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Eugenia Vela

Concert Review: Festival Nrmal 2010

March 16, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

festival nrmal 2010

If musicians are always late, I guess it’s fitting that a music festival start late, too. That’s what I was thinking when I arrived at the Alianza Francesa, a French school I’ve known all my life—I attended for a while (and quit soon after), thanks to my mom’s strong belief that I should be trilingual—located in San Pedro, Garza García in México. Or Monterrey, for those who couldn’t care less about municipalities.

nrmalThe organizers were barely starting to set up while different band members and managers unloaded instruments from beat-up vans. Time issues aside, the inaugural Festival Nrmal quickly became swarmed with artists, vendors and music lovers of all ages. The festival, a hodgepodge of madness, served not just for the music-driven, but for those craving art and throwing back a few beers with friends on a Saturday afternoon.

The stages set up around the school and on the parking lot weren’t the only focus point. One could turn left and right and find 1,000 things to look at, like the ‘60s-style living room set in the middle of the entrance. Or the colorful wooden blocks laying around, with opened paint cans still next to them, as if waiting to be picked up and splashed on the seemingly unfinished pieces of artwork. Many vendors took advantage of the opportunity and advertised their stores, selling Bowie t-shirts and macabre black-and-white drawings of skulls and what one would assume were human guts.

nrmalYou could walk into four different spaces: the red stage, the green stage, the blue and the dance tent. In each one, mostly people in their 20s danced to the music, or waited patiently for the next band. The stages stood in the small gardens of the school, so if you peered into the building’s windows—which of course I did—you’d find children’s chairs and short tables and posters with French conjugations plastered on the walls.

The red stage hosted several bands like Lady Hustle and regio/Argentinian band El Cuarto, along with 60 Tigres, the most anticipated group received by the largest crowd. The band members were excited to finally have a festival in Monterrey dedicated to alternative music and smaller, unknown bands. El Cuarto’s front man, Nico, yelled out to the crowd with a smile on his face, asking the listeners to raise their hands and dance with them. When 60 Tigres got up on the stage, their songs clearly more familiar, more people arrived with their beers and cigarettes burning, nodding along to “Cancer de Pulmón”, which the band announced was from their new album.

nrmlThe second biggest turnout arrived for The Volture, which includes 60 Tigres’ guitarrist, Alejandro Elizondo, on drums. Darker by then, the crowd jumped around to the garage/rock beats while the singer switched from Spanish to English from song to song.

Around the corner, at the blue stage, people listened to very different music from what was heard from the red stage. Quid Comba entertained the crowd, with its funky hip-hop, clearly influenced by the genre’s ‘80s NYC roots like Public Enemy.

nrmalThe day went on, with band after band luring more guests in. The lineup included artists such as Awesome Color, Juiceboxxx,Yacht, She’s a Tease and Austin’s own MVSCLZ. Yppah, from Houston, relaxed the crowd with dreamy atmospheric beats in the blue stage. Sebastien Schuller had a similar style, mixing acoustics with electro beats, him the center of dozens of camera flashes, photographers’ eyes stuck to their lenses.

People weaved in and out of the main building, which contained an art gallery full of metallic pieces and famous Monterrey landscapes made of wooden sticks. Corn vendors were kept busy all day, and whomever didn’t eat corn carried a bag of Tostitos drenched in salsa, along with their beer.

nrmalLike a smaller Coachella Festival, part of the fun of Nrmal was people-watching, on the lookout for fascinating outfits and intriguing personal style. Both girls and guys wore colorful tees and second-skin jeans or shredded leggings and chunky Doc Martens. The scenesters concealed tired eyes behind Ray Ban wayfarers and dangled Marlboros from orange-polished nails. The typical San Petrino, clad in Armani or BCBG instead of vintage or American Apparel, listens to whatever’s playing on the radio and wouldn’t really attend this event unless Lady Gaga was playing. Which is why none of these people were my friends—no offense to the alternative, the indie, or whomever was at Nrmal. I just tend to hang out with a lot of fresas.

nrmalFestival Nrmal went on until 2 a.m. People left dragging their feet and tweeting about their favorite bands. After a day of interviews and taking pictures of sexy musicians, my hair brittle and dirty with a slight stench of beer, I was happy. Happy for the music that’s finding a home in a city in which kids look for escape everyday. Happy to have been surrounded by my city’s mountains all day, and happy I can write about this and actually get to call it work.

All photos by Eugenia Vela and Sofia José. See more on Austin Vida’s Facebook page.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: photos

Meet 60 Tigres, regios con personalidad

March 16, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

60 tigres

60 Tigres is a relatively new band, but you can tell by talking with them that they’ve been friends for a long time. They can tell you who’s gonna show up late to rehearsal, who you can count on to bring beers to rehearsal, joke around about strip clubs and tell those you had to be there stories only friends laugh about the hardest, while you sit there smiling awkwardly and wishing you were in on the joke.

In the five years they’ve been together, 60 Tigres has made a name for itself both in México and in the US. Their newest music video, for “Modelos sin Personalidad”, has more than 13,000 YouTube views. They’re no strangers to the Austin crowd, having played The Compound and Flamingo Cantina, plus SXSW the past two years.

They’ll be coming back for SXSW this week, but I sat down with Alejandro Elizondo (guitar and vocals), Saverio Giandusa (keyboards) and Roberto Polo (bass and vocals) after the indie-disco-punk group’s Festival Nrmal performance in Monterrey, México, last weekend. We met at a small classroom of the Alianza Francesa, with tiny colorful chairs pushed against the walls and short, blue and red tables covered by instruments. The three musicians and I sat in chairs we could barely fit in, chairs normally used by six-year-old children learning French.

All photos by Sofia José for Austin Vida.

60 tigresSo, tell me about today—the Nrmal Fest. Any thoughts?

Alejandro: Today. Well, it’s been really great and it’s a very cool place, but the organization has been, you know—is it gonna be at this time or another? Or they wouldn’t let some people in. And we played very few songs, like four or five, and we were hoping to play more, around seven.

What did you think of other bands you’ve seen today, about El Cuarto, who played before you?

Alejandro: I really enjoyed their show, and I’ve seen them before so I knew what it was going to be like.

What do you think about Austin, having been there a few times now?

Alejandro: Ah, Austin! Well, the last SXSW was awesome; there were a lot of people. Before that, we’d only played in small venues and not a lot of people came out to see us. Most of them spoke Spanish. But it felt really good; we were well-received. But we’d also like it if we could play with local bands, to get more people to listen to our music.

How do you compare your experiences in Austin to those in Monterrey? Do you think there’s enough of a following in Monterrey for your music?

Alejandro: Well, there’s really no comparison to Austin, which is known for its live music. But in Monterrey the scene is definitely growing. Like the festival today, there never used to be anything like this for our music, the more indie and alternative. There didn’t used to be a place for small bands like ours, independent bands. And next weekend is another music festival at Garage. Garage is the place in Monterrey for this kind of music. I know in Austin there’s a lot of places for small bands and live music, but not here.

Tell me about the band and how you guys got started.

Alejandro: Well, if we talk about how we started, we’d have to go way back.

Saverio: We were all involved in different projects, but we met and began getting to know each other and the idea sort of just happened.

Roberto: And there have been a lot of changes, both in members and in our style and sound.

What was your old sound like?

Roberto: The drummer we have now, Micol Polo, used to play percussion and Alejandro played the guitar. And as for sound, we had songs that were more danceable. The sound we have now is much more atmospheric, and we have Elías, a new guitarrist, now.

Alejandro: Actually, we’re working on a new CD with Elías, and the compositions are very different from what we did before. We’re definitely evolving. We’re changing from the way we edit the sound to the whole process of putting the music together.

Is there a song in particular that a new listener could identify with and say, “This is 60 Tigres”?

Alejandro: From our new stuff, I don’t think. Maybe “Dentro de Mi Cuerpo”.

Roberto: “Modelos sin Personalidad”, I think is a good song for new listeners to understand what our style is like.

Saverio: What we’re recording now is completely different, though.

How so?

Saverio: Well, in the type of composition and the way we relate to each other. And also now that Elías is in, well, the whole sound changes with new members. So it’s a sound that’s a little bit more… worked on.

Alejandro: We’re also going back to our roots, in a way. Because we’re more hands-on with this one, working on it ourselves. We’re producing the new album, while the old one was produced by someone else. That was great, but we’re taking what we learned and using it on our new stuff.

Can you tell me about your influences?

Alejandro: I’ve been listening to Velvet Underground a lot lately, and Leonard Cohen.

Roberto: I like the Lilys a lot, and Beulah.

Alejandro: The truth is I could list a thousand of ‘em. Influences from when we started… I don’t know, I can’t even remember, to tell you the truth. We listen to a lot of music and always have.

Do you remember your first live show?

Alejandro: Yes! I remember it was really cool.

Tell me about it.

Roberto: Well, a friend of ours’s uncle had a space and it was great, it had drums that you could play in there. So it just sort of happened overnight; we were like, “Hey lets throw a party and play tomorrow!”

Alejandro: Yeah, it was actually just that very morning that we decided we would play. And it had been over a month since we had last rehearsed. Actually, the way we rehearse has changed a lot over the years too. We used to drink beer and relax and slack off. We work a lot more now; it’s more formal. But we still drink beer. To get into rehearsal, each member has to bring two Caguamas.

When was that first live show?

Saverio: 2006.

Alejandro: I remember we only had three songs. So when we played, they liked us and the crowd asked for an encore. So we just played those same three songs over and over again.

60 tigresHow did you feel?

Alejandro: It was so great, such a great feeling. After that day, we started rehearsing a lot more. That party was a push for us.

Was there a turning point for you guys, or a moment when you realized you were starting to get recognized?

Saverio: In 2008, when we were invited to the US. I think that was the moment. We went to Chicago, LA, San Diego. Some people even knew the music.

Alejandro: Yeah. And it was really cool because, people here in Monterrey do listen to us. But people in Monterrey just eat everyone up, you know? They think, “Oh, just because they’ve played in the US they must be cool.” That really bugs me.

You’re going to Mexico City soon, right?

Alejandro: Yeah, we’re going; we need a change. And we want to record, and play. And play and record, and play and record, and record and play.

Tell me about the new record you’re working on.

Alejandro: Well, we can’t really say much about it, because there are plans, but it could all change. It’s so indefinite.

Do you have any weird stories that have happened at shows or on the road?

Roberto: Wow, yeah, there are. We were once playing at a bar called… Over the Border?

Saverio: Yeah, Over the Border.

Roberto: Well, we were gonna play there and at first the place was completely empty. But then women started coming in, and more and more women. So we were like Oh, yeah! But suddenly, with the bar full of girls, this guy comes up to the stage and just rips his shirt off and starts dancing on the tables, and the women went crazy. We realized it was a strip club.

Alejandro: Another story was just last weekend. What happened is that we were on the road around 11 or 12 at night and our car broke down. Screws or I dunno what, flying everywhere. We were there until around 5 a.m. We were sitting in the middle of the road when suddenly this old man walks by dressed as a woman, you know, with the dress and the hat and sunglasses. Just a creepy old man, in the middle of the road. The situation was just bad all around, ‘cause we had to sleep on a bench and we were freezing and had to wait for someone to get us. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Are there any bands here at Nrmal that you want to hear play?

Alejandro: Los Erres.

Roberto: They’re the ones playing right now, actually. Yeah, I want to see She’s A Tease; they’re good.

Alejandro: Also, The Volture. I play the drums for them, so you better come see us.

60 tigresHave you seen this SXSW line up? Any bands you want to see perform there?

Alejandro: I’ve heard Broken Bells are playing, and The Walkmen. But I hope it’s not a rumor, ‘cause I haven’t really checked.

You’ve played at several places in Austin, like The Compound. Tell me what that was like.

Alejandro: Well, there weren’t a lot of people, but Austin has the greatest vibe. There’s this guy, Brandon.

Brandon Badillo?

Alejandro: Yeah! Brandon Badillo, he’s so cool. And the places he takes us are always really chill and relaxing, you know, open spaces and with a great vibe about it. So we love it. We try to go there whenever we have a chance.

Do you have any messages for your listeners and our readers?

Roberto: Yeah, I want them to know about La Casa Buenaventura. It’s a group of regio bands that have worked together constantly for a few years now. It’s a type of group we want to have online, completely independent. We’re really like a family. So I want them to go into lacasabuenaventura.com and look it up!

How do you think the dynamic in the band works, in regards to each member’s personality?

Saverio: Well, we’ve been together for so long that you just learn to tolerate them! We all have our own little worlds, and we learn to get along because we spend a lot of time together.

Alejandro: It’s easier when you’re friends, and what’s most important is respect. And as soon as there’s respect, you begin to learn what each person does or what they’re good at.

Roberto: Hey, about the messages we want for the readers, I have something else to add: Don’t watch TV, it’s all lies!

Catch 60 Tigres in Austin during SXSW. Check their MySpace page for days/times.

Filed Under: Events

Monterrey’s Rubik rocks and raises profile

March 9, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

rubik promo

México pop-rockers Rubik got their name from the popular ‘80s toy cube, appropriate because each band member represents a color—a vital influence that helps their music come together. They are from my hometown of Monterrey and they’ve been together for seven years. Their success has been escalating in that time. After playing in Monterrey venues like La Casa Amarilla and Café Iguana, their first time in Austin was last November when they played El Sol y La Luna on Sixth Street with Austin’s Kalua. They returned to play Ruta Maya last month, and they’ll be back on March 31 to play with fellow regios and rising superstars Sexy Marvin. That show will be at Stubb’s and is presented by Austin Vida and Go Hispano.

Rubik consists of singer/songwriter Angie Valadez, drummer Manuel Carrizales, Gera Carrizales and Tom Armendariz on guitar and Felipe Muñoz on bass. After releasing their latest EP, Abril—a collection of Spanish pop-rock fused with heartfelt lyrics—the band started working on another disc of 13 songs that will be released by the end of the year. A music video is also in the works, as well as traveling to as many places as possible. As Tom puts it: “The further we get, the better.”

I sat down with the band to discuss playing in Austin, songwriting, and what they think of those who call them “just another Evanescence.” Catch Rubik at Stubb’s on March 31 along with Sexy Marvin and Vinyl Dharma. Tickets can be purchased at Frontgate Tickets for $8.

 

rubik live
Rubik at Ruta Maya (Feb. 12). Concert photos by Isabel Salazar.

How do you see the music environment in Monterrey compared to Austin? In regards to the public’s reaction? Is it similar or different?

Angie: It’s a little similar, but the experience of coming here as strangers and sharing our music is a great one.

Tom: In Monterrey, the public has a sort of strange behavior. Maybe because we’re foreign here there are higher expectations and people are drawn to that, so they have a more open mentality. We feel very comfortable coming here. And now, there’s a little more movement and people that already know us. We really enjoy playing here, and if people like us too, that’s great.

rubik live by isabel salazarDo you think there’s enough of an audience for Latin indie music in Monterrey, in comparison to Austin?

Tom: Definitely not. We started there, and there is some support and places to go, but we wanted to move to a higher level, both national and international. We’ve been in Houston, Dallas, maybe later this year we’ll go to San Diego, Los Angeles, New York. This is what we want.

In Abril, the songs tend to be very personal. In your opinion, is a song better if you did experience it and feel it?

Angie: When you write a song or a piece of music, you always leave a part of yourself in it. Each song has its own identity and message.

There are more indie and alternative groups coming out of Monterrey. Some people in Monterrey that already know you compare you to Evanescence. What do you think?

Tom: It’s all relative. If you ask different people from different places, “What do you think of them?” you’ll get varied answers. We don’t mind remarks like this, because we accept all kinds of comments. But it all depends on each person’s taste and influences. We don’t restrict ourselves when playing by thinking, “this is gonna sound too metal”, “too pop”. We just do it and if we like it, we go with it. And this is what makes it fun. What we do guarantee is that you won’t get bored. Maybe we stay within a certain style, because it’s our style, but you won’t get bored of it.

What do you want to tell people about your music, outside of Monterrey and México?

Angie: We want them to come to our shows, to support local bands and outside bands. Because music is something you can understand no matter the language. The important thing is what a person wants to convey. We just want for them to be open to anything and express themselves, maybe just by listening, but that’s more than enough.


Filed Under: Events Tagged With: interview, rock en español

Review: ‘La Guerrilla’ EP by La Guerrilla

March 9, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

It couldn’t have been anything other than fate when I walked into a Sixth Street music venue on a random Saturday night and caught La Guerrilla live for the first time. That’s why it gave me such a thrill when, just a few days later, the Austin band’s EP fell into my lap.

One word comes to mind when watching La Guerrilla perform live: energy. And tons of it. With the mix of guitar, bass, trumpet, violin, trombone, drums and vocals, there’s too much of a good thing, too much insanity—all one can do is dance. Their EP of five songs, which includes a 45-second intro of sound in between the second and third track, has the power to unleash the party animal within anyone.

The intricate blend of reggae/ska and Latin indie seems easy to master, and what they’ve been compared to—Manu Chao, Sublime and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, to name a few—is understandable, but they’ve got a style all their own. The first track, “World Party One” sets the mood, while the fun “Los Besos,” reminiscent of chuntaro style, is my favorite—and the opening violins of “Out of Control” are, for lack of a better word, sick.

The eight-man band slows down with “Ganas No Me Dan”, which still ends up being a danceable beat. To be honest, the bonus track “Tabla Surfer” didn’t particularly call to me, but it’s still very Guerrilla: speedy, fun, different, with a bit of Dick Dale thrown into the mix (I’m serious, it’s somewhere in there).

There’s a reason why more and more people search for La Guerrilla shows, and why the band’s growing to be known as one of Austin’s finest. They show people a good time and they have an effortless dynamic irresistible to music lovers. And if this still hasn’t convinced you, just pick up the EP. If nothing else, the album artwork’s freakin’ awesome.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: review

Review: ‘Vos Sabes…Como Te Esperaba: A Tribute to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ album

February 25, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

Cookin’ to the fabulous (I know, lame) tribute album for Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Vos Sabes…Como te Esperaba!, sure is fun. If anything, it definitely got me in the mood to dance while I was making dinner. But, then again, you can’t expect anything less from something LFC-related.

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is one of the few Latin American bands I was aware of when I was young. In a fairly Americanized city (Monterrey, Mexico), I was always more inclined to listen to Aerosmith or, yes, Britney Spears (c’mon, I was nine), than the almost mythical fusion of reggae/ska/rock the Grammy-winning Argentinian band created through the late ‘80s and ‘90s.

These guys started before I was born, with Bares y Fondas in ’86 and since then have released a great number of albums, singles and amazing covers of classics such as The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton”. More specifically however, they’ve created party anthems. So they would get a tribute album. For these Latin rock gods, Nacional Records released a compilation of LFC classics covered by other Latin alternative artists like Los Amigos Invisibles, Aterciopelados and Los Pericos.

I don’t know how hardcore, LFC-worshipping fanatics will take Vos Sabes once it’s released, because tribute albums tend to get negative reactions. But this is good stuff. Los Amigos Invisibles took on one of the most beloved LFC classics, “Mal Bicho”, and stuck true to the danceable, liberating, devil-may-care Cadillacs style we fell in love with. This can also be seen with Aterciopelados’ version of “Padre Nuestro”: still funky, still danceable, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs with a twist.

Other versions are taken to a more soothing and intimate level, like “Vasos Vacíos” from Andrés Calamaro, which—gasp!—I think I enjoy more than the original. Other artists provide a more personal touch to the covers, such as “El Matador” by México’s hip hop/rap group, Cartel de Santa, which gave my personal favorite a more aggressive beat, something I’m pretty sure most fans won’t appreciate, but I was open to the idea. “Calaveras y Diablitos” by Cuentos Borgeanos also sticks out as one of the most non-LFC style tracks—a bit more poppy than Latin raggae.

The tribute wraps up with a funtastic, sexy “La Vida” from Colombia’s Dr.Krápula, with the ending lyrics “queremos tocar el cielo.” Nacional Records’ personal salute to the rock icons is definitely a noble way to assemble their awesome accomplishments into a 17-track record, and we appreciate that. Covers, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have taught us, can be pretty freakin’ great.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: review

From the Eyes of a Regia: Welcome to Austin

February 17, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

“From the Eyes of a Regia” is a new feature column by Austin Vida writer and Monterrey, Mexico, native Eugenia Vela. She moved to Austin a year and a half ago to attend the University of Texas, and From the Eyes of a Regia will be a quirky, fun and brutally honest collection of her observations and experiences as a “regia” (slang for “girl from Monterrey”) living and studying in the U.S. for the first time.

The truth is I didn’t want to come to Austin. I didn’t want to come to Texas, at all. Growing up with obsessive dreams of living as a writer-slash-Manhattanite when I was older, leaving home for the proudest state was out of the question. But my college counselor pushed. Oh boy, did she push.

According to her, Austin—and UT specifically—would “agree” with “my personality.” I had no idea what she meant. Just as those whom I’ve met here are surprised I’m a Mexican, what with my “perfect English” and the fact that I’m “pretty for a Mexican” (I know there’s a compliment in there somewhere) and not wearing a sombrero, I was just as surprised to learn that Texas is not, well, tacky TexMex full of ignorant rednecks. Austin, I have come to learn, is not like that at all.

During my first year and a half as a journalism major living in this beautiful, and yes—weird—city, I’ve faced many surprises, most of them great.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that the Drag Rats now know me as the girl who’ll give them cigarettes every day ‘cause she’s never carrying any change. I’m almost used to the Nike gym shorts, sneakers and tie-dyed Tyler’s shirt uniform the blonde sorority girls wear daily. And even though I still hate the Greenpeace supporters who badger me on the streets at least once a week, I have slowly but surely learned amazing dodging tactics.

It’s all part of the charm. I guess when I think about it, there are a lot of things different here from what I’ve been used to all my life. After living in a city where you can’t leave the house without make-up and high heels on, it is sort of refreshing to know that if I wake up late, I can show up to Philosophy class wearing green pants, a red hoodie and a Spurs trucker hat without being judged. Actually, people would probably cheer for the Spurs hat. Little do they know I’ve never watched a Spurs game in my life.

And that leads me to a dreadful, terrifying fact for all Texans. Before I came here, I had never even tried, or was remotely interested in attempting to understand what is known as American Football. I know. A gasp has just been heard ‘round the state. But I’ve learned. I’ve been to games. I know now that Jordan Shipley is the future love of my life and that if you pay attention, football is kind of fun and entertaining.

I’m flattered to think you all care about what I’ve got to say. You probably don’t. But from my experience, people are fascinated to hear about the little things they barely notice, which for me are inevitable to point and pick at.

Like a trip downtown. That raises a lot of pointing and picking at. Like the way people dance. You know, a friend of mine from San Diego asked me if all Mexicans are born good dancers. No, we are not. We don’t start dancing spontaneously and on cue. Like everywhere in the world, if you go to a club back home there are your good dancers and there’s the spaz standing in the corner trying not to elbow anyone. But here, there’s this dance, this dance that I just cannot stop staring at. A dance everybody knows. The awkward jump with the fist pump, followed by grinding and dry humping dance. You know the one. When I told my friend from San Diego this, she told me I “ruined white people” for her. What was once just the way everybody (including her) danced, is now something she can’t stop staring at.

That’s why I’m here now. To notice things. To be aware. To find the charm in little things, like the small smile of a shy Plucker’s waitress that’s being hit on by a drunk frat boy at 2:30 in the morning. Or just to talk about the damn good show I went to on Friday where I listened to Los Bad Apples, Arthur Yoria and Rubik.

Everything’s an experience since I’ve gotten here. The day Obama got elected, when ecstatic students screamed in celebration around campus and drivers honked their way through the Drag. Even the two-syllable “daaayuuum” I got yesterday on Guadalupe and 23rd is quite the experience. Man, I love living here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Review: ‘Far and Wide’ album by Rachael Cantu

February 7, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

Rachael Cantu’s sophomore album, Far and Wide, is not something we’ve never heard before. Her voice and her style are comparable to other beloved singer-songwriters such as Leona Naess and Norah Jones, soft and soothing. This, however, does not make her any less talented or make her work any less powerful.

The album is a wonderful collection that, ranging from indie-folk to poppier melodies, shows off the Californian singer’s effortless talent. Cantu is enchanting—a true storyteller whose seductive singing shakes you to the core.

When pushing play on the first track, “Devil’s Thunder”, you are at once captivated. It’s such a strong opening and a personal favorite—the perfect balance between Cantu and Vivek Shraya on backing vocals. Far and Wide does not disappoint, each song a story of hauntingly beautiful lyrics and soft, intricate arrangements. Some tracks are similar—“Eaten Alive” and “Thieves and Their Hands” both build on bouncier beats with just enough jazz to make them memorable, especially with Tegan and Sara’s Tegan Quin on vocals.

The best thing about this album, apart from Cantu’s desirable voice, is the array of whimsical images it provides. Take it from a writer—it ain’t easy painting a picture with words. But Cantu does exactly that on tracks such as “Your Hips Are Bad” and one of the best, “Little Ocean Town”, in which you can actually feel the ocean breeze and the beautiful sadness of a place called home.

With an album that inevitably leaves a listener in a relaxed yet pensive mood, one can say with certainty that her charming spunk and undeniable talent will take Rachael Cantu far and wide—pun very much intended.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: review

Review: ‘Magical Radiophonic Heart’ album by Banda de Turistas

February 2, 2010 By Eugenia Vela

I have to admit: The first time I listened to Banda de Turistas’ Magical Radiophonic Heart, I got distracted by the eighth track. Suddenly realizing I was missing my roll of trusty double-sided tape to hang up some posters in my room, I began looking for it frantically and just left the music on in the background.

There are some albums that are matched to certain activities by critics, like when a band creates an album great for “a rainy day”, or crazy upbeat songs that are meant to be “danced to in the club”, or maybe the latest female pop sensation makes the perfect set of tracks to “roll the car windows down and sing out with your girlfriends” to.

So, as I was looking for the double-sided tape, I noticed I had begun to search more hysterically, as if driven by the music. No, I’m not saying Banda de Turistas has made the perfect “look for a missing object” angry album. By the third time I listened to Radiophonic Heart, I actually decided quite the contrary. Argentina’s Banda de Turistas has pulled off a wonderful collection of songs that are, well, happy. From the very first track, “Días de Prosperidad”, the five-man band uses their surrealist lyrics (all in Spanish) and poppy/psychedelic beats to put listeners in a damn good mood.

Favorites like “Todo Mío El Otoño”, “Nadie Sabe Bien”, and the beautiful instrumental and final track, “El Asombroso Misterio De La No Materia” are three examples of work that would make Brian Wilson mid-“Good Vibrations”-production envious. The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” also comes to mind. The band sounds as if straight from the greatly missed ’60s, quirky and refreshing with their simple yet cartoonish lyrics.

Like most albums by great bands, however, Radiophonic Heart has its faults. If listening to one after the other, some of the songs manage to blur into one giant song, lacking great range or diversity. Despite its fun sound that creates a palpably exultant mood, I wouldn’t recommend listening to the entire album in one sitting if you’re not already a fan. Apart from the first 15 spooky seconds of the eleventh track, “Sembrando El Terror”, there’s nothing remarkable about it, and “Todo Vaya Por La Cabála” seems nothing more than a filler song, used to build up to my personal favorite and final track.

Though even if imperfect, Banda de Turista’s first album serves as proof of a bright future for all of those who had given up looking for an original Latin American sound. And even if I got distracted the first time around, the beauty of Magical Radiophonic Heart is this: There is no one activity to match it to. Even if you don’t know any Spanish, this is an album you can enjoy listening to no matter what you’re doing. Hence, double-sided tape search.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: review

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