Nueva Ola Fronteriza. That is the tag that accompanies Rodolfo Ramos Castro aka Pájaro Sin Alas’ latest song. Reading that came as a bit of a shock. Like others in the Ibero-blogosphere, I’ve spent a long time citing ruidosón (really Tijuana) as Mexico’s newest and most interesting music scene, no doubt the result of my own response to Espíritu Invisible. But in the years since that record left its indelible mark a lot has changed. Even ruidosón’s pioneers (Tony Gallardo and one-third of Los Macuanos Moisés Horta) have reinvented themselves as techno trailblazers bent on conquering the world. With the aforementioned tag, I was forced to realize the descriptive “new” belongs to another batch of artists. Artists like the 19-year-old Juarense behind Pájaro Sin Alas. As more and more of these young (very young) faces begin to pop up, it is time to accept facts: this is indeed a new wave.
Already I can foresee discussions about just who belongs in the nueva ola. Here I feel it would help (and save time) to simply tweak the name to be more all-inclusive. From what we have heard, this movement has less to do with regional geography and more about style and vision. The political climate that influenced the sounds of ruidosón is not as embedded into the new wave (though not completely absent). In a way, the music has been liberated. Free to go beyond the domain of “traditional” Mexican music. Evidence of this has manifested itself in two ways: first is from the outsider influence (Mock The Zuma and CROCAT’s haunted take on UK post-dub, bass) and second, through the spirit of collaboration (Josué Josué and Siete Catorce’s already classic “Linus”).
With the song “Pájaro Sin Alas,” Castro makes use of the former, proving once again he can pair his voice with just about any genre. The animated beat takes cues from '90s pop while retaining the meditative tone that made "Alfombra Mágica Mental" so engrossing. Castro clearly has a passion for poetry, the end refrain dresses up self-deprecation with fantastic imagery (“Soy un poema lanzado al viento, una flor en caída hacia el cemento"). This attention to lyrics, combined with his diverse production have easily made Castro a Líder of this new wave. And though his lyrics suggest he doesn't believe in himself, we're sure that great things are coming from him.