New Music Tuesday: Part 1

Frequent contributor Craig Gidney does occasional music reviews for TNG. This week, he provides two short reviews of new (out today!) Spanish language albums. The first is the new album by Natalia Clavier, released on DC's own ESL label. The second is the new album by Allá, a Chicago three-piece that creates latin-influenced psychedelic rock.


Natalia Clavier, "Nectar"

DC's 18th Street Lounge Records has been creating suave and sophisticated downtempo with an an international flair for years. Natalia Clavier is a perfect artist for the label; her music weds trip-hop, downtempo and classic latin sounds into lovely brew. Clavier has a pure, sweet voice (like nectar) that avoids the cliché "sultry" sound. There's a smattering of Morcheeba in the "Azul" that recalls the best of the band. Most of the songs, though, a fairly straightforward ballads that use electronica and triphop sounds (like scratching) as decoration, rather than organic part of the craft, and as a result, the album is dangerously close to mojito and Armani suit cocktail party music. Just a dash of edginess would have made the album more than pleasant.

Allá, "Es Tiempo"

Allá proves the experimental music doesn't always have to be dark and depressing. These 3 Chicano/a Chitowners mix Spanish lyrics with a sound that mixes Stereolab, a dash of shoegazer and smattering of 70s pop and soul. I don't what guitarist Lupe Martinez is singing about, but I don't care. Her voice is at once airy and powerful and soars over the intricate arrangements. She's a sweeter Laetitia Sadier, or less spacy Juana Molina. Glitch pop, disco-era strings, wurlitzers and other hybrid forms simmer in these songs. Steve Reich-like minimalism crash into electropop with kitschy nods to lo-fi and Philadelphia soul. The whole album is shot through with a sunny surrealistic vibe that's simply infectious.