Mestizaje

The songs I wasn't as obsessed over as those from the Spain and Argentina editions, but that when I heard them I couldn't stop thinking about them or would suddenly pop into my thoughts until I played it to calm it down and satisfy it. Oh and obviously these aren't from Spain and Argentina. Edition. (Also, these are songs that were new to me, as of last year) I couldn't think of a way to organize this, but then I realized that my musical choices don't need no stinkin' organizashun! Ahem. NATACHA ATLAS - "Man's World" LOS SKARNALES - " Demasiado Tarde " I went to see Maldita Vecindad in concert, and Huecco and Los Skarnales were the opening bands. Huecco gave great concert, but Los Skarnales really killed it. They pay homage to the pachuco, zoot suit, pinstripe suit days, with extremely danceable ska, and the lead singer injects his monologues with language from those days, while pulling a comb out of his back pocket to slick back his ...

The songs I obsessed over last year: the Argentina edition Apart from "Gente Que No," the album by Bersuit mentioned in a previous post, and unlike the songs in the Spain edition, these songs are not obviously crowing with strong or political messages. Sometimes they are very, erm, Argentinian, serenading the beautiful and chaotic history and culture of the country. Sometimes they are nothing more than songs that fit their genre, but the song is no less potent if it captures your very soul and has you listening to it on repeat all day! RATA BLANCA Years active: 1985-1998, 2000-present Rata Blanca is more known for its ballads and epic metal , though once in a while a potent, thought-provoking song makes its way through. Also, Rata Blanca's lead guitarist, Walter Giardino, is a wizard: he composes the songs, too. What began 2010's Rata Blanca love-in was "El Sueno de la Gitana": I heard it and immediately I felt breathless and as though my brain was being s...

Like most, I found artists that I liked and did further research on them. If I then fell in love with the songs and/or ideals, I searched YouTube and waited breathlessly on Pandora for their next sound.. These are all songs I'd never heard before last year.. what a world of music awaits mine curve'd ears! Anywho, this is the Spain edition. To help with context , I'll put what region or city of Spain they come from, and years active. SKA-P Years active: 1994-2005, 2008-present Region: Vallecas, a barrio of Madrid " Abolicion " " Bla, Bla, Bla " "Ali, el Magrebi" LA POLLA RECORDS Years active: 1979-2003 Region: Basque Country (Pais Vasco) " No Quiero Ser Un Rolling Stone " -in a documentary about the movement from which La Polla was born, it is mentioned by a few artists interviewed that one of their musical inspirations was The Rolling Stones and their album "Black and Blue". This is not the case for La Polla--the title of t...

These are the five albums I bought last year that had me listening to them on repeat in a very obsessive manner. La Polla Records -Salve- (1984) I first heard a few songs by La Polla on Pandora, like" Revistas del Corazon ", " Txus ", " Nuestra Alegre Juventud ", and " Venganza ", so I decided to up and buy the whole album with the hope of liking the whole thing. I can honestly say that I love every song on this album. This and the next album on this list is the beginning of a real awakening to ska punk rock music in Spain, because upon further research, I discovered that La Polla Records are from the Basque Country. This piqued my curiosity, and with research, and knowing a bit of the contemporary and past history of Spain and the Basque country, the existence and popularity of ska and punk in Spain makes complete sense. Of course, La Polla Records don't like to be labeled and defined as a particular genre, and it is the message that is th...