It’s wonderful to welcome back an old friend of the blog, Hector Javier Ayala, a guitarist hailing from Mexico and living in France. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a very song-focused album, featuring a couple of genuinely Mexican guitar tunes and the beautiful jazz classic, Days Continue Reading
Mexico
Francesca Marongiu – Still Forms in Air
Mexican record label Umor Rex has released an album by Italian composer Francesca Marongiu, which is heavily influenced by some spectacular Japanese New Age/Ambient releases from the mid-1980s. This was a wonderful time for ambient music in Japan, and Francesca captures the spirit perfectly while adding her own spin.
Antonio Russek, Raúl Pavón, Roberto Morales, Vicente Rojo Cama – Música Electroacústica Mexicana
Although the price for the download is somewhat steep at around $40, the single track by Antonio Russek included in this compilation, released by Aurora Central Records, is an excellent example of Mexican electroacoustic music—a genre that often flies under the radar and doesn’t receive much attention.
Angélica Vargas – El Pastor (Video Oficial)
I actually owe this video to my Mom who turned me on to the work of Angélica Vargas, a Mexican singer whose vocal range is astonishing, but whose control of her voice, especially in this song (a Mexican mariachi standard if there ever was one) is out of this world. Continue Reading
Revista Bastardo
No record reviews today, but I would like to point you to a Mexican blog/magazine who cover Rock-In-Opposition, Avant-Prog and Krautrock and freaky art, all written in Spanish, called Revista Bastardo. They’re a new name to me, but certainly one worth following.
Christophe Rieger/H.J. Ayala – Mexican Spleen
Longtime friend of the blog Hector Javier Ayala collaborates with saxophonist Christophe Rieger to produce a slow, languid jazz album which has reference points in spaghetti western soundtracks and bossa nova, as well a touch of music from Mexico.
Los Camperos de Valles – El ave de mi soñar: Mexican Sones Huastecos
Los Camperos de Valles are Huastecan musicians and are considered to be national treasures in their native Mexico. This album, released by Smithsonian-Folkways, serves as a great introduction to the sound of son huasteco.
Ophtalmologist – Julius Vernus Explorator
It’s quite a rare thing for music titles, especially instrumental tracks, to actually match the music produced. A case in point was a four-album noise release whose name I happily forgot trying to reference a classic of literature. No need to embarrass the artist or the writer, but it seemed Continue Reading
Yamila – Visions
Mexican composer Yamila produces music similar to Rock-In-Opposition legends like Art Zoyd, Univers Zéro and fellow countrymen Decibel. The music is heavy, brooding, and dense. From her label, Umor Rex’s Bandcamp site: “Her voice and music –sometimes torn and others buoyant– could resemble the score for a biblical passage (ie. Continue Reading
A Shelter In The Desert – Pequeñas Hiroshimas
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we present you a new post-rock band out of Mexico City called A Shelter In The Desert. The band’s sound incorporates a lot of shoegaze sounds and has a cinematic vibe to it. Impressive, and worth exploring.