho EP – Hello Seahorse!
  
• ·         Well, Well, Mr. Whale – Suave as Hell 

HIDROGENESSE. They were my musical radicals last year, a spot now replaced by their fellow Joe Crepusculo, which happens to be one of their favorites this year. Their last album Animalitos is great and had very little attention in the Americas, hopefully it won’t happen with Bestiola, which made my list this year too.

• ·         En la isla de las bufandas - Lidia Damunt
  
• ·         Escuela de Zebras / Supercrepus - Joe Crepusculo
  
• ·         Pianistico – Single

JOVENES Y SEXYS. They made my 4^th favorite album of the year, and shockingly all of their choices ended up in my list, wonderful taste chicos! (note that they sent their list way before my post). They are currently busy playing in Mexico, for those lucky ones living there enjoy their sexy melodic pop.

• ·         Alegranza! – El Guincho
  
• ·         Un Dia – Juana Molina
  
• ·         Presente – Ulises Hadjis
  
• ·         Fledermaus – Domingo en Llamas
  
• ·         Bam Bam – Bam Bam 

JUAN MANUEL TORREBLANCA. He was featured as Artist of the Week back in May, we are very happy to know that he is finally recording an EP which should be out next year. He’s a great singer-songwriter that happens to enjoy great music too.

• ·         Quieres Estar Solo – Pol
  
• ·         MTV Unplugged – Julieta Venegas
  
• ·         Mediocre – Ximena Sarinana

LOS FANCY FREE. This is Jean’s favorite Mexican band along with Austin TV, I love them too. I was a bit confused on the dates of the two volumes of Never Greens and so I excluded them from my list, but they were on Jean’s top 10 list. This is one of the most exciting and energetic acts to see in concert.

• ·         De Repente – Monna Bell (re-edicion)
  
• ·         Heartbeats – Los Guanabana
  
• ·         Rocanrolandia – Los Margaritos
  
• ·         Percusiones – Gustavo Pimentel
  
• ·         Down! – Mockinpoint
  
• ·         Taras Bulba – Jessy Bulbo
  
• ·         Homanaje – Brownout

MARCELO CUNNING. His selection of music always intrigues me, same would go to his partner Amylu from Nacotheque, New York's hottest party hosts. 

• ·         Bestiola – Hidrogenesse
  
• ·         Taras Bulba – Jessy Bulbo
  
• ·         Manuel del Perfecto Cardiaco – Virus
  
• ·         La Reina del Palenke – Afrodita
  
• ·         Debut – Davila 666
  

QUIERO CLUB. Their sophomore album Nueva America is truly dynamic and Luis Ezquivel was nice enough to represent his band and send us his also dynamic list.

• ·         MTV Unplugged – Julieta Venegas
  
• ·         Contrabanda – Pato Machete
  
• ·         Hoy alas Ocho EP – Hello Seahorse!
  
• ·         EP – Los Butcherettes

TWEETY GONZALEZ. Nowdays a top producer, Sonic 360 released a Greatest Hits album for his now dissolved electropop act Acida. Honestly, we didn’t know about Acida until this record, and the album is impressive to say the least. Tweety tells us that while he was listing he couldn’t be too objective.

• ·         Mediocre – Ximena Sarinana
  
• ·         Los Senderos Amarillos – Loli Molina
  
• ·         Un Manana – Luis Alberto Spinetta
  
• ·         Barracuda – Kinky
  
• ·         Pon en practica tu ley – Lucas Marti

ULISES HADJIS. He quickly became a favorite, and is still one of those I’m digesting. Presente made my list at #26 and his single “Lunes” is getting lots of hits at our Rocola. He is currently playing along Jovenes y Sexys in Mexico and includes Lisandro Aristimuno in his selections, another one from my 2007 list.

• ·         39 – Lisandro Aristimuno
  
• ·         Sou – Marcelo Camelo
  
• ·         Bruno EP – Jovenes y Sexys
  
• ·         Avion – No Lo Soporto
  
• ·         Papa – Varias Artistas 
  

MONARETA. Another one that made my list, they are part of an electro-tropical hybrid that bring much of Colombia's powerhouse. They gave us a list of international artists that included Vampire Weekend, Ratatat, Be Your Own Pet, Dub Specialist, The Bug, Roland Alphonso and Menahan Street Band. monamo

• ·         Tijuana Sound Machine – Nortec Presents Bostich + Fussible