Video: Juana Molina - "Lo Decidí Yo"

Fresh from seeing Juana Molina play live to a small but substantial audience at the Newtown Social Club in Sydney, Australia, we're happy to see a brand new video from her latest LP, Wed 21, for track "Lo Decidí Yo." Perhaps not a surprising choice as a single for its seemingly straightforward melody (for Molina) and repetitive refrain, the video ekes out the multidimensional characteristics of the track that casual listeners might miss.

In this captivating and yet simple video, directed by the artist herself and Mario Caporali, Molina stars as a paper doll moving deliberately through and above Argentinian landscape: Andes, woods, farm yards, by the sea (watch out for that bus!); her movements as jagged and floppy as a child's plaything, delightfully ironic given the self-determined lyric. For a full minute, the Molina doll - or Dolina, if you will - is caught in what looks like a vapor trail (though probably just time lapsed cirrus), viewed from an aircraft, while her layered 'scatting' delivers the visceral punch that is performed so dramatically and satisfactorily live. This sequence is so epically beautiful, the entire video could loop this imagery and be just as beguiling. Watch it fullscreen. And quick - someone make a gif!

Primavera Sound 2014: Festival Report

Photo: Pierre Lestruhaut

It’s been a week since we got back from Primavera Sound and I must say that it takes quite a long time to recover from such a huge festival. We have seen lots of concerts, maybe not as many as we wanted but here you have Club Fonograma’s favorite acts from Barcelona’s biggest festival.

Wednesday May 28th, La [2] de Apolo: Aries, Beach Beach, Me & The Bees

Ex-Charades Isabel Fernandez’s new musical project Aries has attracted a lot of attention lately due to its second album Mermelada dorada, released by La Castanya last march. Opening the label’s showcase in the small room of the Apolo venue, Aries offered an audiovisual experience more than a concert. As dreamy as the songs are, relying just on voice, pre-recorded stuff and synths, live creations projected in the background wall illuminated the music and hypnotized everyone in the audience. Beach Beach started their show with its newest single, “Just like before,” from their forthcoming album and thus kept the lively ambiance in the room created by girl-duo Aries. They presented most of their forthcoming release The Sea (september 2014), which is going to be one of my favorite albums of the year (I already know it), but also played older hits from their previous album Tasteless Peace (2012). Beach Beach have become a poppier ensemble and it feels like a luxury to see them play in such a small venue, because it looks like they are going to be huge in the future. This showcase was also the occasion to present Mundo Fatal, Me & The Bees latest album, released just a day pior. Even if they could have preferred a setlist full of their old and well-known songs, Ester Junquera’s band played most of the new album and it was a very good surprise to see that everyone was pleased with it, the room at its full capacity. - Glòria Guirao-Soro



Thursday May 29th, Fòrum: Föllakzoid, Lasers

The ATP stage was the one hosting chilean psych-rock band Föllakzoid and, even if it was pretty early in the afternoon, there was a very big audience waiting for them just before the show -maybe because their latest shows in Barcelona were so well received. The desertic sounds of Föllakzoid’s album II invaded the surrounding space, fitting well in a place that looks like some post-apocalyptic site. Lasers closed the Vice stage at 3:00 in the morning with a mainly local audience but succeeded in throwing a Chicago look-alike party with their concert. The disposition of the trio on stage was peculiar, my impression of it was that the audience reacted to it as if it was just a DJ set, dancing to a setlist based on their disco tracks.  - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Photo: Felipe Mercado

Friday May 30th, Fòrum: The Saurs, Oso Leone

Apart from the big ones, there are also other smaller stages that showcase local bands or that are part of the Pro programme, where every year there’s an invited country or region (this year being Poland and Estonia). One of Barcelona’s youngest bands, The Saurs, played on friday at the Adidas Originals stage because they won the festival contest for local bands and it was one of the best shows that evening, very energetic and powerful. The garage-rock trio has just released their second EP, Dry Finger, and their shows are always a guarantee of fun. Friday was also the big event for young Mallorca band Oso Leone, playing and being filmed at the Pitchfork stage in prime time. With a setlist based mostly on the songs of Mokragora (Foehn Records, 2013), Oso Leone presented their very personal folk-rock based on noisy atmospheres and intense reverberations accompanying a voice that sometimes recalls Amen Dunes. It was an intense performance that started soft and quietly but unfolded a lot of energy all along.  - Glòria Guirao-Soro



Saturday May 31st, Fòrum: Univers, Juventud Juché

The last day at the Fòrum started with Pierre and I watching the last song of young nineties rockers Ohios, then going to the Pitchfork stage to see Univers defend their first LP L’Estat Natural. It was early and it was raining, but there were a lot of fans, friends, members of other local bands, but also curious international attendants. The latter only stared at the very beginning, but ended shaking their heads and moving along the noisy rock ambient Univers created with their setlist, based mainly on their last album but also featuring hits like "La pedregada" or "Cavall daurat" from previous releases. It was a pleasure to see that such a big stage wasn’t that intimidating for them, even if they look pretty nervous sometimes. Pierre had the chance to talk to them and we will soon publish an interview with two of the band members. Right on the other side of the festival site, playing at the same time Television was, we could see Madrid post-punk band Juventud Juché at the small Sony PS14 stage. It was a short but very intense show featuring songs from Quemadero (Sonido Muchacho, 2013) and from their self-titled EP, which already have a very powerful sound and gain intensity when played live. Juventud Juché is a well-greased trio whose member Javi (vocals, guitar), stands out as an extremely charismatic singer that can scream really loud.  - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Photo: Sony Club PS14

Sunday June 1st, BARTS: Juana Molina

I wasn’t supposed to write anything about Primavera Sound, since we were only given a single press pass that was used by Glòria, and I eventually found myself in more of a festive than journalistic mode. But in an unexpected turn of events, here I am, surrendering to my own devotion for music writing, in spite of the festival’s strange press pass policies regarding digital media. Two reasons made me sneak in this last paragraph in our Primavera report (pronounced pry-mah-vee-rah if you trust the singer of Chk Chk Chk). There’s the fact that I really wasn’t gonna miss the chance to join the very exclusive club of (pseudo) journalists that have covered festivals in three different countries. And of course there’s Juana Molina. I was glad she got to play an intimate show at a local club in downtown Barcelona because 1) if you’ve heard anything Juana Molina’s ever done then you just know this is music that needs to be experienced in an intimate setting and 2) there were no other bands she had to compete with for my presence at her show. I did experience the concert while sitting on the third floor balcony of BARTS, since my complete lack of knee strength after three days of “festivalling” forced me to find a place to sit down. But despite the relative distance and even though I’m not the biggest fan of Wed 21 around here, the mix of warmth, tension, charisma, and musicianship that emanated from Juana and her accompanying musicians, was the kind of perfect finale that the greatest music festival in the world needed. In a week that was full of self-conscious indie weirdos (from Stromae and St. Vincent's eccentric dance moves to Arcade Fire’s everything) Juana was the only one that just felt naturally quirky and effortlessly whimsical. Like Kendrick Lamar said at the end of his performance: I will be back! - Pierre Lestruhaut

Club Fonograma's Top 12 Must-See Acts at Primavera Sound 2014

Primavera Sound is the most important musical event of the year in Spain and maybe Europe. Held in Barcelona, it hosts more than 200 live acts in 4 days, but it also spreads along the city for more than a week with its programme of concerts in clubs, bars and public places such as parks. This years headliners include Pixies, Arcade Fire, The National and brazilian legend Caetano Veloso among others. As for the iberoamerican acts, which we will be covering, this is our Top 12 in no particular order. Glòria, will be live tweeting from @de_risio and Pierre Lestruhaut will also be there (@pedrito_les). You can also follow us on Instagram (@gloriaguso / @prrlesmac).

Univers
Pitchfork Stage, Saturday May 31 17:400

Only a year and a half after the release of their first EP, La Pedregada (Famèlic Records, 2012), Univers are one of the spanish bands with more international ressonance of the moment. Their first LP L’estat natural (2014) has been critically acclaimed, they have toured the country presenting it and now they play in the Pitchfork stage of Spain’s most important music festival. This show is the opportunity to see how Univers works in a big stage, but also to unveil Barcelona’s musical scene connections between bands, as I am sure a lot of those musicians will be in the audience. - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Lasers
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 03:000

Barcelona based electro trio Lasers will close the Vice stage with their Chicago Sound inspired rhythms. They are well-known for their very danceable sets for fans of the more disco-like tracks of their last album Exchange Levels (2013) but also for the more poppy chill wave of Juno (2011). - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Astro
Vice Stage, Friday May 30 18:40 & Ray-Ban Unplugged, Friday May 30 23:30

At this point we’re wondering if there's actually any big festival Astro haven’t played yet. A sky-rocketed ascension, which started when they turned heads with their underground hit “Maestro Distorsión” and culminated in their almost universally beloved debut LP, has made the Chilean band a fixture in many summer festivals these last few years. If there’s any indication that their great eponymous album is still holding up more than two years after its release, the fact that they're playing Primavera Sound again after being there in 2012 should be enough. - Pierre Lestruhaut

Boogarins
Vice Stage, Saturday May 31 19:35 & Ciutadella, Sunday June 01 16:00

Heirs of the sound of bands such as Os Mutantes but with a psychedelic touch, Brazilian duo Boogarins visit Spain for the first time and will present there their own version of tropical fuzz-rock music. Friends since school times, they come from Goiânia, far from Brazil’s cultural centres, and have developed a very pecualiar mixture of influences that is not to be described as exotic nor as revivalist. Their debut LP, As Plantas Que Curan, is a journey to the sixties with a contemporary soundtrack based on fuzz and sound effects that makes it an atemporal ensemble. - Glòria Guirao-Soro















Juana Molina
BARTS, Sunday June 01 21:50

Duh. I mean, if there’s any Latin act (besides Cateano Veloso) that really needs no introduction, it’s Juana Molina. She could have retired after Un día, and still be one of the hottest acts in the festival, yet with the release of her excellent Wed 21, her output has been reinvigorated, and her live set will certainly be overflowing with crowd favorites and deep cuts. She’ll have the benefit of playing a more intimate show at a local club, for what is very likely to be a haunting performance from the master of horror. - Pierre Lestruhaut

Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado 
ATP Stage, Wednesday May 28 17:55, La Seca - Espai Brossa, Thursday May 29 15:15 & La Botiga, Saturday May 31 12:30

If you’re looking for shout-along indie rock anthems to sing until your lungs are completely exhausted and your vocal chords are suppressed, Argentine indie darlings El Mató A Un Policía Motorizado are your ideal act for this edition. Granted, Primavera Sound is not devoid of indie rock grandeur, but El Mató has the advantage of 1) playing a free concert, and 2) singing indie rock en tu idioma. So there’s really no excuse to not go shout "Jenny, algún dia Jenny," "Nuevos discos, nuevas drogas" and "Más o menos bien" at any of the three fixtures the Argentines will be playing in this edition of Primavera Sound. - Pierre Lestruhaut

SVPER
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 21:45

The band formerly known as Pegasvs have been blog favorites ever since their debut album cemented them as one of the most melodically accomplished acts in the brand of progressive pop music. They’ll have some heavyweights playing at the same time (Neutral Milk Hotel, St. Vincent, and Future Islands) but if you’re not a diehard fan of any of those anglo past or future legends, SVPER’s grandiose and forward-thinking pop is a must-see, even more so with the possibilities of them playing unreleased tracks. - Pierre Lestruhaut

El Último Vecino
Vice Stage, Thursday May 29 18:25 & Ray-Ban Unplugged, Thursday May 29 23:30

Cut Copy have serious competition for best synthpop revivalists playing at Primavera Sound this year. The band led by Gerard Alegre Doria made some serious noise last year in the Spaniard underground with their eponymous album (which we kinda slept on, to be honest). With a knack for instant 80s-reminiscent pop hits, this is the one local act we’re trusting will be inducing the biggest collective dancing among festival goers this year. - Pierre Lestruhaut

Beach Beach
La [2] de Apolo, Wednesday May 28 21:30

Having announced the release of their second LP in september, the Mallorca born, Barcelona based quartet just unveiled one of the tracks in The Sea (La Castanya, 2014). “Just like before” can only be described as an instant hit, it evocates the Sarah Records decade but does not forget the 90s influence of the bands last record (Tasteless Peace, 2012) and predicts a great new album. Beach Beach will be playing on wednesday in La [2] de Apolo as part of their label’s showcase, among Me & The Bees (presenting their newest album Mundo Fatal) and Aries, who released her second LP Mermelada Dorada earlier this year. - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Sangre
Sony Club PS14 Stage, Saturday May 31 18:300

There is more than one band called Sangre in Spain, but here we are talking about the girl band from Madrid that released their first EP, Sangre es Amor, in July 2013. Characteristic of Sangre are a low tone of voice and simpe melodies that recall garage pop bands from the 90s. They will be playing on saturday in the Sony Club PS14 stage, in the festival site, as part of the collaboration between Está Pasando blog and the brand, promoting young spanish bands such as Juventud Juché, Lost Fills, Ohios, Perro, Lost Fills or Los Ganglios. - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Oso Leone
Pitchfork Stage, Friday May 30 01:40

It’s not so obvious that folk and dub can be mixed, but that is exactly what Oso Leone have been doing in their last two records. Based in Barcelona, this group of artists and musicians is another of the Mallorca bands playing this year at Primavera Sound, along with Lost Fills and the already mentioned Beach Beach. The result of Oso Leone’s experimentations is a hazy ambient sound, we could say that it is even quite hipnotic, which seems clearer when they use visual effects in their live sets. - Glòria Guirao-Soro

Chicha Libre
Sala Apolo, Tuesday May 27 20:50

Who would have thought that the most Latin-folk inspired music in the festival would actually end up being played by a Brooklyn act? But you still gotta give it to the Primavera Sound curators for giving cumbia a slot in this year’s festival. Brooklyn-based group Chicha Libre have been doing a fine work in revitalizing chicha, the brand of Peruvian cumbia that brought together Latin folk rhythms with psychedelic and surf rock, and their 2012 release Canibalismo was the kind of non-stop dancing party that’s likely to translate seamlessly into a riveting live set. - Pierre Lestruhaut
 

Video: Juan Molina - “Sin Guía, No”

If you call yourself a movie fan you’ve probably made your best effort to visit your city’s art house to see Jonathan Glazer’s masterful Under The Skin. Beautiful in all its abstraction, it will probably take a while before any other visual assault confronts you as deeply. Juana Molina’s latest clip for  “Sin Guía, No” (single off Wed21) shares a great deal of the themes (desire, ritual, disobedience) and visual techniques (the forest as a character in the narrative) used in Under The Skin. Except that, unlike what happens in the film, “Sin Guía, No” maintains its characters grounded –and at human level. This is a coming-of-age story at the grace of folk magic. “Filmed in Tierra de Fuego, and inspired by the Hain initiation cermonies of the Selk’nam people,” reads the clip’s premise. Director Dr. Sepian keeps his scope open for universal absorption, and although the clip could do without the mockingly dance around the fire, the clip redeems itself beautifully in its waterfall, aerial, and cleansing conclusion.

Video: Juana Molina - "Eras"

Juana Molina’s latest music video for “Eras” illustrates the mastery of horror found in the "assaultive and frightening" Wed 21. Accompanied by the solitude of shadows, the mysterious being Bichapong orchestrates a sort of “spirit disco.” A “spirit disco” is a religious practice by the Urapmin people of the New Guinea highlands where men and women gather in a building to sing, to dance, to be possessed, and to be cleansed of all sin. In "Eras," Bishapong’s guests are imprisoned in a melodically choreographed substance-induced psychosis, reminiscent of Juana Molina’s infinite loops. Director Mario Caporali’s embodiment of Bichapong truly captures the delicacy and dark fantasy of Alejandro Ros’ Wed 21 album artwork, enhancing the aesthetic and discourse of an album that truly feels whole.

Juana Molina - Wed 21

Wed 21, Juana Molina
Crammed Discs, Argentina
Rating: 92
by Carlos Reyes

Juana Molina warrants many descriptions: composer, noise stylist, humanist, beat maker and former comic. But we often forget to reference what makes her divine to the great spectrum of pop culture. Molina is a master of horror. Whether juxtaposing the children chant “La Virgen de la Cueva” with the brutal family detachment that comes with aging in “Que Llueva,” or commenting on the wounded logic of incarceration in “Malherido” (those beast anguished groans are still bone-chilling), Molina’s uncanny sensitivity is the rumination of our daily appointments with existential terror. Her latest record, Wed 21, makes emotional devastation sound monstrously beautiful, in a deceptively simple manner. Conceptually and aesthetically, it’s one of Juana’s boldest provocations, and it’s far from being a shortcut to aural ecstasy.

Wed 21 starts off with a menacing, punch-to-the-face sequence. The euphoric awe of the intro in “Eras” is threatening, but the soundscape turns affectionately recognizable once Molina’s vocals rapture from the dark. We know it’s her creation from the very start, but it’s not until we hear her voice that we let down our guard. Unlike most of Juana Molina’s singles, “Eras” discards any calmness and opts to gut and challenge any pop-cultural codings (look at how violently that lovely "1-2-3-4-5-6-7" chorus is devoured by a seemingly demonic howl). And that’s just the start of what’s Molina’s most robust album to date. Throughout the record we find an artist who is compassionate to the medium, but who dares to be abrupt and compulsive for the greater service of emotional unease.

There’s a metaphorical pull in Wed 21 that stops it from being read as a mere brainteaser. Molina fills the space with sound. A whole lot of sounds in fact. When deconstructed, the swarming conditions come off as inner wars of spiritual proportions. Vocal harmonies serve as rituals, while the assembly of digital and analog instruments takes charge of the struggle and negotiation. It’s not as easy to articulate about most of Wed 21 though. The sonic collisions and deviating wavelength (especially in the album’s middle section) really leave the critic with the job of describing the indescribable. There are moments in trippy tracks like “Ay, No Se Ofendan” and “La Rata” that make it seem like she’s lost her mental bearings. The industrial qualities in the album are bound to alienate a crowd, but there’s a sense of grandiose atonement for those brave enough to evolve with the madness.

Simultaneously harmonious and dissonant, Wed 21 evolves into something profound. The sequence of a squeaky door opening and closing “El Oso de la Guarda” shows the centering and de-centering of social decay in the space. Nothing is as horrific as silence. Molina’s talent at terrorizing the soundscape (through abrupt noise) and then violently removing her own creation (by inserting silence) shows she has achieved an apex of melodic dexterity and grandeur. Darkness outweighs the light in Juana’s world. It’s an oddball way of appreciating the world, but it’s that imbalance in the communion that makes the experience so disquieting, and why we keep coming back for more. Wed 21 shows little signs of reconciling her creator’s looming present with her comedic past (although the closing track “Final Feliz” is a lovely, scornful wink to her attentive audience). It’s a turmoil of an album—assaulting and frightening—and one of Molina’s most accomplished vehicles for letting out some steam.

Summer Jamz 2010 - Let Me Put My Rhythm In You [UPDATED LINK]

It's that time of year. Summertime. Not just the time of year when the sun begins to make you hallucinate so badly that you begin running after a paleta that's JUST OUT OF REACH. No, it's SUMMER JAMZ SEASON! The "Summer Jamz" series started out at wonderful Stylus Magazine, where the staff would create customized mixtapes based on a general mood, theme, or meditation influenced by the season. And even though Stylus lies in the internet graveyard, many of its writers still continue the "Summer Jamz" tradition through the website The Passion of the Weiss, which is run by the world's greatest hip-hop writer (and former Stylus alum) Jeff Weiss. This year's other Summer Jamz have been running on that site throughout the summer, and will continue for the next few weeks, and I'd highly recommend checking some of them out.

However, I'm here to post the entry compiled by me and Jeff Siegel, another Stylus ex-pat who's an overall brilliant and talented man. He's also responsible for that funky bit of cover art above. Our general theme was "hypnotic and lazy," and I hope we've delivered. The link and tracklist are below (with many of your Club Fonograma faves!). Please, pick your feet up and enjoy this sweet, sweet digibrilliance.

Link: Let Me Put My Rhythm In You [updated link!]

Disc One*
1) Cluster & Eno - "Schöne Hände"
2) Café Tacuba - "13"
3) Memory Cassette - "Surfin'"
4) Los Espíritus - "Pacifico-Atlantico"
5) Mark E - "Smiling"
6) A Tribe Called Quest - "Electric Relaxation"
7) Emilio José - "Rio Grande do Sul"
8) Hoahio - "Jellyfish"
9) Pérez Prado & His Orchestra - "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom"
10) El Guincho ft. Julieta Venegas - "Mientes"
11) Horace Andy - "Money Money"
12) Loop - "Mother Sky"
13) Andrew Paine - "The Radioactive Cat"

Disc Two*
1) Los Amparito - "Los Miradas de Magaly"
2) Fantastic Mr. Fox - "Bricka-Brac"
3) Actress - "Hubble"
4) Glissandro 70 - "Bolan Muppets"
5) Prissa - "Lógica"
6) Joyce w/ Nana Vasconcelos & Mauricio Maestro - "Metralhadeira"
7) The Meters - "Cissy Strut"
8) Natalia Lafourcade & Emanuel Del Real - "Diente Blanco, No Te Vayas"
9) Four Tet & Rothko - "Rivers Become Oceans"
10) Illum Sphere - "Psycho"
11) Madame Mboty Mamy & dit Mama Tsara - "Maman Ny'Lisa"
12) Juana Molina - "El Perro"
13) James Ferraro - "Blacktop Tumble Weed"
14) Santo & Johnny - "Sleep Walk"

* This mixtape isn't really two separate folders. I just like to conceptualize it that way.

Nacional Records Sampler 2009. The New Sounds of Latin Music

Nacional Records is our favorite U.S. based label because, well, they got the most amazing catalog, and the people behind it make it all that more special. Their 2009 sampler is now available for free download over at Amazon, that's 21 songs! It includes some hot new songs from their new releases including King Coya, Latin Bitman, Pacha Massive and Tonino Carotone. Plus songs by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Aterciopelados, M.I.S., Manu Chao, Juana Molina among others. Get it!

Nacional Records Sampler 2009. The New Sounds of Latin Music

01 Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - CJ
02 Aterciopelados – Bandera
03 Mexican Institute of Sound - Yo Digo Baila
04 Pacha Massive - If You Want It
05 Uproot Andy - Brooklyn Cumbia
06 Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich+Fussible - Shake It Up
07 Bomba Estereo - Cosita Rica
08 Latin Bitman - Help Me (feat. Francisca Valenzuela)
09 King Coya - Trocintro (Extended Version)
10 Fidel - Puerta De Oro (con Pablo Lescano)
11 Todos Tus Muertos - Mate
12 The Pinker Tones - Happy Everywhere
13 Hello Seahorse! - Bestia (Julieta Venegas Remix)
14 Tonino Carotone - Amar Y Vivir
15 Señor Coconut - La Vida Es Llena De Cables
16 Monareta - Llama
17 Eric Bobo - Chicken Wing ft. The Demigodz
18 Gonzalo Yañez - Encadenado
19 Juana Molina - Insensible
20 Sara Valenzuela - Esta Vez
21 Manu Chao - Clandestino (Live)

Midnight Insomnia: Mermaid Sashimi, Juan Son

It’s 1:24 AM and I can’t to go to sleep, now who is responsible for that? Juan Son! It’s been a few hours since Mermaid Sashimi inhabited my iPod Touch and like a very scary ghost I can’t stop playing it. I cannot wait to review it, all I have to say is that now that he has gone solo there is nothing holding him back from his all-cosmos vision, for the good or the bad, expect a continuation of his glorifying vocals and a portion of his fans running away from this contemplation album a la Juana Molina or Animal Collective, expect a less steady formation and forget about Porter for a second, a macabre scientist is in full control of this boat. Mermaid Sashimi debuts today in Mexico’s stores, it hopefully won’t take too long for U.S. distribution.  

Rudo y Cursi Soundtrack (Tracklist & Details)

I’m astonished; actually I had not been so excited about an upcoming CD release for a while. Three days ago I posted the video for “Quiero que me quieras” by Gael Garcia Bernal, which is part of the Rudo y Cursi movie soundtrack. Cheky from Jovenes y Sexys informed us that they are part of this soundtrack, I almost passed out reading the amazing lineup, it’s orgasmic. I’m not exaggerating; it’s like the soundtrack of this blog, or at least of a big chunk of our favorite performers of the year. And those we have not talked about are awesome too. It will be a 2-disc release, the CURSI disc will feature popular Mexican music from El Recodo, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, La Sonora Dinamita, Amandititita, El Coyote y su Banda and others. The really exciting part is the second disc titled RUDO, which should be as transcendental as the Grammy nominated soundtrack for Y Tu Mama Tambien, which was a huge success and skyrocketed many of the indie acts featured. Now check the list and get me in contact with the album’s supervisor, I need to hang out with him/them. Just when I was about to name the soundtrack for Capadocia (HBO) as the year’s best comes this big surprise that’s got me wound up.

Songs on "RUDO": Mostly covers of Regional Mexican artists. (Yes, I know most of them, my parents love them, I do like some of them)

• “I want you to want me” Los Odio feat. Juan Son
• “Rudo y Cursi”, Juana Molina
• “Lindo Cihuatlan”, Devendra Banhart
• “Arboles de la barranca”, Instituto Mexicano del Sonido feat. Saul Hernandez (Jaguares)
• “Priefiero el Asfalto”, Nina Dioz
• “Amor Platonico”, Jovenes y Sexys
• “Besos y Caricias”, Los Latigos
• “Historia Sin Fin”, Adanowsky
• “Sueno de Amor”, Dios Malos
• “Quiero que me quieras”, Quiero Club
• “El dolor de Micaela”, Kumbia Queers
• “Amor del Cielo”, No Somos Machos Pero Somos Muchos
  
• “Arboles de la Barranca”, Black Lips WTF!!!
• “Pegadito”, Quiero Club feat. HC
• “Mi amor contiki”, Disco Ruido
• “Arboles de la Barranca”, Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible

Also unspecified songs by Diplo (WOW) and Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos Con Mariano

Check it out, Jovenes y Sexys will be perfoming THIS, can't fucking wait.

UPDATE: This is seems to be the official tracklist... seems like they couldn't get some artists as planned. 

1.        Los Odio feat. Juan Son – I Want You To Want Me
2.        Juana Molina – Rudo Y Cursi
3.        Devendra Banhart – Lindo Cihuatlán
4.        Instituto Mexicano del Sonido feat. Saúl Hernández – Árboles De La Barranca
5.        Niña Dioz – Prefiero El Asfalto (Por Puro Gusto)
6.        Jóvenes y Sexys – Amor Platónico
7.        Los Látigos – Besos Y Caricias
8.        Adanowsky – Historia Sin Fin
9.        Dios Malos – Sueño De Amor
10.     Quiero Club – Quiero Que Me Quieras
11.     Kumbia Queers – El Dolor De Micaela
12.     No Somos Machos Pero Somos Muchos – Amor del Cielo
13.     Black Lips – Árboles De La Barranca
14.     Quiero Club feat. HC – Pegadito
15.     Disco Ruido! – Mi Amor Contiki (Guaca Tiki Mix)16.     Nortec (Bostich + Fussible) – Árboles De La Barranca

Un Dia, Juana Molina

UN DIA Juana Molina, Argentina
Domino Records

By Carlos Reyes

In the first song of the album Juana Molina warns us that one day she will do things differently, she will stop singing and let the music unfold its motif causing its listener to format reasoning. For those of us who have been following her for a while, we are beginning to understand her abstract world of Sonics. Seems like Molina is taking the necessary steps to make music come back to its primitive essence, which by itself is more sophisticated. Let lyrics wash out so that that the voice, the body’s center of communication, becomes just another instrument. Other artists that have understood the proposal are imposing it themselves. The outcome is resulting on a lineup of artists such as El Guincho or Juan Son endorsing music as an audiovisual experience.

Molina is our enfant terrible of experimental music, always cycling around playful combinations, fusions and unbalancing any line that is appropriate. Many listeners will feel alienated from start to finish, once again, understanding musical form is crucial when something as radical as Un Dia comes our way. I feel like I’m teaching a Good Latin Music 101 course, but just like Juana Molina does, one must find in repetition its greatest ally; the brain retains only a certain number of seconds before it follows the next idea. Realizing that ideas (and musical notes, numbers, colors, words, etc.) can coexist by manipulating how one perceives sound makes the emotional response a lot more unexpected, a lot more honest. Molina is a master accommodating sound and silence, she knows when to let one explode and at what time the next one should shutdown.

Careful, I’m not talking about innovations, it’s Molina’s deep-felt emotional approach to music; the power of music lies not in what’s hidden in between lyrics, treasure is found behind lyrics. Just like cinema is a visual media, music’s ultimate command is its sound resonance. “One day I will be a somebody else, I’m going to do things I didn’t do, I won’t care about what others say, neither if they will work out, I will travel, I will dance, dance dance, I want to dance!…” The first single starts with truly poetic lyrics, the entrance to a world of its own, one that reunites abstract vocals, sweet fairies and factories of sound loops creating new beginnings.

Un Dia isn’t an intellectual album for intellectual listeners nor it inspires towards that goal, but it does push for the appreciation of auteur music. That itself takes the album apart from other investigational gurus like Bjork whose latest albums manifest nothing but art pretentiousness. The track “Los Hongos de Marosa” for example is a multilayered piece with 4 different dominating harmonies; they are particulars coexisting in the same musical universe not because they want to show they can work together, but because there is a force behind them that feels the necessity to have them interacting with one another. The album itself consists of 8 pieces that are perhaps too long for regular radio programming, but Juana Molina isn’t radio anyway.

The Argentinean mastermind is especially mischievous in the song “El Vestido”, one of the sexiest songs of the year in its own quirky way. While sons like “No Llama” and “Vive Solo” are great hybrids of psychedelic and folk. Whether Juana Molina’s comment on lyrics is true or not, it will be interesting what her next step will be, one thing is for sure, Un Dia is her most challenging album yet, the hardest to digest especially for newbies, but don’t get scared get on the wagon and enjoy a unique journey that will grant you momentary disclosure from this world. Cheers to one of the best albums of the year and only the second one to get the five star rating.

Alternative Songs: Juana Molina, Aterciopelados, Zoe & Calle 13 feat. Cafe Tacvba

We don’t usually post info about new single releases, but this week has been truly amazing. It seems like some of my favorite artists wanted to uplift my spirit this week. The startling lineup of new songs is simply jaw-dropping, most of these artists will release their albums in October, let’s start saving some cash for what seems to be the best month for Latin alternative this year.

“Un dia”, Juana Molina
I was convinced Juana Molina would change Latin American music, and the new emerge of acts influenced by her music can’t prove me wrong. Careful, I’m not talking about innovations, it’s Molina’s deep-felt emotional approach to music; the power of music lies not in what’s hidden in between lyrics, treasure is found behind lyrics. Just like cinema is a visual media, music’s ultimate command is its sound resonance. “One day I will be a somebody else, I’m going to do things I didn’t do, I won’t care about what others say, neither if they will work out, I will travel, I will dance, dance dance, I want to dance!…” Starts with truly poetic lyrics, the entrance to a world of its own, one that reunites abstract vocals, sweet fairies and factories of sound loops creating new beginnings. My friends know I go nuts about her; again I can’t handle myself when taking about the single most visionary artist of Latin America. "Un dia" is available for free at Juana Molina's official website.

“Rio”, Aterciopelados
It only took me one listen to decide that this had to be the track welcoming readers to our MySpace (replacing “El Reloj” by Jovenes y Sexys). Aterciopelados is along with Café Tacvba the best rock band Latin America has ever had (you had read this statement before, I agree). Rio asks us to send our rivers some oxygen, to send prayers and hope for the fish to comeback. The song humanizes our rivers and seals a connection between nature and our bodies, both in need of clean waters. The backgrounds are particularly outstanding; Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago are true mavericks of atmospheric sensibility. “Vienen las aguas del rio, corriendo, cantando!, por la ciudad van soñando ser limpias, ser claras.” One of the very best songs of the year.

“Reptilectric”, Zoe
Zoe went from the small and shy band that would replace Zurdok, to having the all-time best selling EP in Mexico to finally becoming the most popular band in Mexico nowadays. The band has yet to fully internationalize itself, but their long titled Grammy nominated Memo Rex Commander y el Corazon Atomico de la Via Lactea earned them enough recognition for their new album to travel new territories. The title of the song didn’t make any sense to me, I tried to google it and it seems Zoe has invented a word/species/new god? : reptile + electric. “Reptilectric, welcome to earth”, the song goes from confusion to illusion, seems like Zoe is waiting for the arrival of a prophet from another galaxy. Seems like they run out of patience with other gods and have transported themselves to a new cosmos; they ask for more love and less pain, to make them forget about everything that makes suffering. I like this new messiah, this “messenger of light”.

“No hay nadie como tu”, Calle 13 feat. Café Tacvba
Some months ago Calle 13 had asked its fans at their blog for suggestions on future collaborations. Calle 13 is a very appealing act that is mainly acclaimed by alternative music followers, so it came as no surprise that Los Tacubos ended as a favorite. The bad boys for the first time have overlooked reggaeton for a first single. “No hay nadie como tu” is a catchy song about so many things, about so many people and that special individual that connects them all. Here is hoping Calle 13 doesn’t loose its delicious explicit lyrics and political commentary. The song is simply triumphant and only makes us think that we’ll be getting another jewel with Los de atras vienen conmigo.