Spanish (OK, Spanish-language) Rock Chicks Rule!

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Lately the only new rock I wanna listen to is in Spanish, whether it's the new Jaguares album (which is, yes, better than anything Caifanes ever did) or what I'm really going berserk for lately: Spanish rock chicks!

I'm not talking about Shakira - the last song of hers I liked was "Objection (Tango)," which I just heard again the other day and it's still great, but generally speaking, her music was 50x better before she moved to Miami. No, I'm talking about all the others - Natalia Lafourcade (kinda perky trip-pop from a Mexican midget), Julieta Venegas (used to be all broody and deep, but on her most recent album she's wearing short skirts and bopping around and smiling), Andrea Echeverri (I like Aterciopelados' early stuff better than her solo disc, but it's all good, and she's/they're fantastic live), and the one whose CD I just bought today, Bebe. The album, Pafuera Telarañas, came out in 2004, but I saw the video for "Malo" last night on my local usually-all-reggaeton-and-Tejano video channel and ran out this morning to buy it, baffling the middle-aged Colombian lady who manages my local record store. On the cover, she's dressed like a cross between 1975-era Patti Smith and John Taylor from Duran Duran, and the music's like earlier Julieta Venegas, but more rockin' and with more flamenco in the guitars (cause Bebe is from Spain, not Mexico or S.A.).

So does anybody else like any/all of these performers? Let's discuss!

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Monday, 1 August 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

it's the new Jaguares album (which is, yes, better than anything Caifanes ever did)

Fighting words, I think, but I have not heard the new album. And Echeverri kicks major ass. But this Bebe person sounds roxoring.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 1 August 2005 15:50 (twenty years ago)

― Rob Uptight. (Rob Uptight.), Monday, 1 August 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

Julieta Venegas = excellent folky singer/songwriter of the sort I like but not enough to buy. Pretty, too.

Andrea Echeverri = haven't heard her solo album yet, but I love Terciopelados (and have bought several of their records). I should hate the new-ageyness of her stuff, but I don't -- it's too hooky and infectious, and well-done for new-agey semi-buddhist pop. One of the reasons I haven't looked for the solo album is that I suspect I like Tercipelados more because of Hector Buitrago than because of her, although her voice is fine. Not pretty; who cares?

Haven't heard the others at all. Agree on pre-Miami Shakira, though. And people I know like Ojos de Brujo (flamenco/hip-hop etc. from Spain).

Another person getting some attention is Juana Molina, from Argentina. Great story -- she became a TV star in Argentina in her teens, had the top-rated comedy show in that country, and chucked it in her late 20s to become a singer. After a forgettable pop album, she sort of withdrew and then moved to L.A. for a while, leaving a husband and kid in Argentina. She developed a unique, mesmerizing style of playing acoustic guitar and singing against loops of randomly generated sounds. Her second album -- Segundo -- is superfantabulous. (A really striking cover, too: mostly her hair, with just a bit of nose and lips sticking out.) The third album, Tres Cosas, is not quite superfantabulous to my taste -- a bit too laid back.

― Vornado, Monday, 1 August 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

new Shakira is great; love the Echeverri (still produced by Hector, don't worry); love Natalia L (review of first record still probably my best VVoice piece); don't forget Ely Guerra or PAULINA RUBIO who is the rockingest of them all

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:20 (twenty years ago)

y'all should check out ely guerra too; i bet you'd like her more than i do. (i wish i liked julitea venegas and andrea echeverri more than i do; i like the IDEA of them, but maybe i'd like them more if i liked bjork and tori amos! i loved aterciopelados's FIRST two albums, a zillion years ago, but they lost me when they mellowed out.) (which reminds me: whatever happened to santa sabina?? hmmm...) don't care for ojos de brujo (who have way less hip-hop, at least audible to my ears, than people always say they do; in fact, they sound pretty folkloric; for flamenco dance fusion stuff, i'll take early '90s disco-era gipsy kings {circa *mosaic*} over them any day.) do like the new shakira, though obviously not as much as the immortal *laundry service* (which was better than any of the earlier rock en espanol records that she was supposedly selling out from, as far as i'm concerned -- at least ones i've heard.) thought the new jaguares was less dull than their earlier stuff, thanks to adrian belew. but any of the first three caifanes albums (espectially *el silencio,* one of the greatest rock albums of the '90s) blow it the hell off the planet, sorry. i still have yet to see any evidence suggesting that rock en espanol didn't peak circa 13 years ago, but i'm still waiting.

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 20:24 (twenty years ago)

xp re: ely

and matt is right about paulina rubio, of course (though her most recent album was nowhere near as catchy as the one that preceded it.)]

i do like the new patricia vonne, which SORT OF counts here, i guess: country-tinged tex-mex border country mixed with pj harvey goth blues.

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

OK this post is a bit more negative but dissensus is part of a good discussion right? I have mixed feelings about these artists. I like Julieta's new (more pop and playful) direction. About Shakira, hmmm. I lived in Mexico in the 90's and my problem with these girls is that back then they all tried to be in the same fucked-up/sensitive/honest/real 90's mind-set popularized by Alanis et al. I don't really know if its themselves or their immense popularity what put me down. Of course Shakira has grown out of it (sold-out). I hated Andrea Echeverri (and Aterciopelados) but I haven't heard her new stuff. I kind of like Natalia Lafourcade and I don't know Bebe, I guess I'll check them (her?) out. I'm more exited by the gentler, poppier Spanish (from Spain) acts like Niza or Nosotrash.

― daavid (daavid), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

i liked that p.vonne album the first two times i heard it, then lost interest. pretty voice, but kinda eh for me.

the deadpan voice of superaquello singer patricia davila works well in that band's context, but wouldn't probably be any good anywhere else. she also looks great in mod brown polyester outfits, as they are all retro fashion plates. i think 'la emergencia' by superaquello might be my favorite 2005 album but i have a lot of those so never mind

oh and chuck: dude from santa sabina is a guest star on the new cafe tacuba live album. i wish you liked cafe tacuba, they're actually growing on me even more these days.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

PAULINA RUBIO who is the rockingest of them all

I went to school with her!

― daavid (daavid), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

what was she like? was she a tequila-swilling gun nut? DETAILS

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

More on the dance-pop side there's Fey who was absolutely huge for a brief period. She's never been an impressive singer but she's charming and has a few really good tunes.

― daavid (daavid), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

>i wish you liked cafe tacuba<

I liked their debut album back in 1993, Matt! They were catchy then!!

The one Fey album I have at home is SUPER duper bubbly catchy.

And Matt's sort of right about Vonne's album; after the first few listens, it was less exciting than I thought at first. But I'll still take it over any Venegas or Guerra or solo Echeverri CD I've heard.

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

>dude from santa sabina is a guest star on the new cafe tacuba live album. <

But what about the GIRL from santa sabina? She was the coolest!!

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

in re: Fey: OH i love "popocatepetl"! the art on that CD booklet is exquisite. and on the cover of the new one she looks like a hot version of my wife's stepmother...PLAY ON!

Chuck: Cafe T plays almost every good song from their first album and "re" on this live disc, and they do better versions of all their other stuff too. plus, they have a great medley of all awesome rock en espanol songs incl. "matador"! it's all catchy as a mother.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

what was she like? was she a tequila-swilling gun nut? DETAILS

It was long ago. We must have been around 10-12 years old, so I hope she wasn't into booze back then. I remember her as this skinny, kind of cute, spoiled brat. All other kids hated her cause she was famous (even back then, she was in a kiddie group called Timbiriche).

― daavid (daavid), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

jaja, was she like the spoiled brat character on that soap opera about the kid band? i watch it on univision with my kids. i love that girl!

i wish we were also including brazilians so I could talk about daniela mercury, andrea marquee, marisa monte and a bunch more. but no, it is not to be.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

Of course Shakira has grown out of it (sold-out)

But Shakira's Alanis-mode stuff totally edges out her bubblier stuff(haven't heard the last one tho). It's true!

― i'm not always this unfashionable, Monday, 1 August 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)

best spanish language female artist of the '00s so far by the way: yolanda perez.

>i wish we were also including brazilians so I could talk about daniela mercury, andrea marquee, marisa monte and a bunch more<

xuxa!!

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

Real name Cuca. Oh wait.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 1 August 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

also sadly missing in action: Lisa M, from Puerto Rico

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

Not really rock, but has anyone heard the new material from Carrie (in Guadalajara, produced by Fax, I think)? She was doing a sort of Morr Music thing last I heard, and I'm curious where it's gone since the early demos.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Monday, 1 August 2005 21:24 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and also, here's a cool LA (via Puerto Rico I think) rock band who fit here, and who put out two albums I liked a couple years ago; I've never heard anybody recommend them otherwise, so what the heck:

http://www.neonvenus.com/

― xhuxk, Monday, 1 August 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

carrie is here!
http://www.myspace.com/carriestatic

― adrián ruiz (sagan), Monday, 1 August 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

Belinda, people!

I also agree on Paulina Rubio, Julieta Venegas and Shakira, who are all great (both old and new). I've also come to like a fair amount of Thalía's stuff. She too has a new album out these days, called El Sexto Sentido.

Other artists that, though I don't them very well, have at least some good songs: Rosana Arbelo, Marcela Morelo, Alicia Villareal, Ana Bárbara and Rocío Sandoval. We're moving from rock to banda with some of these, though.

― the todster (the todster), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 05:27 (twenty years ago)

PAULINA RUBIO who is the rockingest of them all

i rode a bike past her house the other day

― Dr. Glen Y. Abreu (dr g), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 05:34 (twenty years ago)

i suppose juniper moon are too indie for this thread

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 05:37 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

What about Ha*Ash? I bought their new one tonight on a total whim after listening to snippets of two songs on the in-store thing. It's pretty good, and there's a couple of great songs. I wish more of it was country-pop like the first track. I know nothing about them. Is their first one any good?

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 30 October 2005 06:43 (nineteen years ago)

I am revising my estimate of this album upwards from pretty good to really good! And not just because they yodel (on a Patsy Montana song, no less). The hooks and riffs are all stolen, but they steal good. And that first track really is like the lost ZZ Top/Abba sessions, if Abba was a Spanish country band. But I can't even find a Web site in English to tell me where they're from.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 30 October 2005 07:24 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

Blanca Aurora - Tu no eres ye-ye

― c?ke (PappaWheelie V), Monday, 26 January 2009 04:57 (sixteen years ago)

hmm there's a new ha-ash album i need to get...

― paper plans (tipsy mothra), Monday, 26 January 2009 05:42 (sixteen years ago)

oops wrong link. that's from their first album, which is good. (second one is better.) this is from the new one, nice ballad but i like their uptempo stuff more.

― paper plans (tipsy mothra), Monday, 26 January 2009 05:51 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

More pop than rock, but I like Paulina Rubio here on the Billboard latin Awards 2009

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 25 April 2009 04:55 (sixteen years ago)

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