Album - All-Stars

All-Stars, Album
ARRCO, México
Rating: 60
by Carlos Reyes

“Album has not died (because to some extent, it never existed)” states the website of the ceaselessly divisive electro rock band from Monterrey. Earlier this year, and prior to the band’s self-proclaimed (and ultra romanticized) piece of perpetual history, they released All-Stars, a full-length record that is loyal to the act’s career-long juxtaposition of sound texture and musical space. Although not conceived as a career-concluding album, All-Stars suffers as an episode that neither carves the band six feet under nor brings Album afloat.

Throughout the years, Album became Monterrey’s eternal up-and-coming band. Whether it was an outcome of egocentrism or them just sticking to their guns, the band never really broke through. They came pretty close though. Their pristine 2008 album Cancer Baby showed a band capable of critical and popular absorption, but as lead vocalist Roger Cámara confessed, it was their attempt at an experimental record—“because pop is always more popular than whatever we make.” All-Stars carries hits and misses from Album’s extensive catalog of LPs and EPs. Dreamy tracks “This is not working” and “Nunca Morir” carry the Album fandom to mindlessly acquainted moods. Other tracks (“Spoken Word” and “The Road Warrior”) inherit the indigestible voice decoding that, to this day, comes off as a plain Album-ism rather than a beneficial narrative tool. Not that this is a polarizing record by design–these are tracks that venture through hedonism.

Standout track “The Artist” bursts stormy waves, beeping, and emotional swelling. This degree of symphonic bleeding is what I’ll choose to remember Album for. As they sing “thanks for watching us, we’re everywhere now,” you can’t help but to recognize the value of their undefeated hobby. All-Stars leaves many blank spaces on its sleeve. While occasionally bright, it puts its anxiety in front of its accompanying melody, making up for an almost impenetrable experience. Since its formation, Album never made itself available for a potential viral exposure, exhausting its chances for continuous recognition. Yet, as All-Stars proves to be, their work asks for a thorough and intimate contemplation, perhaps the biggest bequest of the pop-estranged, ungoogleable act.

Video + Single EP: Fuck Her, Or The Terrorists Win - "Bounce Back"

If you have an easy stomach, think body fluids are just gross, or are just deeply disturbed by blood, you might want to skip the brand new video by Fuck Her, Or The Terrorists Win. Featuring great HipHop-induced vocals by Baby Vargas, “Bounce Back” is the second single out of the duo’s sophomore EP Fuck Brooklyn. This is a song that works on extremes, and the visceral video (directed by FHOTTW’s Bul) does pick up the overtone pretty well, romanticizing a breakup with a horrific scene of a guy bleeding to death after his girlfriend (apparently) announces their breakup. At one moment, it seems like he’s throwing up his heart, piece by piece. Poor guy, “contando las historias de siempre, de dolor.” Also check out the Bounce Back REPRISE video, here.

FHOTTW’s Roger Camara (Bul) and Roberto Polo (Mr. Racoon) also invited a few friends to do remixes to the song, which they’ve compiled on the maxi-single EP Bounce Back Remixed. It features remixes from Sr. Amable, Milton Pacheco, El Gil and d3NdRON (highly recommended) and it can be downloaded for free via La Musica Es Gratis.

♫♫♫ "Bounce Back to the Future" (d3NdRON)

MP3: DJ Golonsh - "Bruneta"

Two weeks before Girl Talk released All Day, we were already enjoying a set of mashup extravaganza through DJ Golonsh’s D.D.A. Bears! Finally a mashup album from our region that's not cumbia-induced. We’re not sure how ‘secret’ this is, or if he’s attempting a ‘hidden author’ profile on this one, but know this is one of the many projects by Monterrey’s talented producer ‘Bul.’ Like many of his 'mash-the-world' peers, his at the core of a neon-lit culture approaching supreme collision.

DJ Golonosh’s sophomore LP is a party-ready blast; mixing some of the year’s hits (Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga), some earlier works (Madonna, Michael Jackson, the 90s), and some Latin acts (Quiero Club, Molotov, Calle 13, El Gran Silencio). Although not as interesting as Girl Talk itself or El Sueño de la Casa Propia, “Bruneta” shows this is way more than just a “see how many songs you can spot” kind of mix. D.D.A. Bears! (20 tracks) is available for free download over at La Musica Es Gratis (Delhotel Record’s free music database).

♫♫♫ "Bruneta"

Download Album

MP3: Zozaya - "Welcome to my world" (featuring Alejandro Marcovich)

Monterrey’s Zozaya (aka Zozaya Mariachi DJ) is ready to release their fourth physical production titled Martes de PornoPad, the LP that follows their successful 2009 EP The RE Album (the concept album inspired by Café Tacvba). The new album features collaborations from longtime pal Pato Machete, Plastilina Mosh’s Jonaz Gonzalez, Alejandro Marcovich, and Molotov’s Randy Ebright, who collaborates in the single “Bitch You Can Look.” Zozaya is currently giving away a free track from the album, “Welcome to my world”, yet another catchy moment from band members Bul and Porno.

Fuck Brooklyn, Fuck Her or the Terrorists Win

Fuck Brooklyn,
Fuck Her, or the Terrorists Win
Delhotel Records, Mexico
Rating: 77
By Carlos Reyes

Unabashed electropop that sounds like rock; it’s the latest well-heeled step forward from Monterrey’s Fuck Her, or the Terrorists. The duo comprised by Roberto Polo (Mr. Racoon) and Roger Camara (Bul) finds two of Mexico’s most interesting personas working together. They have so many bands under their arms, but this sure seems like one of their dearest projects; in fact, we could call it a superband, one that’s miles better than the underwhelming and utterly awful all-star projects such as Los Odio and Los Concorde. Fuck Brooklyn is the duo’s second EP that follows their impressive self-titled debut. While the record doesn’t provide an immediate anthem (and anti-anthem) as spirited as “Hipsters,” the new EP is full of awe-inspiring tracks that are as interesting as the band’s name.

Nothing more anthem-striking than to name a song after you, the opening track “Fuck Her, Or The Terrorists Win” is a nice introduction to their melodic flair and vocal juxtaposition, in addition of having one of the best lines in a song this year “you know that payback is a bitch, you better fuck her, or the terrorists win.” The duo features guest vocals from Baby Vargas in a couple of tracks, most notably in “Bounce Back”, where her bubbly intervention twists the electro piece into something closer to hip hop, resembling to last year’s We Come In Piece by d3NdRON. “Circumstance” rumbles in circles, perhaps a bit too obvious at times, but pushes its condition forward with weird, but efficient lyrical styling.

I argue FHOTTW sounds like a rock band, mostly because I find Rock to be complicated and contradictory; although this album is not the hardest thing to digest, my pop sensibilities struggle to recognize and allocate much of their bytes. Nonetheless, these guys bring the house down in something like “Hummback”, the catchiest song here where they prove to be in absolute control of timing and speed. Perhaps the best track in the album comes with the magnificent closing track “Heaventaken”; its structure is anything but nonlinear and yet so cohesive and surprising, it’s the minute where each part really exceed their talent.

Fuck Brooklyn’s download is currently on standby; the album will be liberated once it gets enough subscriptions, sign up here.

♫♫♫ "Circumstance"
MySpace

Video: White Ninja - "Zombie Town"

Monterrey’s Roger Ivan Camara better known as ‘Bul’ kept us busy last year releasing albums under DJ Golonosh, Fuck Her Or The Terrorists Win, Zozaya, The Re, Album, and producing some great stuff by Mr. Racoon, Sr. Amable and The Mocks. It seems like he will be taking 2010 at a much sober pace, but he sent us this quirky video for White Ninja’s “Zombie Town.” It’s our favorite track from their thrilling debut Guacala Los Modernos y Su Electro, which happened to be one of Mexico's breakthrough bands of 2009 next to with Piyama Party and Selma Oxor. The video captures the band at its most sincere and meaningful moment, playing a gig at someone’s living room perhaps. Very dramatic on what it allows us to see, while using uncontinuity shots and editing to reach the highly bundled track. Oh, and as always, Alexico steals the show. White Ninja will be performing at Festival NRML this weekend and is one of the many local acts set to perform at the MtyMX Festival .