Video: Babasónicos - “Vampi”

Does Babasónicos still matter? Do we need another melodious ballad in which Andrián Dárgelos displays all his lyricism ability? In the rather desolated mainstream Argentine music scene, they still stand out. They may not be the band from the Jessico days, which started a revolution in the mainstream radio by speaking on the inner thoughts of youth with a delicacy and straightforwardness that was both seductive and defiant. However, their new single, “Vampi” – a live recording to be included on their upcoming live album Desde adentro – shows that the band still has a lot to say.

If you thought Babasónicos’ position in the music scene was stable because “everyone” knows them, Adrián Dárgelos is here to mess it all up. On the chorus to “Vampi,” he asks himself: “So what if I am a vampire, if I am going to fall in love anyways? What’s the use of being immortal if you can’t die of love?” The possibility of being an observer in the periphery is not an option. Society has defined him as a rather cold and extravagant persona more interested in building up a character than in his emotions, but on “Vampi” he recognizes that you can’t live isolated – not even a character – because everything reaches you sooner or later.

The canonized status of Babasónicos have detached them from society. There are no longer passionate to death discussions about them because they won that debate and became immortalized. However, what was the use of winning? Revolution and outrage was left in the past and replaced by imitation bands who’d rather see them dead. But being mainstream doesn’t necessarily mean that people won’t point you out in a crowd. “I don’t want to be a freak anymore,”Adrián Dárgelos sings exhausted, but we all know that he is maybe bound to it.

Juana Giaimo writes about music for The Singles Jukebox and on her Tumblr. 

Video: Banda De Turistas - ''Química''

There’s something undeniably fresh about young-blooded bands reviving the past, and Banda de Turistas is strong proof of it. They crafted blunt and gorgeous records (Magico Corazon Radiofonico & El Retorno) that felt like instant classics but, after the third record, the pulse of their magical radiophonic heart went on a not-so-exciting tangent. Their third album Ya (produced by Babasonicos’ Diego Tuñon and Diego Uma) wasn’t a bad record, but it sure profiled Banda de Turistas as a band that lost the element of surprise at an early age.

Banda de Turistas is already looking ahead and want to be ahead of the curve with the release of “Quimica,” the first single (produced by Los Pericos’ Juanchi Baleiron) that kicks off the promotion of their 2014 album. The attached clip (directed by Ezequiel de San Pablo) shows a vignette of designs and effects that mix well with the song’s gleaming synths, even if there’s nothing really substantial to overanalyze beyond what’s presented. It’s a simple, catchy song, a friendly pop song. This stripping-down-to-the-essentials decision is a safe, yet ultimately smart, step to move forward (or actually, a good opportunity to re-encounter with what they were producing on their first two records). Here is hoping the band will amend into their remarkable past and take a hold of the nostalgia that’s been leaking out of them lately.

Babasónicos - Romantisísmico

Romantisísmico, Babasónicos
Sony Music, Argentina
Rating: 57
by Carlos Reyes

In my review of Babasónicos’ A Propósito, I commended the band’s selectively unorthodox discography and pointed out that, despite a few raised eyebrows (Babasonica, Mucho), they had yet to release a single bad album. Well, folks, the inevitable misfire had to arrive some day. Early word on Romantisísmico, Babasónicos’ twelfth studio album from reliable Argentinean critics referred to the album as something disjointed and melodically sporadic, reactions that somehow seemed to excite me more than make me wary of the forthcoming experience. First single “La Lanza” seemed conceptually hazy and weird. As an outspoken fan, I was praying those critics had been turned off by the weird. I craved weird; as good as it gets on the creative spectrum of Babasónicos.

The easiest/laziest way to discredit an album is by focusing the critical eye on how innovative the record is. Most of the commentary on Romantisísmico dealt, in some way or another, with the notion of Babasónicos not offering anything new (neglecting to articulate much about auterism, idiosyncrasy, and structural language. In other words, the album’s actual content). Despite the disregard of reviewing those elements, I’m afraid Romantisísmico is still as flawed or even more disappointing than the early word made it out to be. “We departed from the irony and cynicism that we had been carrying in other albums,” confesses vocalist and main composer Adrian Dárgelos. Reading that almost makes it look like the band set itself up for self-sabotage. The removal of those parts really takes a toll on the album’s thematic and structural core. Bound to be singles “Negrita” and “Los Burocratas del Amor” could’ve benefited from those deliciously evil punchlines Dárgelos is known for and that serve as motifs and dynamite on their rock & roll journey.

Romantisísmico is the album for all those demanding Babasónicos to deliver “something new.” The changes are not assaulting enough to send the band in a new direction, but their presence (serving substitutionary roles) really prevent the album from being good or even developing a personality (save for the tenderly accomplished “Aduana de Palabras). What’s truly scary here is that Romantisísmico not only falls short on its content, its manufacture is incoherent and roughly compressed. The responsive chorus in “La Lanza” and those cascading synths in “Run Run” are ideas compromised in their mere conception by poor design (they’re obtrusive to the grand gloss of the production). Other tracks are just awkward to listen to as a whole (“Humo” and “Paisano”). Romantisísmico couldn’t have arrived at a worst time. Fans are still nostalgic and re-discovering the 2012 re-edition of Jessico (which turned ten years old last year). It’s unfair to compare them, but the timing of both releases makes it difficult to turn away from the comparison. And it’s a huge difference. Jessico still sounds as urgent and weirdly majestic, a true conceptual masterpiece with many decades ahead of it. Romantisísmico is a tiny attempt at a roar, and a bit of a chore to sit through.

Video: Babasónicos - "Tormento"

How Babasónicos has been able to keep it cool for over 20 years (with virtually no creative flops) is something almost inexplicable and remarkable. Just last year, the legendary band was one of the few experienced acts to attain critical success in an Iberoamerican pop scene that's mostly packed with young blood. In an album where potential hit singles are omnipresent, it doesn't come as a surprise to see the A Propósito's compositional womb getting the promo spotlight. In this golden, ornate clip for "Tormento," the band goes historical and futuristic, in the best of the Babasónicos aesthetic. Clip directors Sole Calvano and Anibal Santangelo juxtaposed the verbal proximity between "tormenta" (storm) and "tormento" (torment) and came up with a foil-wrapped, platform-hoping depiction of a new kingdom. It's also great to see Adrián Dárgelos owning up to the mythological shepherd/hero image he has cultivated all these years. That is, of course, if you can focus your attention away from that belly button.

Video: Babasónicos - "Muñeco de Haití"

Transnational labels often get things messed up within their branches, which is why those of us based in the States never got a chance to watch Babasónicos’ video for “Deshoras.” This time around Universal Music got their act together for the release of “Muñeco de Haití," one of the most upbeat tracks on their latest album, A Propósito. Like in the quality of their albums, Babasónicos rarely disappoint with music videos, and their latest is yet another visual knockout. The video starts with Babasonicos looking like Ghostbusters or astronauts of some sort, until they release a village of bees into a national bank. The flying insects transform the corporate building into a disco, stimulating some truly fascinating dance moves. Of course, at the end, Babasónicos walk away with the cash. Bravo.

Babasónicos - A Propósito

A Propósito, Babasónicos

Universal Music Latino, Argentina

Rating: 80 ★★★★

By Carlos Reyes



My first memories in becoming a rock & roll aficionado take me back to my sophomore year in high school (2003), a fortuitous year in every sense of the word. I’m not exactly sure when I started listening to rock, but I remember my twin brother and I would save money to buy the Latin Grammy album compilations, just so that we could listen to the five rock songs they would usually include in their "eclectic" package. At some point in that year we had our first parent talk caused directly by what we were listening to. I guess I can’t blame my parents for the art intervention after they caught us playing Babasónicos’ “Putita” in a special evil twin-meets evil twin acoustic rendition. The discussion didn’t deal much with the explicit language; it was the appreciative tone in “Putita” that disturbed the family household. Ever since, I’ve always had a special relationship with Babasonicos. I see them as a fetish, as a morbid item of prohibition and my excuse for innocuous disobedience.



Eight years later and living the emancipated life, I still find the Babasónicos experience to be of monumental value. And it’s not just because of their defiant significance; they truly are one of the greatest bands to have ever emerged from our continent. A Propósito marks the band’s tenth studio album, yet another success in their fruitful career. 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. Yes, A Propósito is a return to the psychedelic terrain of Jessico (2001), an album that might alienate those enchanted by the marathon catchiness of “Microdancing” or the epic “Carismatico-Yegua-Un Flash” sequence ménage in Anoche (2005).



The first thing that comes to mind after giving A Propósito a spin is the fact that it sounds less horsy than its predecessors. Not to say they’ve lost muscle or their emblematic smugness, they just seem to approach conversation in a quirky (almost dry) panorama. The band acknowledges they’re dealing with exotic lands right away with album opener “Flora y Fauna," a western-like dualistic piece about self-destruction. When leading single “Deshoras” was first released, it didn’t even smell like a Babasónicos single. The song finds a whole different context on the album, becoming the full-circle stream of a record that celebrates life’s miseries with disillusioned 2-to-3 chord structures. Adrian Dargelos and his misfits don't sound as progressive as I usually like them, but the imprinted quality and uncomplicated beauty presents itself in abundance.



Babasónicos makes the most sylvan and thorny sexual songs (see the album cover), but this time around they all come with an extra sense of ceremonial hunch. These tracks include the masquerade-erotic suggestion in “Fiesta Popular," the love-on-a-boat shipwreck in “Tormento," and the savagely romantic “Barranca Abajo.” Babasónicos has never been the most optimistic band out there, and they almost go emo on this one. But there’s not much to be worried about; worst case scenario is you empty a bottle of wine and declare war on humanity singing to “Ideas.” A Propósito will hardly earn Babasónicos any new fans, but for those of us already on their bandwagon, it is a great chance to fall in love with them all over again.

Stream: Babasónicos - "Deshoras"

It's been long (way too long) since we got to hear anything new from Babasónicos, when they released Mucho, Club Fonograma wasn't even around yet. Their new album is finally on its way. We often whine about how Latin Rock History got it all wrong, but bands with this caliber say otherwise. Like their cult-pop similar Los Planetas or Cafe Tacvba, Babasónicos is one of the hardest working bands in any circuit, and one of the few that have never failed us. With not a single bad record under their arm, there's nothing but anticipation for their new record A Proposito, out in a few months. According to Me Hace Ruido, their new single "Deshoras" was available for streaming at their website, and as everyone anticipated, there are several streams of it across the web. Their last couple of singles were incredibly catchy and easy to the ear, "Deshoras" has less pop structure and more rock mellowness. After listening to it a few times, it's safe to say this alone won't bring them new fans since it's clearly not the strongest Babasónicos song out there, but it's still, a great Babasónicos song.

Coachella 2010

You're witnessing our return to college! Ok, so we couldn't post it this morning and by this time, it's old news. But such wonderful news! Coachella has announced five of our artists to perform at the festival, we would've liked to see something like Bam Bam, El Guincho, Natalia Lafourcade or Hello Seahorse! in there but hey, all this is going somewhere. So, congrats Aterciopelados, Babasonicos, Calle 13, Ceu & Zoe. Full lineup HERE.

Video: "Lo Comandas", Banda de Turistas

We got the new Banda de Turistas CD a few days ago and it sounds pretty good, honestly, we didn’t know about them until recently. Their previous 2007 release, Magico Corazon Radiofonico was one of the most praised rock albums of last year, how did we not picked up on it? I have no clue; it’s one of those rare occasions that remind us that we are settled in the U.S. and people say it takes longer for music to get to us. Or maybe we were just too occupied with Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos Con Mariano.

I’m currently in love with “Todo mio el Otoño”, “Un Verdadero Cajon de Madera” and the title track. Let’s bring a new line of favorites, their sophomore album El Retorno is said to have U.S. distribution already. Here is the video for their new single titled “Lo Comandas”, loving the pentagonal shape, its cosmic surrounding and the five cool charismatic kids playing rock stars. It’s not too hard to understand why Adrian Dargelos (from Babasonicos) calls them the new great Argentinean band.