Mentira Mentira - Meaningmore

Meaningmore, Mentira Mentira
Nene Records, Mexico
Rating: 86
by Carlos Reyes

Back in the winter holidays of 2009, before the exile of the Monterrey indie scene to the Mexican capital, our circle of trusted tastemakers made sure to build significant buzz for the new great band in town, Mentira Mentira. Two years later, the promising band has proven to be more than a stroke of infernal glow. The opening sequence in MM’s debut LP, Meaningmore, is a combustive line of resonant drums where MM’s conductor, Gaby Noriega, makes us jump drastically into a blood-rushing chase that seems to be spiraling from many blocks away. When the melody mutineer shouts, “Let’s keep on waiting!” one learns to recognize this procession as an admonition to formative rock and an amendment to the Mentira Mentira jargon.

This sort of around-the-corner vibe in the band’s nostalgic spectrum provides the emotional tissue necessary to afford roundness in an album that’s as captivatingly uncouth in its production and as wildly obsolete in its topics. From very early in the album, Noriega makes sure everyone knows how unconcerned he is with employing music form (or providing for an any easy listening experience), but there’s something so adherent from one track to the next and within the songs themselves to claim otherwise. Whether it’s in the proportional carnage found in modern hard rock or in the banquet of psychedelia that derives from it, there’s always a line of harmonies that rises up to the occasion. Yes, somewhere within MM’s throat roaring in “Turnaway” and the riff-clouded environment in “All My Bones,” there is room for melodic hope and retaliation - it’s beautifully condescending, but also inherently arousing.

Just like the pop elements that seem to naturally catch up with Noriega’s self-serving pieces, trouble also has a way to find him. A recent performance in his native Tijuana turned chaotic when the audience didn’t appreciate the provocative, tone-decaying wit found in MM’s live shows (they obviously had not experienced Meaningmore in all its depth). Because really, once you realize the Mentira Mentira experience is a double-edged abstraction of teen spirit and rock nostalgia, it’s best to carve into your senses and just run along with it. Album highlight “My LSD” plays like that big anthem every band should be entitled to, yet it also has the characteristics of an anti-single. It’s this raw combination of escalating noise and catchy hooks that might alienate more than a few, in fact, the majority. The most accessible tracks on Meaningmore (those that go beyond the three-minute mark) avert short timings and contemplate soundscape as a sort of dawn-tinted work-in-progress.

We often talk about authorship as a way to add credibility to those subjects who turn into misfits whenever given the chance, so it's not a surprise to see Noriega’s self-instinctive codes of rock and roll conduct shine in amplification throughout this remarkable first album. It’s also fascinating to see a one-man operation so ferociously conceived despite the obvious agonizing wounds toward existentialism (two decades since Nevermind came out, and we can’t seem to get over ourselves). Meaningmore is the bewilderment of feeling meaningless in an absurd world. Colorful ropes and vintage Mickey Mouse sweaters outweigh gothic sway in MM’s wardrobe, perhaps the most arcane showing of modern rock absolution. Meaningmore is a troublesome and captivating album that's been best described by its producer Mou (Bam Bam, XYX) as something that “sounds like it will blow up the speakers.” Agree.

♫♫♫ "My LSD" | Download Album | Facebook

Featured: Mentira Mentira - "TIME TIME"

Featured: Mentira Mentira - "TIME TIME"
Nene Records, Mexico
by Carlos Reyes

Now that Bam Bam’s Futura Via and Odio Paris’ self-titled album have seen the light of day (with plenty of shine), there are only two other rock albums we’re absolutely craving: the debut albums of Spain’s Pegasvs and Mexico’s Mentira Mentira. While the former has yet to announce an actual record, the latter is taking the right steps toward victory. Mentira Mentira’s Gaby is a true force of nature and having Bam Bam’s Mou on board as your producer can only make things better. The one-man act will actually be releasing two albums this year through two different labels: Meaningmore on Nene Records and Gasoline on Vale Vergas Discos. Last year, during El Garage’s last breaths, some lucky people got to download a rough cut of Meaningmore, and our assenting excitement gives us away us as part of those people. The album was removed from every corner of the web and has been building muscle with a top-notch production it clearly deserves.

With the visual eye of Jaime Martinez the band unveiled “Turnaway” a few months ago and are now back with the jaw-dropping track “TIME TIME.” This is Mentira Mentira at its best, showcasing queasy dissonance and infernal glow to the contrasting chant of Charles Manson’s “I’ll Never Say never To Always.” Yes, this is somewhat of a study on the American icon of evil. The start is peaceful and shimmering, building up to the most corrosive soundscapes you could possibly think of. The track comes with a NSFW clip that might give the creeps to more than a few people (let's see how long it takes before someone flags it on YouTube). It features footage from several documentaries about the serial killer and excerpts from Jim Van Bebber’s The Manson Family (2003). This is some kind of romantic stigma on human insanity. Horrific and toxic, yet full of emotional depth.

♫♫♫ "TIME TIME" | Facebook

Video: Bam Bam - "Ragatrón"

The Phoenix Zoo would be very boring without its giant desert turtles or its fluorescent dark room (it's so fun I dress for the ocassion); needless to say I understand Bam Bam's great choice of fluorescent coating in their latest video. Less psychedelic and more on the pop side, the band constructed a sort of ultraviolet room to self-direct the images for "Ragatrón", one of the best rock songs of the year. Although this visual medium leaves very little room for subsequent creation, they did a stellar job embedding themselves to the walls and highlighting their instruments. Also, bonus points for the popping eyes and the planetary references. The band, who is set to perform at this year's Vive Latino is also presenting their new formation, as former members Meme & Luxor are no longer part of the band. Bam Bam's anticipated album Futura Vía drops on March 29th through Arts & Crafts MX.

Via Reclueless

Hypnomango - Hypnomango EP

Hypnomango EP, Hypnomango

Nene Records, Mexico

Rating: 79

By Enrique Coyotzi



From Monterrey, Mexico rises René Rodríguez’ noise pop project Hypnomango. Rodríguez has recently become the guitarist and newest member of soon-to-takeover indie rock pioneers Bam Bam. Earlier in December of 2010, ClubFonograma's editor Carlos Reyes commented that Hypnomango EP killer-opening track “El Mundo No Es Real” “could translate into ‘No Hope Kids’, but this one is actually alive”, and I agree. Unlike Wavves’ Nathan Williams whose work, at its worst, can be perceived as a soulless experience (see 2009’s Wavvves), there’s plenty of life and mind-bursting energy in Hypnomango EP to assure Rodríguez as a passionate artist, one that might be seeking to achieve Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo status in the future.



Teamed up with Mou (Bam Bam, XYX) in the production, this release features five songs that showcase Hypnomango’s abilities as a guitarist, as well as his appreciation for dirty textures and distortion. So far we’re already familiar with “El Mundo No Es Real” and its anthemic power; strenuous dissonant guitar work, crashing drums, some “oooohs” in between verses and a solid vocal melody make this track an on-repeat favorite of the year. “No Te Sientas Mal” borrows influence of EVOL and Sister, two classic albums by Sonic Youth, although the production and overall feeling resembles the NYC legends Dirty era. The EP’s most chaotic, uncomfortable moment comes with “No Puedo Salir al Mar”; the song’s climax arrives towards the ending when Rodríguez groans desperately “no puedo volar, no puedo salir al mar si no estás” – the rawest moment on the record and it lasts just for a few seconds. The only real letdown here is “Neuronas”; the track feels incomplete, out of place and doesn’t go anywhere. “Flotando” is a total stoner piece; saturated feedback and shoegaze ambience converge on a trippy closing note.



If I’m not mistaken, these songs should translate amazingly live. I can almost picture the crowd and the scene: barely suffocating heat, sweaty shirts, the smell of weed and even an inoffensive mosh-pit initiated by newly enthusiasts. The bad news is that probably Hypnomango EP will be overlooked and unheard by a great number people by the end of the year, but hey, those of us who have embraced it and appreciated it know that Rodríguez is one of the new most talented individuals in the field, and that this impressive debut album is merely a warm up for the real deal.

♫♫♫ "No Te Sientas Mal"

Download EP

Video + MP3: Mentira Mentira - "Turnaway"

Tijuana-born hard-rocker ‘Gaby’ has been bursting ears for the last two years as Mentira Mentira, one of the most promising Mexican bands to emerge in a while. His skuzzy and heavy flow is unprecedented in the country’s soundscape, and he’s quickly earning a reputation as a rock-music showman. Mentira Mentira has now crossed path with renowned visual craftsman Jaime Martinez, who last year was signed by M.I.A. to put his .gif magic into her profile and the artists at NEET Recordings. He is of course, way more than that. The band’s profound noise and Martinez’s muscular styling encounter each other in the grainy video for “Turnaway”; the first promotional track by Mentira Mentira, who will be dropping two releases this year on Nene Records and Vale Verga Discos. Psychedelic coloring, distortion of motion, and some cool sweaters comprise a quite mind-blowing experience.

♫♫♫ "Turnaway"

Featured: Hypnomango - "El Mundo No Es Real"

Feature: Hypnomango - “El Mundo No Es Real”

Nene Records + Miut Records, Mexico

This is our favorite new song, to put it in better context, we were waiting for a song as good as this one to officially welcome the New Year. Something about a song named “El Mundo No Es Real” is immediately grabbing; the concept of isolation at such affirmative terms is moving, almost heart-trenching. Here we got a song that’s almost cheerless (“nada es real”), but self-responsive (“yo ya no existo”), in its own fuzzy way, it’s celebrating its existence, and that’s just what we need for a fresh start. Well-punched sequences, self-destructive drums and dissonant vocals describe Hypnomango, the new hot band from Monterrey.



Originally a one-man band by Rene Rodriguez, Hypnomango fell into the right hands a few months ago, as Nene Records’ leading man Mou (Bam Bam, XYX), who offered his excellent craftsmanship as a producer and drummer. We can’t emphasize it enough; Mou is one of the most creative individuals in Mexican music today. Hypnomango will bring its raging nostalgia and undeniable noise pop into record next month, through the release of its still untitled debut EP via Nene Records and Miut Records. “El Mundo No Es Real” could translate into “No Hope Kids”, but this one is actually alive.

♫♫♫ “El Mundo No Es Real”

MySpace

Music Alliance Pact : August

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
Selma Oxor - Abrazame Demonio
Selma Oxor is the vindication of a blasted youth that has fun exploring rock, techno and pop, an all-in-one distorted vision that according to their MySpace sounds like "a cow giving birth". From their self-titled debut album comes "Abrazame Demonio", a moment of useless exertion perhaps, but it's one of the few perfect songs we'll get to hear this year. It effectively transitions its noisy punk into some kind of urban channel, uprising the song into the heavens.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Baby Scream - Ups And Downs
Baby Scream is a musical project led by Juan Mazzola, with the ocassional collaboration of friends such as Cristian Basualdo, Sebastián Rubin and even Gilby Clarke's bassist Muddy Stardust. Mazzola writes pop songs with a strong influence from classics like The Byrds, The Beatles and The Replacements. This beautiful acoustic ballad was taken from the album with the same name, released last year in the US by Recording Records.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
The Frowning Clouds - Time Wastin' Woman
Geelong boys The Frowning Clouds are so 60s and very fun. Lead vocalist Nick (a dead ringer for George Harrison) and his poncho-wielding counterpart Zack rotate between singing and rhythm guitar duties. The coarse vocals of Zack lend backbone to Time Wastin' Woman, oozing with the sounds of the Stones' early catalogue.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Copacabana Club - Just Do It
They're pretty, uber-cool and hyped. Justin Timberlake likes them. Channel Fox uses their song in a commercial. Do you want more or is that enough to make you see that Copacabana Club are a band to pay attention to? Last year the five-piece band (two women and three men) released their first EP, King Of The Night, from which Just Do It is taken. It's dance and kinda new-rave style make people think about CSS, but it's better to listen and judge for yourself.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Centretown Cripplers - Eat The Bee
Centretown Cripplers are a seven-piece. I only mention this because they're a garage rock band, and bands in that genre typically have a much more minimalistic approach to line-ups. As Eat The Bee shows, however, in this case size doesn't matter. Centretown Cripplers are loud, raucous, primal... and awesome.

CHILE: Super 45
Mostro - Moha Moha
Mostro, one of the cornerstones of the Chilean indie music scene, are Carlos and Jaime Reinoso, two mutant brothers who deliver an intense and creative musical experience. Playing, in their own words, "evil pop" with a guitar, drum and small keyboard, they attack you (yes, literally attack you) with a mix of minimal electronica and raw, intense rock that simply knocks you down, just like American duo High Places were when both bands recently shared a stage. Moha Moha, taken from their second LP Consumido Por Pájaros ("Eaten By Birds") is a small appetizer of their genius insanity while we await their third album.

CHINA: Wooozy
Sonnet - A Nice Song
Sonnet are a disco/indie rock band from Shanghai. As one of the few third rock generation in Shanghai, they've just independently released their second demo S-File. One of the band members is now helping the SOMA indie label host live shows at the Dream Factory venue in their native city.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Jong Pang - Liar Liar
Jong Pang aka Anders Rhedin released his lauded debut solo album Bright White Light just last year and already he's got the follow-up ready and out. It's titled Love and it is a magnificent alternative pop-rock effort from which I'm happy to present irresistible first single Liar Liar.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
The xx - Crystalised
Although they went to the same school as Four Tet and Burial, don't go making too many assumptions about The xx, a group of four teenagers from South London currently making waves in the UK ahead of the release of their debut album later this month. They may share similar influences (dub, R'n'B) but they take their songs in another direction with magnificently minimal production, all of which is done by themselves.

FINLAND: Glue
Astrid Swan - Unrelated
Earlier this year singer Astrid Swan dumped the piano (and along with it, the dramatically adorned songs) and took the guitar to compose simple, but sincere and personal pop songs that she recorded with a new band, The Drunk Lovers, for her soon-to-be released third album Better Than Wages. There we can find this synth-pop gem about erroneous encounters.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Mama's Mule - Globe Trotter
The Mule and Venom met during a studio session in 2007 and they immediatly clicked. For about a year, they kept seeing each other every now and then between concerts, studio sessions, taking the dog out, vacations and soccer games. Meanwhile, Jessy Rakotomanga and Sylvain Moreau pledged allegiance to the secret society. January 2009: tadaaaam. First demo. Three tracks. Viagra for your ears. Just listen.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Timid Tiger - Are You Gonna Go My Way (feat. Ludacris & The Notorious B.I.G.)
Perhaps Timid Tiger are globally more famous for their remixes than for their regular songs. And hell yeah, this Lenny Kravitz cover does indeed kick ass. So enjoy it - but don't forget that this band from Cologne is creative and inspired in their own work, both on record and live.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Film - Filter
After a two-year period of experimentation in the studio, Film are releasing their third album. Persona is a dizzyingly beautiful set of delicate atmospheric songs with cinematic aesthetics and a detailed production. It signifies a different, more inviting musical direction that is influenced by the compositions of Vangelis Papathanasiou and summons lush combined voices, pop melodies, electronics, sparse strings and brasses. An album that is best taken from start to finish, where the songs will uncover its manifold delights, endear and impress.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Agent Fresco - Above These City Lights
Agent Fresco formed in early 2008 with the goal of competing in the Músíktilraunir contest, a sort of Battle of the Bands, which they subsequently won. The quartet write complex songs with lots of rhythm changes and received the Brightest Hope (Best Newcomer) Award at the 2008 Icelandic Music Awards. The band, who released a five-song EP called Lightbulb Universe last December, are currently working on their debut album.

INDIA: Indiecision
Sridhar/Thayil - Bring Me Rain
The project of theatre actor and singer Suman Sridhar and poet Jeet Thayil, Sridhar/Thayil's lyrical pop takes thematic Indian music sensibilities and combines them with an urban swagger in the vein of early Björk and, occasionally, Tom Waits. Bring Me Rain is a perfect example of their dirty-sexy feel, taking traditional Indian sounds and cooking up something that could work equally well at a nu-jazz club or a grimy bar. Sridhar/Thayil have been around since 2007 and they're currently working on releasing their debut album.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
The Wispy Hummers - My Love
The Wispy Hummers is a singer-songwriter who is much influenced by The Zombies, Bright Eyes, Destroyer, Death Cab For Cutie and, above all, Bob Dylan. She has released two EPs, both recorded at home, creating a signature lo-fi quality that makes the songs more honest, heartfelt and nostalgic.

IRELAND: Nialler9
The Dying Seconds - The Ladder Drops
"To some people electronic music is impersonal. It's just an orgy of numbers, dancing together and doing as they're told. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you took apart the machine and tried to replace the motherboard with a human heart?" The Dying Seconds' own description says it better than I could. This is taken from their 2009 EP Some Grand Romantic Gesture. Lovely stuff. Download their album here.

ITALY: Polaroid
Fitness Forever - Vacanze a Settembre
It's August, everyone down here is on holiday and Fitness Forever are the perfect soundtrack, with their glamorous sound inspired by Burt Bacharach, Armando Trovajoli and classic 60s lounge-pop. They recently released their first album on the Spanish label Elefant Records and played a joyful set at the Indietracks Festival in the UK, making Derbyshire feel warm like a Mediterranean spot.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Nuito - NeKoMaJiN vs
Nuito are a post-rock experimental trio who formed in Kyoto in 2004. With tapping guitar, slap bass and hard drum, Nuito rapidly change beat and rhythm while they play, and make an immediate impression. Their experimental attitude is not about musical destruction or collaboration, but reconstruction.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Sora Shima - Hello Big Sky (Radio 909 remix)
Sora Shima are a four-piece instrumental group from Hamilton who specialise in the kind of start quiet, end apocalyptic epics that you hear from the likes of Explosions In The Sky or fellow countrymen Jakob. Hello Big Sky is from their third EP, Destroy Electronica. You'll find links to free downloads of the previous two releases on their MySpace. The five tracks on Destroy Electronica see the band experiment more with the form, adding variety but losing none of the power.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Casa Murilo - 19th Floor
Casa Murilo are the perfect band to present on a global project like MAP. They are based in Norway, originally from England and started making music together in Brazil. Two Englishmen, Chris Winfield and Dan Hesketh, met, lived and worked in Brazil for two years. They fell in love with two Norwegian girls. They moved to Oslo and started a band, Casa Murilo, with two Norwegian friends. They are currently in the studio recording their debut EP, The Waldemar Thranes Debacle.

PERU: SoTB
Serpentina Satelite - Nothing To Say
Serpentina Satelite formed at the end of 2003 in Lima. Their sound oscillates among calm, violence and ecstasy, in the spirit of space-rock and Krautrock. Their second record Nothing To Say, released on the Trip In Time label, is an extended five-track epic in which Serpentina Satelite bring us a turbulent and more powerful, rough sound. For the title track Nothing To Say, you better fasten your seatbelts - this is a high energy rock 'n' roll freak-out!

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Ölga - It's Alright
Ölga formed in 2001, as a quartet, from the ashes of another band. In 2003, they won an alternative rock contest and were invited by an indie label to release their first EP, Ö, in 2004. Their cello player left the band and their sound, as a trio, became more rock oriented. Their first LP, What Is, was released in early 2005. In 2007, they started recording their new record, La Resistance, which will be released in September. It's Alright is the first single and it is, at this time, only free and legally downloadable through the Music Alliance Pact.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
The :Egocentrics - Mystic Initiation
Loose jams, goosebumps, trance and therapy. These are the reasons why the three-piece instrumental band formed in Timisoara in early 2007. Combining stoner-rock vibes, 60s psychedelic, 70s rock 'n' roll with hints of old prog rock and post-metal - along with colourful, hypnotising visuals in a live setting - the band take an almost shamanic approach to music, acting like an intermediary between the listener and that mysterious and far away realm behind your eyelids.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
My Cousin I Bid You Farewell - What We Are Eating Tonight
If this song is anything to go by, My Cousin I Bid You Farewell are cooking up something rather tasty. As a statement of intent for a band who have been around for less than a year, it reveals the scale of the ambition from within. It is big and it is clever. The Kate Bush-style piano melody, the brooding guitars and Jonathan Sellar’s haunting vocals - which resemble Win Butler’s - propel What We Are Eating Tonight into an anthem for the restless. Cracking song, cracking band.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Jonathan Chan - Water Line
Taking a step back from the catchy power-punk of his band Plainsunset, Jonathan Chan comes forward with a more intimate and soulful musical offering with his EP, Pencil Tracings. An illustrator in his own right, Jonathan perhaps did not find it uncomfortable to show a more earnest, intricate side to his music. With Water Line, he seems right at home sketching out a brief outline of the world going by, with a guitar in hand and a somber voice, singing of life's constant love.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
LAN - In The City
Head-bopping, dance-inducing beats are what LAN are about. LAN (Local Area Network) are the live representation of two DJs (CodecVSTheSound). The band formed in late 2008 and are made up of Gerald and Raffael (who are Codec and TheSound) on synths, percussion, vocals and samplers with Chris Slabber on drums. They call their music a mix of anything from 70s funk to booty bass all dropped over the latest electro tunes. With their song In The City showcasing their many influences and what they have to offer, their new material is sure to set the dancefloors alight.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Sunkyeol - I'll Write When I'm There
Kyoungmo Kim of Especially When has a new band and their name is Sunkyeol. Equipped with great melodies and a bit of experimentation that leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling, Sunkyeol are currently looking for a label to release their first single. I'll Write When I'm There was co-written and recorded with Joe Hollick of Wolf People in a joint project that never took off.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Erik de Vahl - Running
Erik de Vahl describes his new record as "the straightest pop songs I've ever done but also some more experimental pieces". You can hear both influences on the single song Running. It has a Memphis slow jam feel with instrumentation that reminds me of a classic Ann Peebles track, but it's layered in such a way with so many found sounds and samples that it does sound truly experimental.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Happy Family - Cups
Baltimore's Happy Family, sandwiched somewhere between Panda Bear and Atlas Sound, are the latest in a group of like-minded lo-fi psych-pop outfits (Memory Cassette, Neon Indian, Washed Out) to be picking up buzz around the blogosphere. Cups is one of my favorite jams of the summer, taken from the recently-released Sound Farm EP which you can grab as a free download here.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto Musical
Mr. Swing & The Bongo Clan - Mi Camino
Mr. Swing & The Bongo Clan are a new band that gathers nine talented musicians from the Conservatory of the City of Barquisimeto, the same place where the famous music director Gustavo Dudamel came from. After almost 10 years of work, these guys released their debut album Ska*Jazz Venezolano, merging two musical genres with a wonderful result. Mi Camino shows the real soul of this band.

Download all 31 songs HERE.

Selma Oxor, Selma Oxor

SELMA OXOR, SELMA OXOR
Nene Records, México ****
Rating: 83
By Carlos Reyes

Selma Oxor is the latest release from Nene Records, perhaps the most known Mexican independent label in the states and whose catalog is made up mainly of noise, punk and shoegaze. It’s common to see the bands on its catalog touring on small venues in the U.S. and have become a SXSW favorite, despite all the attention these bands don’t take themselves too seriously bringing total disorder into the scene, and of course we’re welcoming such disarray with open arms. Selma Oxor is the vindication of a blasted youth that has fun exploring rock, techno and pop, an all-in-one much distorted vision that according to their MySpace sounds like “a cow giving birth.”

Selma Oxor is a three-member band from Monterrey that is more familiar to us than we thought; lead vocalist Oxor is also the lead girl of Bam Bam, joining her is no other than Alexico and Violeta from Ratas del Vaticano. It was produced by Mou, one of the best producers in Mexico today, he really is giving rock producers a run for their money, I’d imagine he will be joining Martin Thulin, Yamil Rezc and Emanuel del Real as the ‘cream of the crop’ when it comes to avant-garde manufacturers. Selma Oxor brings some techno and pop into Nene’s catalog, which I’d imagine hardcore fans of the label will disgust, but it’s only proof of an self-rule of freedom they worship above all things, zero boundaries in music is always well greeted.

In its brainstorm of sound we could compare them with Bam Bam of course, but also Sonic Youth, White Denim, Jessy Bulbo and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, all which I find very accessible but flourish in rock’s advancement. The opener “Spend la Noche” starts the show with its parental advisory lyrics that are extremely sexual and cute, pulling off some genius spanglish words I wouldn’t mind adding to my vocabulary such as “withmigo” or the title itself. There are six skits that I must confess, extracted out of my iPod, they showcase the band’s personality and the impulsive energy of the recording but they only work wonders on the first impression, they get too distracting on repeating spins and can be washed out without hurting the actual songs.

“Memo el Gremlin” smells like a perfect single, in its own way I must say, I’m not sure how happy a radio programmer would be to broadcast a song about a gremlin, those mischievous creatures Hollywood popularized and who our singer wants to marry. The beats by Alexico in “Enamorada” show that his Dios Es Lo Maximo! and its 33 tracks worked as an exercise and workshop of unconventional sounds, as the girls in the song fall in love with a trucker man he’s having sex with his beats. You’ll get chills and your heart might pump harder with “Abrazame Demonio”, a moment of useless exertion perhaps, but it is one of those few perfect songs we’ll get to hear this year; it effectively transitions its noisy punk into some kind of urban channel uprising the song into the heavens, will the devil save them from such condition? It’s one of the year’s breakthroughs, let’s burn!

♫♫♫ "Memo El Gremlin"

Download Album Free
MySpace

Video: "Hi-Q", Bam Bam

You know we got a thing for Bam Bam; they have to be one of our favorites Mexican bands and as many bloggers predicted, they would be on people’s minds and iPods all throughout 2009. Back in January we had seen a set of stills from their first video “Hi-Q”, but some bastard stole the director’s laptop with all the footage. But they’re back and animated, a great work by Santiago Vela. And, if they were to ask me what their next single should be, I’d say “Trepabalcones”, I’m obsessed with that song in a fan-from-hell kinda way.

"Hi-Q"
Download EP

Who Should Win: Indie-O Music Awards

Notes for the Indie-O Music Awards Jury

Who should win, according to us.

Band of the Year
NORTEC COLLECTIVE PRESENTS BOSTICH + FUSSIBLE. I really want to give it to Los Fancy Free, but I’m still drooling over Tijuana Sound Machine. Zoe’s Reptilectric is not aging really well, and I’ve never really liked Yokozuna. You can never go wrong with Plastilina Mosh, but let’s not forget their All U Need Is Mosh is their weakest album yet (not a bad album though).

Song of the Year
“BESTIA” – HELLO SEAHORSE! It was probably the indie hit of 2008 in Mexico; the creatures coming out of it are still phenomenally attractive, pop at its finest. “Ja Ja Ja” by Los Fancy Free is great indeed, but I must say it’s feeling old… wasn’t it nominated last year in this same category? I don’t really get the negativity some friends have towards Suave as Hell, “Controlling the Sun” would be my alternate option. “Maten al Criminal” by The John Band is an okay song, perhaps is the sociopolitical theme that inspired voters to put it here. While Plastilina’s “Pervert Pop Song” rounds up a fairly good competition, but where is Bam Bam’s “Sin las patas traseras”?

Best New Artist
JUAN SON. It’s by far the most talented figure; some will argue that he’s not new to the business but going solo means to defragment past lands and build new ones. I had no prior knowledge of Dirty Karma, they’re cool actually but if Juan Son doesn’t take this, my second option would be Bufi, he snaps the rest of the nominees with his music + it will be cool to see somebody winning in a 'high profile' category with a netlabel released EP.

Blog of the Year
ME HACE RUIDO. This is a new category, we’re glad our colleagues are getting some recognition. When TTSO was suddenly shut down, 8106 became THE blog for scenesters looking for great music, thing is, I can finger count the Mexican artists featured and so it lacks the merit to give it an award as the Mexican vein seems to be minimal, same goes for Life Box Set. Andamos Armados is becoming like a cult, kind of a Culture Bully meets Rough Trade, again not sure if it’s an award for any blog, or a music blog. Toni Francois takes astonishing pictures, she takes you whatever she goes and is my runner up for the award. But I must say the real winner should be Me Hace Ruido, I might not agree with MOST of their reviews but they’re building a great database, with plenty of national talents pouring in and out.

Indie Label of the Year
NENE RECORDS. Let me start saying that the snub for The Poni Republic is almost criminal. Three of the nominated labels are part of the Voy a Explotar soundtrack, so I might be biased. Discos Tormento has among others, one of our new favorites Afrodita, in terms of exposure they’re lacking excitement. Discos Intolerancia is giving full support to Los Fancy Free, I’m still confused, isn’t the double-feature Never Greens a 2007 release? The award should slide on the hands of Nene Records, they’re the exemplary picture of how to run a smart project keeping its vision and expanding it, they do whatever they want (or what their resources allow them to). Free music, great response from SXSW and lots of people talking about it.

Art Package
WELL WELL MR. WHALE, SUAVE AS HELL. Last year’s nominated lineup was fantastic, I must say this time is underwhelming. Yokozuna’s provocative cover fits the music and even puts ideas into my head, is that Jessy Bulbo showing off? Probably not. Twin Tone’s Capello di Mariachi is circular, nice condensation of the colors but also to simplistic to be remembered. I like Los Marty’s music a whole lot more than its artwork, the drawings are not that bad, but the font is just obtrusive. My preference is the pastel coloring in Well Well Mr. Whale, how can I not like a whale up in the sky hiding in between some clouds and rainbows.

Producer of the Year
MARTIN THULIN. Only three nominees this time, someone from Monterrey like Mou (Bam Bam, Mama Burger, XYX) or Bul (Album, Zozaya) should’ve sneak in to round a set of five. Yamil Rezc is getting more and more popular, his work with Subdivision is superb, the jury loves him, his production design for Le Baron definitely brought attention to one of Mexico City’s most demanded producers. But no one would be as deserving as Los Fancy Free’s frontmant Martin Thulin, not only is he responsible for the great production values of his band, but he’s forming a whole squad producing the brilliant Taras Bulba by Jessy Bulbo and Nos Llamamos self-titled debut.

Dance/Electro Album
TIJUANA SOUND MACHINE, NORTEC. Nortec for the win! This is probably my favorite category, and I get the feeling they’re throwing every single pop album here since they’re erroneously neglecting pop as a category. You know how much we liked Quiero Club’s Nueva America and Bufi’s Homeless Hero, still haven’t heard anything from Play & Movil Project but looking forward to it has great music around it. I’m not sure why Neon Walrus is in competition, is not a 2008 production, unless they extended the eligibility dates.

Rock Album of the Year
REPTILECTRIC, ZOE. Again, my wishful thinking asks for cheers towards Nos Llamamos, but after much examination of all the nominated albums, Zoe still has it. The best Mexican rock album from last year was Jessy Bulbo’s Taras Bulba, and En Ventura’s Los Gandharvas. Add Los Fancy Free and Bam Bam and we would have our dream lineup. There are some good tracks from Dirty Karma, but nothing special really, Simplifiers has the hype but not strong enough either.

Music Video of the Year
CLAP YOUR BRAINS OFF, NO SOMOS MACHOS PERO SOMOS MUCHOS. Even Kanye West liked the innovative techniques from NSM PSM and director Frank Beltran. It’s magnetically circular, perfectly choreographed and supportive to its rhythm. Austin TV’s animated “Shiva” is the cutest thing, would also make a great winner. Juan Son’s “Nada” is dark and raw, a surprising nominee actually. There’s nothing to get excited in “Maten al Criminal”, we get it, violence is black or white.

Other categories:
Live Act: Plastilina Mosh
Experimental Album: The Versailles Sessions, Murcof
Punk album: Taras Bulba, Jessy Bulbo
Rap/Hip Hop Album: Ai con permisito, Menuda Coincidencia
Best Solo Album: Taras Bulba, Jessy Bulbo
Indie Music Publisher: Marvin