We went there: 8 things we learned at Festival NRMAL Costa Rica 2015

Text by Pierre Lestruhaut 

Photos by Carolina Vargas

And so it happened… Unexpectedly, Festival NRMAL expanded all the way to the capital of the small Central American nation that’s been trying to place itself as the musical bridge between contemporary North American and South American musicians with the recent efforts of Epicentro. Hosted in a single day at Centro de Eventos de Pedregal, in a typical November afternoon of rain, umbrellas, fashionable ponchos, a lot of booze and some very good music, we experienced the first edition of Festival NRMAL outside of Mexican territories. Here’s what we learned from it.

1. NRMAL lineups are never disappointing 

At least if you’re musical sensibilities are similar to our own. But it’s not only the fact that the line-ups are usually stacked with bands that we’ve constantly praised over the last few years, it’s also the ballsy decisions to avoid cash-grabbing headliners, give way to very disparate styles in a single stage, and showcase acts with barely any material released. Thus, this edition was not devoid of very-well respected independent acts (Gepe, Helado Negro, Algodón Egipcio), pioneering legends (The Sonics, aUTOPerro), and up-and-coming electronic musicians (Raido, AAAA, The Wiesengrund Project).

2. Respect your elders…

Though NRMAL and Epicentro have let it clear that they are big supporters of young and emerging Latin American artists, this festival also outlined just how much NRMAL acknowledges artists who have been keeping it real for decades. Local noise duo aUTOPerro (who were making avant-garde sonic experimentation right around the time Throbbing Gristle were experiencing their creative apex), took the main stage early in the afternoon and despite stylistically contrasting with the rest of the acts performing there, managed to get a furious roar and applause from the crowd following the climactic ending of their set. Much in the same way that 60’s pioneering garage rock band The Sonics attracted the biggest crowd of the whole afternoon, which was predictable, given the Costa Rican indie scene's still overwhelming preference for good ol' rock music over anything else.

 3. …and give credit to those who were there before you 

As expected, Buscabulla put out a very pleasant show that induced the movement of loins and played her hits from her debut EP with a few unreleased tracks and covers. If you’re not aware that Raquel Berrios started making rounds in the NYC scene as a DJ, one listen to some of her mixtapes will let you know of the deep-knowledge she has of Latin American dance music. Of course, she wasn’t shy of handing out her respects to some of her beloved artists from the past, especially when performing her tribute to Frankie Ruiz, and it’s precisely this constant awareness of the greatness of past musicians that make her music so appealing in the first place.

4. Hijos might be deserving of some pre-debut album hype and high expectations

They’ve already been praised elsewhere, and it’s about time they got praised here as well. Hijos, the solo project of Costa Rican Pablo Rojas (Monte, Florian Droids) is a solid candidate to become the next great act to come out of the small nation. There are have been couple of pop-hued tracks circling around the internet these last few months, and “La Playa,” where vocal duties are taken by Kumari Sawyers, is deserving of superlatives such as “excellent,” “blissed-out,” and other adjectives like “tropical” and “heartwarming”. Hijos put out a solid early afternoon set where their already known pop melodies stood seamlessly and successfully side-by-side with the more proggish oriented soundscapes that Rojas’ other bands were more accustomed too.

 5. Gepe is getting closer to Latino pop stardom with every album 

A strange statement to make about an artist headlining what has been one of the most underground-promoting festivals in Latin America, NRMAL Costa Rica wasn't really the platform or the audience for him to feel like a pop star yet. But it’s Gepe’s conflation of Latino pop and folk motives, his undeniable charisma, irresistible dance moves, and catchy pop idioms that make him more suitable for grand arena Latin pop. And we wouldn’t be surprised if he got there rather soon.



 6. … and “En la naturaleza” is still the greatest latino song of the last few years

Even though Estilo Libre is Gepe’s biggest effort at exploring some of Latin folk’s most danceable patterns, “En la naturaleza” is still his most accomplished effort in fusing modern dance music and Latin folk. Despite dembow being a Latin club staple for more than 10 years, Gepe’s “experimental conquest” still feels fresh, unmatched, and absolutely drives the crowd insane. As DJ deMentira, who was wearing a Discos Pegaos shirt, took over PedroPiedra’s duties as Gepe’s sideshow rapper, the realization came forward that Gepe is all the things we’ve usually admired from a musician: crowd-pleasing enough to want to be a continental star, ballsy enough to explore territories no one else in his niche would dare to, and self-conscious enough to always be aware of his indie origins.

7. 10 pm is a very early time to end a one-day music festival 

The best music festivals we’ve been are obviously the ones that extend the partying well past midnight and allow dance music lovers to keep on dancing through the night. This first edition of NRMAL Costa Rica had a very well-crafted and conceived electronic music dome stage, much in the vein of Primavera Sound’s Boiler Room tent where sets could extend for those looking for non-stop dance action. In between main stage performances, we managed to catch a small portion of each of the acts playing the dome: The Wiesengrund Project’s drone-oriented and politically charged beats and visuals, Raido’s more introspective synth-driven hip-hop, and AAAA acid and Chicago oriented sounds. The only downside: 10 pm was a very early time to shut down an overheating dome that reeked of sweat and weed, hypnotized its crowd with warping beats, and should've kept the party going longer.



8. Enrique Coyotzi is an insensitive prick 

Promises were made. Expectations were raised. But our dear dear Enrique Coyotzi was nowhere to be seen at NRMAL Costa Rica, despite those very promises that were made, those expectations that were so highly raised. We will still hold on to those memories of NRMAL 2013, of seeing him arrive midset to Fakuta’s performance at Gómez, watching him leave after hearing 10 seconds of Dustin Wong at Panamérika Stage, and swinging like a lost child amidst the hip crowd of Monterrey. Your presence was missed.

CLUBZ – Épocas EP

There are moments in life where denying ourselves a good thing would only be foolish. Like when a collection of some the most exciting iberoamerican synthpop, electro and indie rock acts reinterpret one of our favorite singles of last year and its B-side, “Épocas” and “Ciclos” from the regiomontano pair, CLUBZ. Yes, the multiplication of remixes of one (or two) songs can dilute its potential. It can also blow up the possibilities, which is the case here.

Initially released in June of this year via the Barcelona based label Canadá Editorial, the maxi single included a remix of the two tracks by labelmates Extraperlo and El Último Vecino. Épocas EP re-released on Monday, is an extended version, which introduces renditions by producers Teen Flirt, Wet Baes and Raido and art-rock band Porter. Pulling in many directions, the EP could have easily been inconsistent, yet it remains a surprisingly effective creation. In fact, all remixes eventually merge through an atmosphere where the wistfulness of the sounds and the warmth of the rhythmic occurrences meet.

Épocas EP stands between two states, just like dawn or dusk, sweeping over melancholy and voluptuousness with velvety and hypnotic textures. The bold reincarnation of “Ciclos” by Porter, with its low-toned rhythmic melody and earthly flute arrangements, is an immediate highlight, yet upon repeated plays, Wet Baes’ hazy vaporwave re-score of “Épocas” also deserves a special mention.

Colornoise - "Amalie"

Costarican triune Colornoise have never fit into a simple schema. Five years and counting as a band and it seems increasingly improbable that Sonya, Alison, and Mari ever will. Their music is a hybrid of what they call “experimental stoner rock” and a sort of heady sonic mischief that people could probably lazily call noise pop. But within each of their records we see attempts at odd pop, vocal loop experiments, and moments of humor. Their catalog plays like the work of an unfocused but charismatic music project.

Respectively renowned, Colornoise rectifies their overlooked dynamic in their latest single “Amalie” that extends to their incredible spirited onstage chemistry. Colornoise are here merely to address the lingering feeling of loving the unmanageable. And they appropriately placed it at our doorsteps. “Amalie” reigns in the band’s focus, allowing them to build a cohesive, coherent artifact. Aside from being both sonically and thematically tighter, —more than their previous efforts—it showcases Colornoise's musicianship. Ultimately, the combination of the two makes it a must-listen.

Video: Ave Negra – "CSI"

By now, many of you (may) know that apart from being talented musicians Ave Negra’s Felo, Russel and Fede are also quite a formidable goofball team. Maybe you’ve seen the bit they did recently in their debut video “Tengo una Nenita,” where the trio commits petty theft to achieve their dreams about starting a band. Or maybe you’ve seen it in their live performance. Either way—with a little digging—it’s not hard to tell has become big and heavy but still quick enough on its feet to entertain us with their weirdness.

Ave Negra definitely has a penchant for strange but inventive music videos, and this one is no exception. The latest video from the costaricans accompanies "CSI", off their upcoming debut LP due probably next year. It's a typically goofy, VHS-style clip, starring the group in La Patria’s empty pool, skating and dancing along with druggy and bizarre visuals by Pollux. The video was produced by local well known collective Super Legitimo and S3R Audiovisual. What’s impressive is that even though the duo ventures into a juvenile video, the knack for catchy melodies and heavy riffs improves, making this both true to their roots and indicative of huge maturation.

Florian Droids - "Vos"

You're probably reading this and have no idea who Florian Droids are. The costarican neopsychodelic band achieved a peculiar saintly glow surrounding after their self-titled debut album and the instant hit "Larvas Salvajes" back in 2011. Their fan base somehow developed a certain affection for the band's genre, and are often seen as the most awesome band from Costa Rica not named Las Robertas. As a genre, neo-psychedelia is certainly vague, but it’s also very prevalent. Generally, it refers to bands appearing in the late 70s onward, heavily influenced by the expansive, pioneering sounds of 60s psychedelia. Many contemporary bands find inspiration in early prog (Pink Floyd, King Crimson) and an obsession with jangly pop bands like The Beatles and The Byrds. Whatever the term “psychedelic” means, a benchmark may exist, and Florian Droids’ minimal chants, pleading, and beguiling in a fuzzed-out haze, clearly put this music well within the psych realm.

It seems that the band's guiding principle in making new music entails a commitment to openness, but more than that, it’s a call for simplicity. Upon first listens of "Vos," their new single from their forthcoming album Osos de Agua, falls into the pop vein, perhaps more toward the Monkees end of the spectrum than the Beatles end. For the most part, 'Vos' is an incredibly low-key, lovelorn ballad about the wonder years melding a Pepe Deluxé-style pipe organ with a early-60s pop shuffle and Beach Boys-like vocals. "Vos" works as their most optimistic and soft-edged release to date. The video was directed by well known producer Neto Villalobos who created a character that grounds a universe of equal parts mirth and growth, humor and honesty, filtered through lenses that we may never fully comprehend. The rest is hard evidence of a distinct creative character taking flight.

Los Waldners - Eclipse Total Del Corazón

Eclipse Total Del Corazón, Los Waldners
Independiente, Costa Rica
Rating: 77
by Pablo Acuña

From their first single, "Ella Usaba Vestidos," everything about Los Waldners seemed like a considered and ingenious decision: their name's undertones of both facelesness and creativity (named after the Swedish table tennis player Jan-Ove Waldner known as "the table tennis Mozart"). They came, a gang of four, like a beam of enlightening warmth into the detached coldness that characterized the Costa Rican music scene last year. Led by Luis Carballo, an eccentric loner who seemed destined to drift towards a more healthy career as a ping pong player and whose youth-love relationships naturally spread into his cutting lyrical work, Los Waldners is like a package that opens up and brings us something.

Something intimate. Their debut album Eclipse Total Del Corazón's lyrics are part of what makes this band so refreshing and so real. Carballo’s words cut through the stylish bullshit, turning the experience of many dissatisfied young men and women into something as anthemic and poetic as it is relatable and intimate. Lines such as "Quizás no es tanto que me hagas falta / Tal vez no sé cómo dejarte ir" in opener track "Papalotes," about saying goodbye to someone, hit pretty close to home. Carballo sings "Porque estamos empeñados en alcanzar el sol aunque eso signifique una vez más caer" on “Ícaro,” the most melancholic cut from the album. It’s a subtle lyric that manages to sum up nearly everything lovable about the band: their explorations through nostalgic familiar grounds.

Something beautiful. Carballo's displays some kind of shadowy stories with some delicate melancholy that breaks you down into a watery mess. It's natural for a listener, to try giving meaning to these lyrics by putting it in the right context. For me as a simple outsider of the band, it becomes a really difficult task to interpret them, but I can safely assure that these songs are connected to something greater, something that is meaningful to someone else. And this is the beauty of this LP, that as we are unable to figure out who is behind these honest stories by our own ("Rodolfo," I'm looking at you), we are left with no other option than to give them meaning with our own experiences.

Something sweet. As stunning as his lines are, Los Waldners wouldn’t be as utterly revered as they are if it weren’t for the vital musical counterpart led by Daniel Ortuño – truly one of Costa Rica's most remarkable musicians/producers. Ortuño's chemistry with Carballo is remarkable, creating smooth transitions, and a lot of clean, melodic guitar hooks. Like lets be honest, who hasn't felt in love of the opener guitar in "Papalotes"? Or what about the exceedingly jangly fretwork in "Horacio"?

Something out of place. Approaching the LP's less memorable moments, “Nunca nos Fuimos” and "Lo Mismo" can drag, partly because both attempt to sound bigger than they actually are. These songs could’ve easily being two of the record’s most enjoyable moments if ambition would've been scaled back.

Something triumphant. Los Waldners have had reached a remarkable status with their debut album. And this isn't easy for a Costa Rican band, it is something far more intriguing and off-kilter, it is indie-pop at its most stirring and enduring. This is the sort of record that will probably improve with age. It will sound even better next summer, the summer after that, and hopefully five years from now, when no one remembers or cares what label the group was signed to, but only the near pitch-perfect pop they put down on tape.

Las Robertas - "Marlene"

In 2010, Las Robertas released Cry Out Loud, an album that exemplified meticulous care of noise rock and dream fuzz. Hailing from Costa Rica, Las Robertas had a tenacious exposure not only in Latin-American realms of appreciation but entered Europe and United States realms as well, through labels such as Discos Fup and Art Fag, respectively. After what was taken as a fairly quiet hiatus, the band returns with the first single off their new album. On the contrary of what was alleged, the band was quietly working and building up to an exciting, almost effortless, entrance.

“Marlene” by Las Robertas is a distortion-bathed song that has a majestic introduction, immediately lovely. The high-energy on the drums is perfectly paired with a steady and catchy bassline along with the band’s hallmark of reverb-drenched guitars. The melodic whispers and relatively straightword pop is a distinctive feature the band has had in the past, and has once again proven they are completely masterful at executing. “Marlene” does not derail from previous work, yet their musical evolution is illustrated through the perfection of their sound.

MP3: Los Waldners - "Ella Usaba Vestidos"

Producer, radio host, and guitarist Daniel Ortuño is one of the main voices behind the quiet but active music scene in Costa Rica. He hosts Findependiente, a radio show that exposes genres and music movements overlooked by other radio stations in the area. But Ortuño is best known for producing albums for local bands Las Robertas, Niño Koi, Zòpilot!, The Great Wilderness, and (alongside Vito Petruzzeli and Adrian Poveda) the Si San José (2011) compilation, an audio documentary of the Costa Rican indie scene.

As the San José-based producer has hopped from project to project and style to style over the last five years, he's maintained the air of an outsider. With his band Los Waldners, he channels his vagabond emotions into something universal and inviting. Of course, he couldn't accomplish this without the help of singer Luis Carballo, bassist Gustavo Quiros (Keep The Gap), and drummer Andrea San Gil (formerly of Lolita Piñata, and TGW). First single from their upcoming album due in February, "Ella Usaba Vestidos" delivers a jangly, fresh, and compact pop song with sturdy melodies and arrangements that emphasize the endearing edge of Carballo's' vocals. Download the track via Bandcamp.

Las Robertas - "Seconds Away"

A lot has changed for Las Robertas since the days when they were a fairly unknown band from San José that was starting to earn some buzz on the blogosphere. Now signed to a Californian indie label, the success of their debut Cry Out Loud gave them the chance to accumulate heavy touring experience around Latin America, the US, and Europe (stopping by high-caliber festivals SXSW and Primavera Sound), but also the head-scratching opportunity to open for Pearl Jam in their hometown’s biggest stage. Now that the whole lo-fi girl group revival hype that might or might have not gone in their favor a couple of years ago (actually feels like a decade ago in internet years) seems to have faded away, it seems like this finally might be their shot at deflecting the knee-jerk criticism directed at their fortuitous trendiness. Though safely holding onto the more conspicuous elements of their aesthetic (wearing their admiration for all things lo-fi, C86, and early punk on their sleeve), “Seconds Away” feels not only like an accomplished effort at downplaying their melodic charm in favor of straight-out thunderousness, but also at shedding their naiveté for some truly disconcerting songcrafting. “Seconds Away” is part of three song 7’’ Dissected Affair which should be out on Art Fag Recordings later this year, as we’ll still be on the wait for their sophomore effort.
 

Ave Negra - Sensaciones Juveniles

Sensaciones Juveniles, Ave Negra
Independiente, Costa Rica
Rating: 75
by Andrew Casillas

To (poorly) paraphrase Jon Landau, I have seen the future of Costa Rican low-fi surf-inspired rock and roll, and its name is Ave Negra. This two-piece rawkact ain’t ever going to be confused with Bruce Springsteen, but dammit if they don’t seem capable of melting a stack of Chrysalis records from time to time.

Razor-thin sounding, white noise-laden rock has made a big comeback over the past five years, but not many of these acts quite grasp the concept of thermodynamics. Sensaciones Juveniles, the band’s latest EP, sustains a breakneck pace for 10 full minutes without coming up for air because air is ostensibly for pussies. Not that this is rock and roll filtered through machismo—I mean, we already have one Davila 666. Instead, Ave Negra plays pure garage rock with the liberation of a thousand teenagers. This ain’t no place for the real world or anything.

Of course, these two aren’t The Hives either. Instead of using lo-fi techniques to sound like 2,000 men, Ave Negra disappointingly sounds like two. The sound quality lacks in spaces, and none of the songs really HIT. There’s certainly potential that they’re bound for a Nuggets-worthy gem one day, but none of these exactly match up with The Remains’ “Don’t Look Back.” But, for now, “Quita Penas” and “Tatatata Yayaya” will make for great block party cookout jams. The future, however, may be all theirs for the taking. 

Tatatata Yayaya by avenegra

Festival Imperial 2012

by Pierre Lestruhaut

Being one of the two CF writers who lives somewhere south of Mexico, and the only one living in Central America, I can imagine that most of our readers who know what it’s like to yearly attend a festival of the SXSW or Nrmal caliber, will have a huge WTF reaction when they read the line-up of this festival held last week in Costa Rica, and that I’ve just decided to write about. What most mipsters probably don’t realize, though, is just how much being an indie kid in this part of the world, where buzzbands become buzzworthy with a usual delay of about five to ten years (just try to figure out why they’re bringing The Flaming Lips and TV on the Radio all of the sudden) means you’re just not gonna see the bands you like playing live. Point being: it’s hard out here for a hipster.

Most (loud) discussions that took place after this year’s line-up was announced weren’t precisely centered around the matter at hand (i.e. the artists that were playing the festival and their musical and cultural impact), but rather the audience that the organizers were trying to bring for the weekend to pay for over-priced food and beer. Going back precisely to what appeared to be like the festival’s mission statement, which was something about “reaching out to a new audience.” I’m actually still trying to figure out what audience that really is. I’ll try to explain that in the following Venn diagram.

Though maybe, and just maybe, we’d like to think that this might be a statement of negation, perhaps the refusal of perpetuating the idea that a festival has to consist strictly of crowd-pleasing acts and white...dudes...holding...guitars. Which is kind of another way to say let’s forget about Enrique Iglesias and Zoé, and instead bring Ximena Sariñana and Bomba Estéreo. Which for me, you know, pretty much does it. We weren’t expecting Dënver and Rita Indiana, anyway.

So onto the actual performances, Ximena Sariñana’s was the first one I saw, beginning early on Saturday afternoon, and I’ll admit that even though I pretty much slept on everything she had done before 2011, I would still have the spirit to shallowly classify her music as something only the Blanca Méndezes of the world would truly and genuinely like. But after getting into her earlier work in Spanish, I started abandoning that original idea I had and began to appreciate some of her older songs, precisely those from Mediocre (“Mediocre,” “Normal,” “La tina”), which were by far the absolute highlights of her performance. Most of the songs from the self-titled album are way too flat and shallow to light up a festival crowd, and I think even Blanca was sort of lukewarm about that album anyway.

Sariñana's guitarist has a "drone" moment

Bomba Estéreo were scheduled to play the next day and were the only early afternoon band that actually used the irresistible heat in their favor, and (annoying wordplay coming) set the whole shit on fire for the entire hour of their set, even more so when they closed out with “Fuego.” While something like The Flaming Lips on Saturday night (which I’ll get to later on) used all kinds of props and projections to intensify, or even produce, the feeling of energy and liberation in their performance, Bomba Estéreo were actually their own ineffable flow of energy, emanating from singer/rapper Li Saumet bouncing around the stage and a rhythm section that went on a ruthless pursuit for beatific repetition. This was not just electrocumbia, it was the onward congregation of rhythm, noise, flow and rhyming, pumped at a volume that caused your every muscle to forget the heat and not stand right there. Plus the kids look irresistibly cool on stage and Li Saumet should totally be a fashion icon.

A couple of hours later, La Mala Rodríguez also hit the festival and, even though I consider her to have pretty much developed (or at least brought to the big stage) an absolutely unique flow style that has endured the test of time and several records with different producers and types of beats, her more rock-oriented sound supported by a guitar player and an actual drummer had her sounding decidedly not like her. Seeing La Mala getting closer to the stretches of rock music, and stepping even further away from the boom bap of Lujo Ibérico, is the kind of move I wouldn’t exactly want to see her doing.

In regards to the other hip hop act in the fest, I’m not sure if the discussion of whether Cypress Hill should be covered by us has ever taken place (what’s there to cover about them in this day and age anyway) but I assume that a band that released an album called Los grandes éxitos en español, interacts with their audience in Spanish, and has a Cuban member that coincidentally asks his DJ to “bring that Latino shit,” should be enough to be considered “ours.” I was never really much of a fan of either of their two MCs, but I reckon that Julio G was doing a fine job of channelling DJ Muggs, who was really capable of laying a pretty decent beat any day (DJ Muggs vs. GZA, anyone?). Besides, fifty year old dudes rapping while smoking pot on an outdoor stage really look like absolute pirates next to the kind of show dudes like Curren$y or Main Attrakionz could pull out at a club.

Blurry Bomba Estéreo is blurry

I wasn’t particularly lit up on the selection of local acts for this festival (even if there was a pretty decent crop of emerging independent rock musicians), mainly because our two favorite ones, Las Robertas and Monte, were not part of it. Although their bass player and drummer were featured with their other bands, The Great Wilderness and Zopilot, I failed to see them on account of checking out something more interesting happening on the main stages. There's also the fact that I can catch these bands every month in San José for the price of one beer inside the festival. I wandered around through most of the local acts that I had the opportunity to see, and Sonámbulo were pretty much the only ones that did it for me. Like always, they managed to pull out a very enthralling trance-inducing show, and eventually got a deserving Tunde Adebimpe seal of approval, plus an Austin City Limits call-up on the same day. Still, I do kinda feel like I need to consume some sort of drug to really appreciate this band’s music after 15 minutes of it.

A quick note on a few outsider acts, which were the ones that people were naturally most eager to see in this fest: I really fucking hate Gogol Bordello; TV on the Radio put out a great set and was the best noisy guitar show of the weekend not featuring Steven Drozd; and Björk can be summed up by what the drunk-yet-very-wise dude in the audience yelled at the end of the show: “that crazy bitch came to kick some serious ass.” The only full set I got to see at the predominantly electronic stage was DJ Shadow’s, who, after the crowd went on a small display of Costa Rican idiosyncrasy as they got impatient at how long installing the whole gear was taking, walks in looking like your high school soccer coach, has a small diplomatic word about how he “likes all types of music,” and then proceeds to immerse the crowd in the biggest collective head nod I’d ever seen (at some point even the guys from security were into it). And throughout the whole duration of the set, dude’s just too fuckin' busy to notice anything going on around him because of how he’s single-handedly kicking the shit out of his turntables, samplers, pad, and laptop, surfing through 30 years of electronic music in one single table.

And finally getting onto The Flaming Lips, as a longtime enthusiast and follower of indie music and culture in general, there’s always a part of you that starts rejecting the more conspicuous elements of it. Which is why most indie kids have seen the term indie, fall under negative connotations about glasses and hats and movies with songs by The Shins. The thing with the Flaming Lips’ show is that it’s precisely conceived around forcibly stilted weird and quirky elements of indie (or “weird music” as the term is starting to be coined around the internet), like their coming out of a giant vagina, the inedibly obsolete bubble walk, or the ridiculous costumes of the on-stage dancers. But in spite of the show’s own blatant weirdness, when I heard the first few notes of “Worm Mountain,” and even more so when they played “What Is the Light?” (my favorite song from The Soft Bulletin), I simply couldn’t help myself from crying. I, owner of an original copy of Zaireeka, devoted fan of The Soft Bulletin, hater of “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” and only dude in my section of the crowd who did the Yoshimi karate chop, wept like a goddamn baby. Because after years of living in this isolated and indie-forgotten part of the continent, after having to travel hundreds of miles away from home just to get a small taste of weird music somewhere in the world, it was at that point that I realized weird music had finally come to our home.

Monte - Monte

Monte, Monte
Independiente, Costa Rica
Rating: 79
by Pierre Lestruhaut

When Detectives Salvajes died last year, which was a mere six months after their one and only release of a five-track, 20-minute EP, I think something died within all of us. Us being the folks that somehow developed a certain affection for the band and that were already hoping for a new record from what was, at the time, the most awesome band from Costa Rica not named Las Robertas. But wasn’t Detectives Salvajes simply this pretty murky, No Age-esque band that occasionally used ambient noise loops and seemed to be creatively led by singer and guitar player Adrián Poveda? Couldn’t that work just fine with a different drummer? Well Monte, which sees Adrián teaming up with a new drummer, is just the answer to that.

Upon first listens of this “debut” EP, what’s easiest to notice is just how much Monte mirrors what Detectives were doing in the opening and closing tracks of their own EP, which was basically laying over a sampled but unrecognizable loop and then just simply building a different song (with actual riffs) on top of it. A little like turning the beginning of a Yellow Swans track into a very dusty and erratic rock song. Though contrary to what their own Bandcamp tags might suggest about their sound and influences (krautrock, experimental, noise), their avant hybridity doesn’t necessarily slap its listeners with tireless ignorance, since these somewhat experimental structures eventually culminate in what could be described as some pretty good head-nodding music that features no choruses but does have great bridges and breaks.

Initial tracks “Imperios” and “Neón Furioso” stay within that exercise of turning ambient noise into noise rock for the purpose of laying bridges upon bridges of churning grindstone riffage, eventually telling us that these guys aren’t really making noise via rock songs (as opposed to many bloggable 2010 lo-fi acts), but they’re actually subduing noise to great riffs and better bridges. But it’s in the EP’s last couple of tracks, which extend themselves beyond the six-minute mark, where they precisely show off their most loose and improvisational tone, where they can actually point at those Bandcamp tags and at how their sound can also be defined by some sort of subtle mutability.

Consisting initially of an electronic loop and some detached strumming with heavy pounding beats that eventually see themselves quickly buried upon layers and layers of dissonant sound, closing track “Vapor” finally reaches the point where the initial sample confuses itself with whatever clusterfuckery it is that they do with their own pedals in what is clearly their most off-kilter incarnation yet. With songs like this, Monte kind of remind me of another ungoogleable band: Women (RIP). Because like Women, they succeed at using these types of cues, ones that could easily fit in those old and used up tags like indie, noise, experimental, or ambient. Except that Monte are not really interested in affiliating themselves with any of those tags. In fact, I think they’re a lot more interested in creating what could be called their own fucking musical identity. Now if they could only give us a full-length album, that would really be something.

♫♫♫ "Imperios" | Download EP

SXSW Entry #9: Las Robertas - La Entrevista!

Costa Rica's Las Robertas were one of the busiest bands at SXSW, playing more parties than I could keep track of, so I'm grateful that they could spare some time to talk to me after their set at Shangri-La. Despite the band's self-diagnosed group ADD which punctuated our conversation with waving at friends and random bursts of laughter, I enjoyed hearing about their music, their plans, and their love for their home country.



Blanca Méndez: You guys just played Festival Nrmal, right? How’d it go?



Franco Valenciano: it was crazy, lots of people.



Mercedes Oller: Mexicans are fucking crazy. They made a mosh pit.



FV: But it was awesome crazy.



MO: Yeah, totally awesome crazy. We love Mexican crowds.



BM: Was that your first time in Monterrey?



MO: Yes, it was our first time in Mexico as a band.



FV: Actually, our first time outside Costa Rica as a band. It’s very exciting.



BM: And you have a few dates elsewhere in the U.S. after this?



MO: On the east coast. We’re going to New York and Philly. Should be interesting.

BM: I know this is your first tour. Where are you most excited to play?



In unison: Everywhere!



FV: It’s like going to a playground for us. We’ve never been outside our home, and it’s like staying at your friend’s house for the night. You don’t know what’s going to happen, and you’re excited about everything.



BM: It’s great that you’re getting a chance to take your music outside of Costa Rica. What’s the music scene like there?



MO: There is no scene.



FV: We have answered that question many times, and I think we’ve answered it wrong. There’s no audience, but the bands in Costa Rica are awesome. There’s a movement and a creative process in every band that’s insane. People should take notice of Costa Rica.

BM: What Costa Rican artists should people be listening to?



FV: The Great Wilderness, Niño Koi…there are lots of bands, and they’re all really good.



MO: Also, Zopilot, which is Franco’s other band.



BM: Would you say there’s a community of musicians?



MO: We’re all friends, so, yes, in that sense there is a tight community.



FV: It’s a really big movement in our country because it’s always been the same thing musically, but now bands are doing things differently. Playing important festivals and going to Europe, that’s a big deal for us. I hope we can open doors to Latin American artists, and in particular Costa Rican artists because I know for a fact that in Costa Rica there are some great, great bands. Costa Rica is a great country in every way, musically and artistically.

BM: What about your country do you think is so special and influences what you do and what other bands are doing?



FV: Everything in Costa Rica is really special. Our country is really different because we have lots of nature, no army. We have different things on our minds that make us create music differently.



BM: I know it’s still early in the tour, but anything crazy happen yet?



FV: Mostly just people making mosh pits and getting naked.



BM: So, pretty standard stuff.



MO: And there are tons of weird people in Austin.



BM: Austin is kind of weird people mecca. The crowd just now seemed really into your set, though.



MO: We’ve gotten a really reception so far.



BM: That’s great. I think all of Cry Out Loud works really well live because it has such a great energy. What was the process like putting that album together?



MO: On that album we were discovering our sound. Now, I think we’ve nailed it. We know where to go and what we want to do. That album was more experimentation. We really like it, but we like our new songs way better.



FV: We didn’t really have an approach, we were just doing what we like to do. We were just going with whatever happened. It came from our hearts, and it was nothing pretentious about it.



MO: We’ve grown up as a band, so songs are coming out darker now, yet more upbeat.



BM: That’s an interesting contrast. Can you explain that a little bit?



MO: Like, a darker overall sound in terms of the music, but more upbeat rhythmically.



FV: We’re writing lots and lots of songs, keeping some and throwing some away. We’re just trying to do something different, something that we like.

BM: A lot of people have been comparing you to bands like Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls. How do feel about that?



MO: We love them. It’s a total compliment.



FV: They’re much better than us.



MO: Vivian Girls are, like, the best band in the world. We really admire them, but I think we’re different. Maybe it’s because we’re a three-piece that people make the comparison, but I don’t think we sound similar.



BM: You played one song in Spanish during your set. Are you writing more in Spanish now?



MO: No, actually. We made that song in Spanish because it just came out that way. Like, if I knew German or he knew French, we might write songs in those languages. We don’t care about which language we write in. When it comes, it comes.



FV: Language is just a tool - a tool and a barrier. Whether we write in English or Spanish, it’s not politically motivated or anything. They’re just words.



BM: Are there certain themes that you like to write about?



MO: We just write things about everyday, normal stuff, like our relationships, other people’s relationships. In my case, I just start to imagine different scenarios. I put myself in different situations to write songs.



BM: So, it’s more of a creative writing process than a strictly personal one?



MO: Yeah, I like being able to make things up as I go and to tell stories, whether they are mine or someone else’s or no one’s in particular.



BM: What’s next for Las Robertas?



FV: We’re recording a new album and a new 7-inch and we’re touring in Europe. We’re especially excited about playing Primavera Sound. Really, we just want to keep on enjoying ourselves and making music that we like.

SXSW Entry #5: Jhorts Weather - Sounds From Spain, Las Robertas

After the Sounds from Spain showcase, I've decided that sangria is the breakfast of champions. I mean, if you're going to be daytime drunk, might as well do it right. Polock kicked off the showcase with a quick set for those of who woke up early enough to catch them. They played with a great morning-appropriate energy that built up to the closer, "Fireworks," which, while it wasn't a Katy Perry cover, was exuberant nonetheless. Capsula followed and drew a surprisingly large crowd. Who knew people still liked pop punk like that? I wasn't as into it as everyone else, so I was glad when Mujeres took the stage. Despite technical issues, the Barcelona-based garage rockers impressed me, especially with their loving tribute to their hometown futboleros. After their set, I chatted up the jhorts-wearingbassist (yes, I talked to him solely because of his attire) and got a copy of their latest cassette. Review coming soon!

On my way to Shangri-la to catch Las Robertas, I

had my first monk encounter of the day. I guess people are right when they describe me as "Zen" because I was approached by three different monks in one day. But giving off peaceful vibes is good, right? Las Robertas' set was all chill vibes perfect for a sunny afternoon, and the crowd was really feeling them. I got to talk to the band afterward, so look out for the interview later.

Spoiler alert: they really love Costa Rica.



Then it was time for an afternoon snack, and when I saw the sign for The Vegan Yacht it was some clouds parting, divine light shining down-type destiny. There was vegan frito pie! I know y'all are jealous.



The real highlight of the day, though, was Carla Morrison at the Naco showcase. She started with "Lagrimas," and I was kind of mad because I did not want to cry during the first song. I summoned my strength and made it through the entire set without any tears. As Andrew mentioned, there were some hardcore fans at the show. I was scared for one girl in particular who looked like she was about to pass out when she got meet Carla. But I guess that's just the power of Ms. Morrison.

♫♫♫ Polock - "Tangerines & Unicorns"

♫♫♫ Las Robertas - "Street Feelings"

ArtistAdvocacy. Guest Mixtape by Las Robertas

Las Robertas are without a doubt, one of the year’s revelations. Many of us were first enlightened to find a badass all-girl band from Costa Rica, but once you pass the specifics, you realize they really are a fantastic band with a very solid debut. Artist Advocacy invited them to do a Guest Mixtape, and they decided to make a playlist full of Iberoamerican talent. It includes some of our favorites like Javiera Mena, Algodon Egipcio and Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, to a good fair amount of bands we don’t know and we're quickly falling in love with, such as Spain’s Mirafiori and Mexico’s San Pedro El Cortez.

So our mixtape is ready.. it took us quite long because we wanted to do something very cool including bands of friends around de Spanish/Latin America speaking world.. so here it is finally.. The setlist includes (in order), the artists,country of origin and song title. We included legendary bands and musicians such as Los Saicos and Spanish 60’s pop darling, Jeanette. Lots of new and upcoming interesting projects that we like and are in love with, such as Dávila 666 (we’re planning to play together as soon as we can) and various new cool bands such as all-girl-Barcelona’s-band: Aias (they sing in Catalan), Mexico’s San Pedro El Cortez and Spain’s Beat Happening/K records revival band: Kokoscka…

Featured: Detectives Salvajes - "Aljibe"

Feature: Detectives Salvajes – “Aljibe”
Tercer Mundo, Costa Rica

We don’t get much Central American music around here, but once a door is open it’s usually easy to sneak in to survey what’s happening around the corner in this giant network. Such is the case with Detectives Salvajes, an amazing band we probably wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for the support their fellow Costa Rican band Las Robertas are giving them. It’s easy to see every nation regardless of its size, having a ‘scene,’ but judging from these two bands alone, seems like we’ve been missing out from some great adventurous rock.

Detectives Salvajes put on the psychedelic wardrobe the minute they decided to embrace formless decibel, the outcome is something close to a revelation of self-indulgent stardust and exhilarating weight. Such is the case in the rip-roaring and enervating “Los Suicidas”, the first cut from an EP the band released last year titled Cairos Papasquiaro. They know how to be noisy, but even better, they rock their way into dusty orbit, perhaps not yet on a White Denim-No Age level, but already on the Yo! Linares-Nos LLamamos league.

♫♫♫ "Aljibe"
MySpace

Cry Out Loud, Las Robertas

Cry Out Loud, Las Robertas
Produccion Automata, Costa Rica
Rating: 83
By Carlos Reyes

Skuzzy riffs, cavernous drums and a nosebleed, things you’ll likely to find in Cry Out Loud, the outstanding debut from Costa Rica’s all-girl punk band Las Robertas. Somewhere in between Sonic Youth, Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls, the band acquaints tropical fervor as means of idiom, immediately sounding as confident and vigorous as Spain’s punk-tropic bands Triangulo de Amor Bizarro and Veracruz. Las Robertas morphs from a cultural gap (for the good or the bad), one that could justify their English lyrics and their anxiety to dress up lo-fi as 21st century epoch.

Cry Out Loud is comprised of ten mesmeric pieces that go from cold to sweaty, always keeping a cohesive charm that enforces the practice crying out loud as long as one smiles out loud. It’s this kind of fainted subtext that raises Las Robertas from the crowd of punky chicks trying to exemplify today’s riot girl. Perhaps the vocals and personality don’t match up with someone as interesting as Jessy Bulbo or Luxor (Bam Bam, Selma Oxor), but Las Robertas can get away with “sometimes I'll let you treat me wrong” without the absurdities and laughable fume coming out of Le Butcherettes. Just listen to the amazing "Ballroom", and realize the almost effortless force behind it, nothing is forced here, it's just a stretched musical landscape.

“History is Done” lights up the album with a steady, airport-gazing sequence that does a tremendous job of profiling the band. The album keeps a speedy pace all throughout, stopping once in a while to refresh its surrounding airwaves. Such is the case in the well-built chain that makes up “In Between Buses” or the wonderfully fragmented “The Curse.” But it’s “Street Feelings” where the band reveals itself as a major revelation, rocking the moment as well as harmonizing it. The song’s music shows upsetting synchronization with its lyrics, “can’t do you and life again, you know we’ve came to an end… mind shows a place away from you.” The song might not be their “Fantasma de la Trancision” but it’s close to their “Young Adult Friction.”

The album’s production seems to subordinate complexity, letting the band take control to later sustain what they created through a really dense lens. “Damn 92” is the album’s most accessible and commercial piece (along with "Ghost Lover"), in fact, it’s probably the key piece for the band to crossover into the P4k audience. The song is a vengeance on the unforgiving ’92, “Will know my vengeance as all worth while. Think of it now, not quite a sweet child.” Now, if they would only extend their awesome band name and write some songs in Spanish, that would be something… but for now, this is an impressive and engaging debut from four beautiful girls from San José, one that makes them blossom in charisma and music aptitude.

♫♫♫ "Street Feelings"
Download Album
MySpace