“Ay Ay Ay” is a wonderful third record from Carlos Méndez, and also the opening track of this record. It features the wonderful voice of Andrea Echeverri, who adds some bright notes to the overally upbeat atmosphere and makes a nice dialogue with the host. We would encourage you to check out the whole album but we’re quite sure you’ll do it anyway after hearing this title song.
This video directed by Anel Reyes Saldaña just appread on YouTube, but we’ve been listening to “Life in the Tropics” for a while and it has this wonderful ambiguity of something immediate but lasting, dance-oriented but fitting home listening, synth-oriented but with that touch of Latin rock. After so many years on stage already, Camilo Navarro can still surprise you.
If neo-soul / alternative R&B isn’t something you would come up with when thinking about the Panamese scene, Edwin Hosoomel will change it. At least to some extent, because he’s now based in Hamburg, Germany, and sounds as global as it get. He’s got a whole new album called “Lighthouse“, and let us say it wasn’t easy to pick just one track off this record.
One of Panama’s most colourful bands, Entre Nos (Between Us) released a whole new album last year, called “Tropical Twista“. Its title will already give you an idea about the sound (bright) and mood (bright). But you can start with this stripped-down, camp fire song called “Otro Mundo” before you jump into Entre Nos’ upbeat rhythms.
A tribute to Panamanian music “in all its genres”, recorded live during peak hours right next to the Corredor Sur highway in Panama City, “All Stars Live At Corredor Sur” is such a joy to listen. But it’s even more delighting to see this spirited orchestra play together. That’s why you should check out all the videos. Here’s just one of the highlights, featuring the one and only Renato.
This video might be less than two minutes long, but it’s special for Italics about how it combines their roughness (that vocal) with, yes, some beauty (that shoegaze’y guitars and the piano mini-theme). If this song sounds as decadent as its title, that might be because it’s the closing track of Italics’ latest album, tellingly entitled “Modern Times“. Which apart from the closer, focuses rather on the rougher aspects by the way.
Metallica fans might have already heard about Komodo because of their tributes. The heavy metal quartet’s latest album, blantly titled “Fear the Komodo“, can also be considered such a tribute and if you like that sound, this 8-track will be a delight for your fatigued ears. This eponymous single is a good first taste, accompanied by a video directed by Tavo Chirivella and Edgardo Quijada.
Soon after they formed, Lógica Estelar released their first EP, which they tagged themselves with words like dreampop, dreamrock, nugaze, shoegaze and space rock. It’s all in those five songs. But it’s just the canvas for the atmosphere their build with these inspirations, and for the haunting vocals of Nelly Valdivieso. Here’s a band to keep your eyes on in the next years.
Lógica Estelar on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud.
On his latest full-length effort, the legendary Rubén Blades (as Medoro Madera) revives mostly standards from the 1920s and 1930s, inspired by the tradition of Cuban soneros. “Medoro Madera” is one of those albums you should take as a whole, so take this vivid opener just as an encouragement to spend more time with Blades/Madera and his mini-orchestra, together making a century-old music sound fresh again.
Sometimes old songs get a completely new life with a remix, and that’s true about this case. On the one hand, Rasta Lloyd brought a synth revolution to the arrangement, which was so classic in the original version. But there’s also the featuring of Young Luigui, who arrives at the end of the second minute with the most spectacular rap performance we might have heard recently. Bravo.
Señor Loop on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Rasta Lloyd on Facebook, Instagram. Young Luigui on Facebook, Instagram.