His more accesible album to date, it’s also his most defined one yet, as he finally seeks musicality. Alejandro Ghersi’s haunting beats now honor and deconstruct Venezuelan music, while Arca discovers himself as an artist. Arca’s music sounds like a shy, Latin American Anohni and we can finally hear him being comfortable with who he is as a musician.
♪♫ Listen: “Reverie” + album stream
Venezuelan, ever-Europe-touring Balkan ska ensemble, Gypsy Ska Orquesta finally delivered their first LP in which they basically tell you to dance with the devil. It is a collection of songs in which they show their versatility when it comes to blending genres, as the switch from ska to punk to Balkan to salsa in a matter of seconds. A great album to let your demons get out of your body.
♪♫ Listen: “Crackas Čoček” + album stream
Tropicália meets Freak Folk in Seghabi’s first EP, “Lo Real Maravilloso de Nicolás Ferdinandov”, a set of songs inspired by the travels of Russian painter Nicolas Ferdinandov in Venezuela. Honest and chilling songwriting and instrumentation that feels very homecrafted. Recommended for the beach.
♪♫ Listen: “Caribe Gris” + album stream
An album crafted by an 18-year-old that sounds like the meeting of Argentinian rock and Venezuelan pop from the eighties with an indie rock twist. Somalunar’s first LP is as pop as pop can get, but it’s pretty rocky and well written too. Its songs are about love seeing from the poetic POV of a kid his age, with some naiveness, but good intentions in the way.
♪♫ Listen: “Beso Lento” + album stream
Somalunar on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
They may be apart, geography-wise, but Nightcars sounds like a well ensembled band that plays almost every weekend. Their debut EP, well received by people on the internet, is a mashup of influences (mostly indie pop) that may sound like something you’ve already heard, but you can’t tell what band is it exactly.
♪♫ Listen: “I Was In A Dark Frame of Mind” + album stream
In their fourth album, released from Miami, Florida, their new home, Venezuelan indie rockers and Latin Grammy winners deliver a new set of songs plagued with raw and outstanding guitar work, all sung in English. It’s an exploration of new sounds where they add up synths to their heavy tunes and the result is maybe not their best record yet, but a solid record.
♪♫ Listen: “Show Me The Money” + album stream
Latin Grammy winners La Vida Bohème have delivered an album that sort of connects their amazing debut “Nuestra” (2010) with their highly conceptual masterpiece “Será” (2014), completing their trilogy “Nuestra Será La Lucha” (The Struggle Will Be Ours). In this album, they reflect on the venezuelan diaspora and watching what is going on here from afar, as they migrated to Mexico.
♪♫ Listen: “Mi Mar Mi Nada” + album stream
After dissolving his previous band, Fuego Montevideo, Carlos Poletto, a.k.a. El Otro Polo, spent several years writing this album and the result was impecable. A collection of indie pop folk songs dressed with sounds from jazz, big band, swing and Italian music, in which he sings about relationships and his childhood.
♪♫ Listen: “Ofrenda” + album stream
In their second offering, caraquenian indie rockers Los Mesoneros deliver some catchy tunes with a sound more refined and modern than its predecessor, and a lot more maturity in their songwriting. Luis Jimenez’s voice is still one of the best in Venezuela and this records is the best display for it.
♪♫ Listen: “Caiga La Noche” + album stream
Probably, the best hip hop album in Latin America in 2017. Venezuelan MC Lil Supa has proven, once again, he is the real deal when it comes to old school hip hop. His beats summon sounds from funk, jazz and boombap, while he croons about life, being a rapper, movies, culture, painting, or music. Instant classic. All that with outstanding music videos
♪♫ Listen: “光 LUZ” + album stream