Whether they know it or not, most radio-listening gringos have heard Alejandro Sanz. In 2005 the Madrid native recorded a little duet with Shakira called “La Tortura” (“The Torture”) for her sixth studio album, Fijación Oral Vol. 1. When the dust had settled from this reggaeton nuke, it had become…
When Ida No was deciding what to call her glam-inflected, no-wave-channeling, minimalist-disco, shrapnel-shrieking dance-floor mindfuck of a band, she must have had an Archimedean moment of epiphany. No and friends took the elements of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, the anti-everything cacophony of James Chance and Lydia Lunch, and Siouxsie Sioux’s scary/sexy,…
The Italian-born Alex Gaudino had already enjoyed more than a decade and a half as a successful DJ, remixer, and A&R guy when, earlier this year, he concocted a little musical alchemy and struck real international gold. Deciding to revisit a 2003 track he wrote with Maurizio Nari, “Destination Unknown,”…
Don’t let the glossy veneer and marketing budgets befitting a multinational conglomerate fool you. Tuscany’s towering tenor is a rare, satisfying talent. That is, when smarmy producers stay out of his way. Andrea Bocelli launched his career into the stratosphere with 1997’s international multiplatinum crossover album Romanza. Painstakingly packaged for…
If the name Casely sounds familiar, congratulations! You don’t live under a rock. His single “Emotional,” a delicious slice of R&B pop, has been racing up the local radio playlists since its official release a month ago. Produced by legendary Miami duo the Diaz Brothers, “Emotional” is so smooth that…
Dance music’s squabbling factions should all join hands and sing “Kumbaya” this Saturday, when Layo and Bushwacka! storm the decks at Shine. Refreshingly the veteran English DJ duo brings it back to a time when genres didn’t matter. They revive what did matter — the imperative of a beat that…
Wu-Tang Clan’s fifth album, 8 Diagrams, comes at a time of strife for the group. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have publicly laid into Wu ringleader and beatmaker RZA for the album’s creative direction. Calling Wu a sinking ship and RZA a “hip-hop hippie,” Raekwon says the beats on 8 Diagrams…
This latest effort by Mexico’s supreme rock en español group will grow on you, but that’s not necessarily a ringing endorsement. Café Tacuba made its name by fusing Latin American rhythms with American pop-punk sensibilities, but los tacubos have ditched their Mexican heritage in favor of shiny, shimmering music. Although…
Being the girlfriend of Tender Forever’s Melanie Vera has to be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. On the plus side, your French expat squeeze writes nose-wrinklingly cute, keyboard-driven pop songs that thoroughly convey the depths and assorted complexities of her feelings for you. On the…
Musicians are known for toeing the line between two different worlds — drifting between good and evil — or various mind states to become successful. We’ve all got multiple personalities, so that’s not groundbreaking news, but the split between Muslim rapper Musab and Las Vegas-based pimp Minnesota Slicks is hard…
Radiohead may have gotten all the hype for the pay-what-you-wish scheme behind its latest online-only release, In Rainbows. But the English rockers weren’t the first to willfully give away their music — it’s a gimmick stretching all the way back to the blues. Here, a look at music’s best freebies…
This month Cleopatra Records offers some important aid in resuscitating the girl-group genre. The new compilation Leader of the Pack highlights the career of the inimitable Shangri-Las. The album is a push for today’s female artists aching to shriek, “It hurts when I girl-group!” It’s a display of pillow-clutching pomp…
And the hits just keep on coming… News reports out of New York this morning state that highly acclaimed Cuban percussionist Carlos “Patato” Valdez passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Most stories I’d ever read about the guy said he was crazy (in a good way) both on…
Deerhoof December 4, 2007 The NADA Art Fair Better Than: The Mojitos I had last night Ever get the feeling that everything is surreal while watching a band? Sometimes it’s because the band has a live show that it’s incapable of capturing on a recording and other times it’s just…
Chad “Pimp C” Butler with his mother, Wes “Mama” Monroe in Port Arthur, Texas, 2006 News reports trickling out of Los Angeles are revealing more about the unexpected death of 33-year-old rapper Pimp C. Some of the details are conflicting, which is to be expected in the immediate hours following…
According to this TMZ report, Pimp C of legendary Texas-based hip-hop group, UGK was found dead in his bed in a Sunset Strip hotel room this morning. There’s a brief posting about it at MTV as well, that says his death has been confirmed by Jive Records. The rapper, born…
BY ANDY VIHSTADT Great Danes Denmark’s Raveonettes have proven themselves again with Lust, Lust, Lust. The album is already out overseas but won’t be available in the US until February 19. Here are a couple of tracks to hold you over. The Raveonettes: “Aly Walk With Me” MP3 The Raveonettes:…
Photo by Elvis Ramirez “Poetess” made up a poem out of words solicited from the audience. I always figured that open mic poetry nights usually didn’t attract huge crowds. I imagined low lights, smooth music playing in between acts and a people lounging in couches relaxing, some huddled together all…
Son del Centro rock out justicia. Photo by Esther Park Concert For Fair Food Saturday, December 1, 2007 Bayfront Park, Downtown Miami Better Than: winning a lifetime supply of Whoppers. This past weekend, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers were in full effect, along with 500 or so of their supporters…
As Tall as Lions Into the Flood 01:18-02:03 of “Into the Flood” Hmm… I’m thinking a bit of Slowdive, maybe a dash of Counting Crows and a taste of the Fray. What kind of soup does that make? Utter, replaceable crap soup. Thanks a lot dudes. You totally owe me…
Youssou N’Dour Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch) On his new disc, veteran Senegalese singer-songwriter Youssou N’Dour continues to contemplate issues of freedom and religious bliss over a musical template blending African and Western pop. Among Rokku Mi Rokka’s highlights is “4-44-44,” which celebrates the joys of everyday life, and such gifts…
When it comes to playing Southern blues, some musicians have a stronger ear for it than others. If you really want to play it, you need an inherent ability to hear the music. When it comes to the banjo-picking and drum-thumping skills of Ben Prestage, he’s got an advantage that…
