10.23.2008

Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo


...is the newest album from Calle 13. It came out two days ago. I have listened to it from beginning to end at least 3X and I must say the evolution is noticeable and something I was unsure of since I thought the first album was very different, but still very good. René Pérez (Residente) is one of THE best lyricists out there. Flat out, the guy is a friggin wordsmith and the cadence he uses is amazing! Seriously, the dude is line with Em in the sense of how he can change on a dime and actually have content that tells a story and transforms your perception when you hear and then visualize what he says. One of my favorites, indeed. Eduardo Cabra (Visitante) is an amazing producer of beats. The guy weaves so many styles on this album and marries so many genres of music that it is surprising how smooth it is and it just works. You would be an idiot to say Calle 13 is reggaeton and I know that is what the mainstream US would try to do since it is so much fun to label everything and everyone, but this music is on the fringe of reggaton. Everything from bossa nova, salsa, jazzy beats, tango and really basic sounds can be heard on this album.

These guys are rude/shrewd/lewd, but in a very clever way. I would probably not listen to these guys within ear shot of my abuela or mother, but production-wise and lyrically, this has to be THE best album out right now and I expect it to clean up grammys like the previous release did.

Get it!
In line with our busted political system, peep the vid from
MTV ...it really cracks me up!