MP3/Video: Eva & John - “César Gutiérrez” / “Ciempiés”

Seven out of the eight rock songs from our Midyear Report compilation belong to bands with a revivalist flair. Whether it’s a fashion of the zeitgest or a wave of distillation to detach from the aughts, the soundscape feels truly inspired. We can add Eva & John to the line of introspective revivalists placing urgency at the center of their melodic core. Plastilina Records has published their first reference, a flexi single so gorgeous, that profiles Eva & John as the most exciting Peruvian newcomers in a long time. Leading single “César Gutiérrez” surveys the underworld/paradise of a political figure from Lima who carries a bomb on his pocket and aims to be the alpha male of his city. I’m sure there’s one just like him on every city. Second track (and not necessarily a B-side) is the overwhelmingly sweet “Ciempiés” which truly melts your heart and whose video is sure to get a laugh or two from you. Eva & John carry sensibility on every dusty chord of their near-religious composition –the content is idiosyncratic but so heartfelt that it becomes universal.


♫♫♫ “César Gutiérrez” / Bandcamp

MP3: G-Flux feat. Afrodita & Jose Luis Carballo - "El Meneito"

Not everyone agrees with the notion of cumbia being a social equalizer (read my review on Los Angeles Azules’ Como te voy a olvidar). A dear friend of mine (who’s an authority of the genre) said it was impulsive and overly romantic to apply such political weight on a music that’s pedestrian and nonchalant. I still hold up my discourse. Nothing wrong with being overly romantic when doing what you love. Where we did reach consensus was in envisioning cumbia as the one popular musical genre that we could call a continental romance for an intercontinental audience. G-Flux (Gustavo Naranjo) understands the affair and services from a tone of cumbia that is nostalgic but also looks forward.

Pointing to mass consumption but refusing to take the easiest route, G-Flux constructs a notable prospective hit with “El Meneito.” The Mexican producer recruited regular compatriot collaborators Afrodita and Peruvian chicha legend Jose Luis Carballo in the making of a song that’s unafraid of anthemic thought and happens to be quite hilarious as well. Humor and anthem contemplation are typically red sirens when applied to traditional music—this is where cumbia, as an abrasive, all-welcoming genre, proves to be an ideal canvas for a track that aims to entertain. Afrodita provides the comedic sparkle, Carballo’s strings dictate the movement, and G-Flux’s bold production holds momentum and gives everything a form. Grab the track below, on free download for the next two weeks.

♫♫♫ "El Meneito" / Soundcloud