Animal de Amor CHIQUITA Y CHATARRA
DISCOS HUMEANTES, SPAIN
★★★½
"Chiquita y Chatarra, a band comprised of two girls from Oviedo, Spain, gave us a great cover of Los Chamos for Fonogramáticos Vol. 12 and is yet another addition to the collection of all-girl bands hitting our radar."
BY PIERRE LESTRUHAUT | REVIEW
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Pequeña Orquestade Trovadores
PEQUEÑA ORQUESTA DE TROVADORES
INDEPENDIENTE, ARGENTINA★★★
"Argentina’s Pequeña Orquesta de Trovadores brings analog mellowness in a five-piece formation that, although middling at best, makes genuine efforts to maximize sonic splendor."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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I Don't Smoke MATIAS AGUAYO
KOMPAKT, CHILE
★★★½
"I Don’t Smoke is not so much an EP as it is a couple of solid tracks accompanied by a decent set of DJ tools. Its scattershot character serves as an apt manifestation of an increasingly multifarious producer. There is enough material on here, however, to spark genuine interest in Aguayo’s future ventures. That is, if he ever decides to stop touring."
BY REUBEN "JUDAH" TORRES | REVIEW
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Amor, Palmeras y Glitch ARMONIACIDA★★★½
"Armoniacida’s debut EP on Tropic-All, Amor, Palmeras, y Glitch (APyG), steers clear of digital life’s pitfalls to create an ehanced DJ set. Overall, APyG is a poignant statement on the re-consignment of vintage elements in the blogosphere’s saturated global music market."
BY ADRIAN MATA ANAYA | REVIEW
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Ritmos del Mundo JAVIER ESTRADA
INDEPENDIENTE/MAD DECENT, MEXICO
★★★½
"Mixes, remixes, refixes, and originals from DJ Javier Estrada have been giving Soundcloud’s bandwidth a run for its money. Also catapulting his name to the frontlines of almost every relevant urban publication out there. The Monterrey-based DJ is building an impressive resume, melting genres and cultures alike with culinary effervescence in his series Ritmos del Mundo."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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FuerteventuraRUSSIAN RED
SONY MUSIC, SPAIN
★★★½
"Russian Red’s sophomore album accentuates her satiated pedigree and brings her incandescent imperfections afloat. Modulated with artistry rather than personal choices, Fuerteaventura survives its florid mimicry for what it does and what it doesn’t do."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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#2YELLOW YESTERDAY
INDEPENDIENTE, MEXICO
★★★
"While there’s nothing really unique in the band’s methods or technique, the band succeeds in the innate simplicity of its chords, revealing polished synths, and stirring echoes."
BY JEAN-STEPHANE BERIOT | REVIEW
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KelliesLAS KELLIES
FIRE RECORDS, ARGENTINA
★★★½
"Ceci Kelly, Betty Kelly, and Sil Kelly comprise Argentina’s dazzling trio Las Kellies. These Buenos Aires girls distance themselves from the modern noise pop cookie cutter, opting instead for the flippant waters of post-punk."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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When the Sun Goes DownSELENA GOMEZ
& THE SCENE
HOLLYWOOD RECORDS, USA
★★★
"Selena Gomez's new album is expertly produced and executed with the kind of poise and professionalism that can only come from having gone through the hated Disney machine."
BY BLANCA MÉNDEZ | REVIEW
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Uno / OtroVIOLETA CASTILLO
YOCONVOZ, ARGENTINA
★★★★
"Having dissolved her band, Castillo Violeta, the 22-year-old artist went solo and, in a period of less than a month, recorded a glorious, miniature wonderland. A refined debut album which she peculiarly decided to split into two EPs, Uno and Otro."
BY ENRIQUE COYOTZI | REVIEW
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CaracolesKANAKU Y EL TIGRE
OMBLIGO RECORDS, PERU
★★★½
"As wandering folk goes, these Peruvian newcomers are bubbly songcrafters whose well-trod melodies spoil their resourceful dynamics and enchanting camaraderie. Caracoles is an intriguing debut even within its flaws."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Planet PitPITBULL
J RECORDS, USA
★★
"The Pitbull story is one of great promotion and brand positioning, increasing your notoriety without actually engaging what you’re supposedly notorious for doing, carefully and painstakingly creating an impenetrable persona and affixing yourself to the right groups, then PROFIT!"
BY ANDREW CASILLAS | REVIEW
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Ceremony MEXICANS WITH GUNS
INNOVATIVE LEISURE RECORDS
★★★½
"What Ceremony is most like, in fact, is an oughty-teens update of the nineties-era Mo' Wax/Ninja Tune template: stylistic shifts through all the colors of the electronic-music rainbow, peppered with exoticism like falling confetti, and focused on very-Now fractal syncopation and American-style trunk rattle."
BY JEFF SIEGEL | REVIEW
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Diagrama de BenLUCIANA TAGLIAPIETRA
YOCONVOZ, ARGENTINA
★★★★
"Of gargantuan confection and gorgeous sophistication, Luciana Tagliapietra’s sophomore album, Diagrama de Ben, is an astounding collection of sonic motifs packed with enough progressive elements for an individual’s revolution and a collective warfare."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Love?JENNIFER LOPEZ
ISLAND RECORDS
★½
"So apparently J.Lo was now somehow relevant to our small music sphere? All these years of gladly ignoring most mainstream Latin pop, and now I had to review a Jennifer Lopez record? How the hell was I actually gonna be able to pull this one off?"
BY PIERRE LESTRUHAUT | REVIEW
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Harto Tropical DOMINGO EN LLAMAS
INDEPENDIENTE, VENEZUELA
★★★
"While the entrance to the Harto Tropical is a bit jumbled and might require a few first steps for some of us, the hassle is worthy for a one-man act that has crafted one of the most interesting profiles in Venezuelan music today."
BY JEAN-STEPHANE BERIOT | REVIEW
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Little Ethiopia EPLITTLE ETHIOPIA
INDEPENDIENTE, MEXICO
★★★
Little Ethiopia is the localized embarkment of José Solé and "Santiago Gómez, two 17-year-old kids whose idea of cosmopolitanism involves a good set of rhythmic shifts and plenty of buoyancy."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Exito MundialADRIANIGUAL
CAZADOR, CHILE
★★★★
"Éxito Mundial feels like a tailor-made blockbuster full blown into a pop record. Adrianigual’s practices are often questionable and relentlessly aggressive, yet for every midnight escapade they also kiss the sun. Self-empowerment at its core."
BY JEAN-STEPHANE BERIOT | REVIEW
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MTV UnpluggedLOS TIGRES DEL NORTE
AND FRIENDS
FONOVISA, MEXICO
★★
"Well, I guess that's the problem with these Unplugged records as a whole.Unless you're doing something outside of your M.O. (Julieta, Nirvana, Jay-Z), it's gonna be a one-time listen thing for anyone. I'm glad MTV chose this tribute to Los Tigres del Norte (for whatever reason) but don't think I need to hear this ever again."
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Hombre SoloVOZ DE HOMBRE
MICHITA REX, CHILE
★★★½
"Like many of the “michitos," Gajardo sets his music’s backbone on a ground constituted by minimal techno and its child branches of electronic music in order to give birth to songs that are traditional in structure and interpretation."
BY PIERRE LESTRUHAUT | REVIEW
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Niños AzulesCLDSCP
BIG MAKING RECORDS, ARGENTINA
★★★
"Niños Azules is far more interesting in its lyrics, dropping one remarkable line after another. The winning line has to be “me siento mas lindo.” Ultimately, the success of this record will depend on your level of progressiveness and your appreciation of semi-masqueraded victories."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Mateo de la Lunaen Compañia Terrestrial
MATEO DE LA LUNA...
INDEPENDIENTE, ARGENTINA
★★★½
"Comprised of five short, dazzling pieces,this is the home of some of the year’s most arresting music; precious small melodies about love that are acutely affective and, simultaneously, feel intimately familiar."
BY ENRIQUE COYOTZI | REVIEW
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Enlazando Mundos PIPE LLORENS
DELHOTEL RECORDS, MEXICO
★★★½
"Pipe Llorens is a maverick in the abridgment of hip hop and rock and roll, but his melodic search is unsettling, almost insensitive. Yet this punk spirit showcases him as a sort of self-aware Mexican Jay Reatard, with all the occasional trial and error risks involved."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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AlterablesperanzaMR. RACOON
CASA BUENAVENTURA, MEXICO
★★★½
"Moving away from the tenderness of Katy, his latest effort named Alterablesperanza, seems to be more about Polo wanting to expand his influences and diversify his song’s immediate references rather than attempting to develop an identifiable songwriting style."
BY PIERRE LESTRUHAUT | REVIEW
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A PropósitoBABASONICOS
UNIVERSAL MUSIC LATINO, ARGENTINA
★★★★
"Babasónicos understands the basics of discography digestion and, after a trio of precedent establishments (Infame, Anoche, Mucho), they’re back into the field of narcotized rhythms and baroque distortions."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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La Joven DoloresCHRISTINA ROSENVINGE
WARNER MUSIC, SPAIN
★★★½
"Throughout La Joven Dolores, I found myself adjusting the volume a bit too much; it was as if I was syntonizing some kind of emotional intellect, disquieting yet picturesque at the same time."
BY JEAN-STEPHANE BERIOT | REVIEW
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Sin Sin SinLE BUTCHERETTES
OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ PRODUCTIONS, MEXICO
★★½
"It’s difficult to extract a message from Sin Sin Sin, even though it’s evident that there must be some passion driving the songs and that the band has something to say. They just need to be more direct with it."
BY BLANCA MÉNDEZ | REVIEW
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Crossing FieldsIL ABANICO
INDEPENDIENTE, COLOMBIA/USA
★★★½
"Crossing Colors sequences hints of domestic bliss with the spectrum of a flowershop, a smart (and cleaner than you think) mediation of the artists’ lives and the streets they walk on."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Odio París ODIO PARÍS
EL GENIO EQUIVOCADO, SPAIN
★★★★
"Here’s a quick summary for the simpletons in the audience: Odio París’ debut full-length sounds pretty similar to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. So however you feel about that band’s first record, this album will leave you with pretty much the same taste in your mouth."
BY ANDREW CASILLAS | REVIEW
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Drama y LuzMANÁ
WARNER MUSIC LATINA, MEXICO
½
"Working under the same lazy (and still undeveloped) song composition that have made them “rock” superstars for decades, the band, led by Fher Olvera and Alex Gonzalez, brings yet another abominable record stuffed with misfires and unabashed Maná-isms."
BY CARLOS REYES | REVIEW
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Futura Vía BAM BAM
ARTS & CRAFTS, MEXICO
★★★★½
"Bam Bam has surpassed all expectations, opening an exciting new chapter in Mexican rock history. Futura Vía is bound to be a reference in years to come, a majestic exercise about the universe, a meticulous work in conceptualization, and an undeniably fantastic achievement in the psychedelic field."
BY ENRIQUE COYOTZI | REVIEW