Club Fonograma's Best Songs of 2013 (75-51)

100-76

075. Helado Negro - 
“Dance Ghost” ♫♫♫
Invisible Life is a fully-formed deity of sound, ruling over desolation, and refracted light in water. Put another way, Helado Negro's brilliant LP totally owns the mood it creates, and single "Dance Ghost" marks the album on the verge of something like elation. But don't be fooled. It is the soundtrack of waiting for someone; of walking familiar routes; of fading memories of someone special, while you try futilely to catch the attention of someone new on a dance floor. - Sam Rodgers



074. San Pedro El Cortez - 
“Chica Mala” ♫♫♫
Raw energy, garage meets-psy rock mishmash with all the passion that it takes and a party vibe at all times. SPEC’s firebrand sound heats up our dancing boots and set everything in their wake ablaze. “Chica Mala” is an explosive cocktail of abrasive guitars, primal rhythms that command slyly the brain to tap your foot, disappointing love, death and carelessness. These four old souls might have left rock pass over their bodies, hearts and voices, but its for our own good. - Souad Martin-Saoudi

073. Marineros - “Espero”
They may only count with just one officially released song, but don’t underestimate Marineros. Javiera Mena’s and Cristián Heyne’s latest protégées, who recently got signed to Unión del Sur, are worth the hype. Sure, the comparisons to The xx come out as inevitable. Nonetheless, Marineros’ inclination towards melodiousness puts them along the side of sharp-eyed pop compatriots like Dënver or Fakuta. “Espero” proves it. A cute grower that has gained newfound vigor. - Enrique Coyotzi

072. Teen Flirt - “Secrets”
It’s all in those 90’s R&B vocal samples isn’t it? If you’ve heard any of the great Essential Guide to Modern Love mixtapes Monterrey’s own Teen Flirt dropped this year, you’ll quickly note why he was recently chosen to open for James Blake in Mexico -- arguably the biggest popularizer of R&B samples in contemporary electronica. In “Secrets” though, that’s when he started to shape his own path towards creating the kind of soulful lovemaking house he admires so much himself. - Pierre Lestruhaut

071. Carmen Sandiego - 
“Sós más bien” ♫♫♫
A song that seems conceived in the golden times of garage rock, when kids from the suburbs held to the melodic notions of teenage heroes like Weezer and the Nirvana. ''Sós Más Bien'' is a wrenching confession of hatred sincerity sung in a punkishly way but warmly narrated by Carmen Sandiego. The desolation that comes with the realization of hating the person you used to love is hard-hitting. Uruguay's most valuable act nowadays somehow makes you want to carve deeper into the wound. - Jeziel Jovel 

070. Natalia Kills - “Problem”
Just in case the song's title didn't get the point across, "Problem" starts with wailing sirens signaling that Natalia Kills is up to no good. The Strut Song of the Year then quickly proceeds to stomp like Naomi Campbell on the catwalk, intimidating and seducing at the same time. Kills warns, "that girl is a problem," knowing full well we've already fallen for her. But more than a warning, it's a banner that Kills waves, proudly and resolutely bad to the core. - Blanca Méndez

069. Quiero Club - “No hay nadie”
Through white noise and distortion come clean beats and lasers – if you don’t immediately picture smoke rolling off a stage, you haven’t been paying attention. This is a five minute stadium club rocker gyrator, which finishes just as it lifts off the ground. An infectious synth refrain pushes your body to move, in rapture. Sweat drips. The heat of hundreds of bodies, jiggling, hypnotized; a chorus of creepy children; a pile of bodies. People, everywhere, marching off to work, running half-marathons, draining each other of energy. This place is full. - Sam Rodgers

068. Jean Nada - “Nilsson” ♫♫♫
There’s usually a number of ways in which a music writer can talk about a song: either by strictly describing the sounds they hear, by mentioning other artists that might have been inspiring, or by referring to some mood/emotion/image that the song conveys. In writing this blurb, taking either of the approaches makes Jean Nada’s “Nilsson” seem pretty flat. Chopped vocals and african rhythms? Dirty Projectors meets El sueño de la casa propia? Haunted houses, abandoned playgrounds? Just listen to the damn thing, all right... - Pierre Lestruhaut

067. Los Wálters - “Toca Madera” ♫♫♫

Whenever someone gets a leg cramp at our house, we all signal to the closest piece of wood furniture around the house. In their incredibly catchy, Astro-meets-Capullo “Toca Madera,” Puerto Rican chillwave duo Los Wálters sing about a love that’s so electrifying, you’ll need an insulator to contain the shock. Or maybe they’re just “knocking-on-wood” hoping the sunny days won't abandon them. But oh wait. Is that a boner bulge at the beginning of their video? Scratch off all that romantic nonsense.  - Carlos Reyes




066. Den5hion - “Recuerdos” ♫♫♫
The wider buzz may have come as Siete Catorce, however, Marco Gutiérrez’s most finely polished songs have occurred as Den5hion. In “Recuerdos,” Gutiérrez looks inwards, creating dubstep soundscapes evidently inspired by Burial’s ouevre. Den5hion orchestrates an exceedingly gripping symphony where introspective thinking is unavoidable. The initial seconds will make you feel as if you were floating in thin air, but as soon as the beat drops, you’ll undertake a meaningful voyage to past memories. - Enrique Coyotzi

065. Univers - “Cavall Daurat” ♫♫♫
After their very successful EP La Pedregada (2012), Univers announced their forthcoming LP with two new songs released as a 7" vinil record by Famèlic Records and Tigre Discs. "Cavall Daurat" is constructed by fresh guitars, agitated drums and a distant voice, putting together a very aquatic song, the best possible soundtrack for a journey to the beach. More shiny and playful than we were used to, we simply can’t wait for their new album. -Glòria Guirao Soro





064. Survey Team - “RBD” ♫♫♫
Naming a song after Televisa’s most popular and cancerous creation takes some guts. Or maybe “RBD” is an acronym for something entirely different. Chilean band Survey Team is more culturally aware, emotionally engaging and rebelde than that particular lensing of those privileged high middle class kids. Crumbling ceilings, flooded rivers, and the search for the infinite skyscraper are among the song’s loaded imagery. It’s a short ride, but the band packs the song with enough hooks, progressions, and narrative twists that this could’ve easily been spaced out into an EP. - Carlos Reyes

063. Xenia Rubinos - “Whirlwind”
Don’t let the blanket NPR approvals fool you: Xenia Rubinos is far from a “safe” artist. And don’t let the manic sound effects blanketing “Whirlwind” fool you: this ain’t no tUnE-yArDs rip-off. Rubinos’s breakout track is a breathtaking two minutes: full of manic high-hats, brash wordless vocals, and sinister background vocals. The music may be obtuse, and the meaning meaningless, but the end result is sui generis of an artist we should be keeping our eyes on. Exhilarating, powerful, and simply gorgeous. - Andrew Casillas

062. Matilda Manzana - 
“Temporada Alta” ♫♫♫
In "Temporada Alta," Matilda Manzana captures a mood: the empty satisfaction of giving into base impulses – laziness and lust, in particular. It’s summer, and the light saturates. You’re peaking – an incessant steel drum is the soundtrack of a selfish – but frustrating – holiday. The line “Esta vacación / no tengo corazón” repeats, at once pleased and disgusted with this state of being. It’s a pool of sweat where you’ve lounged for too long; it’s one more ‘no strings’ sexual encounter; it’s one too many rum cocktails after closing time. - Sam Rodgers

061. Sudakistan- “Dale Gas”
“Dale Gas” would be amazing even if it were condensed to its brutal first two minutes. But then the second act kicks into gear and its primal id disintegrates into a glorious exercise in restraint and space. Too smart for thrash, too aggressive for indie, not enough ethos for punk, but dude this is wild. Still bizarre to think that one of the best Latin American punk bands working today is from Stockholm. - Andrew Casillas

060. Juana Molina- “Sin Guía, No”
Juana Molina’s return is easily one of 2013’s highlights in music. From the excellent WED 21, “Sin Guía, No” has all the DNA of a classic Molina track: confessional lyrics working through a helix of off-beat vocals, robust guitar riffs, and jittery percussion. The song’s impeccable harmonies and sublime melody belie our heroine’s paralysis from fear and self-doubt. Her’s is a beautiful prison and a very human paradox that we can all appreciate. - Monika Fabian

059. Dënver - “Las Fuerzas”

"Las fuerzas," that glorious opener and instant classic from Fuera de campo, should be nothing new for Dënver fans. Even as a slow jam led by flutes and strings, Milton and Mariana carefully guide us to events following the debauchery of "En medio de una fiesta." It's morning now, time to face reality and move on. What was simple in moonlight by the morning never is. Still, that doesn't make it any less beautiful. - Giovanni Guillén

058. Kat Dahlia - “Gangsta”
With a voice that's raw and unfiltered, bold and assertive, the ferocious Kat Dahlia demands attention. The Miami native has been through some shit, and Dahlia's bluesy approach to hip-hop conveys that perfectly, her slick verses over the ominous piano melody analogous to her taking command of a difficult situation. Her breakout track "Gangsta" weaves a narrative of the hardships that gave Dahlia that roughness in her voice and that strength in her convictions. - Blanca Méndez

057. Eva & John - 
“César Gutiérrez” ♫♫♫
Peru has had its own share of exciting indie acts throughout the years, but I can’t think of any other band as promising as Eva & John. Breakout single “Cesar Gutierrez” (named after a famed politician) starts like one of those tailored-for-shoegazing pieces that pop up every week in Spain, except that Eva & John don’t stop at catchy revivalism, they trigger noise cataclysm. It’s cluttered, populist, and earsplitting, and not once do they seem to gasp for air. - Carlos Reyes

056. La Yegros - “Viene de mi”
ZZK’s addition of La Yegros to its roster is a big deal. She became the first lady (queen?) of nu cumbia. Coming from the providence of Misiones Argentina, she’s classically trained and an alumni of conservatories, but it wasn’t until she explored Indian and African music that she found her own voice. “Viene de Mi” captures the pulling enchantment of the chamame accordion serving from cumbia’s expansive acoustics. Strongly and delicately executed, “Viene de mi” (produced by fellow cumbia royal King Coya) is a truly transnational hit. - Ricardo Reyes

055. Samanta - “Playa” ♫♫♫
Although its sound wave crescendos frame the most uplifting summer vignette, “Playa” carries a deep sorrow. The luxurious resort-treatment Samanta (with producers De Janeiros) have given the song hypnotizes, but when that middle section of the song reflects on the meaningless/worthlessness of a gold sun tan, things turn devastating. “No me sumergi, no senti el calor… aca te espero avergonzada,” sighs Francisca Villela. The third act of the song goes on to mediate that bourgeois shame that often invades our leisure travels. - Carlos Reyes

054. La Insuperable - 
“Dime Linda, ¿Te llenaste de odio?”
Anyone who's adopted a zero fucks given M.O. is lying to themselves. You have to at least give one fuck. La Insuperable is up front about this, but the only fuck she gives is for all the people out there full of hate (pobrecitos); for them, la mami del swagger can offer maybe a single tear ('). Besides this, her main concern is doing her. "Dime Linda, ¿Te llenaste de odio?" represents the merengue moment of 2013. Who else could pull off both hilarious and rousing lines like "me pongo mami chula cuantas veces quiera yo?" Then just when you think it’s all a novelty, that sonidito drop happens and shit gets real. - Giovanni Guillén

053. Füete Billēte - “Bien Guillao”

It’s been less than a year since we first heard “Bien Guillao” and it’s already exhausting to see the “prendas, putas, pepas, pacas” hook being used as a sort of summation of what Füete Billēte represents. Sure, the excesses of street life, heavy partying and strip clubs is something that deserves to be told. But “Bien Guillao” is much more than that: it’s the confluence between the sheer aggressive energy of rap music and the careless spirit that pervades you on a wild night out with your friends. - Pierre Lestruhaut

052. Alizzz - “Whoa!”
That lush opening synth line hints “Whoa!” is gonna develop into something immense, but who would have expected such a blast? This is bombastic shit—a bros-come-together, good-vibed kind of anthem that would stand out in any massive music festival. In a fancy fashion, the Barcelonan laptop producer magnificently embraces ‘80s synths, purple sound, and ‘90s R&B. Perhaps the most Rustie-like take on Whoa!, nevertheless, a preeminent introduction to a top-notch EP. - Enrique Coyotzi

051. María y José - “La Conquista” ♫♫♫

Club Negro's hardest hitting numbers can all in some way or another be described as sonic assaults. Only one, though, has the force and design to pull off an actual coup. "La conquista" deploys its artillery in tactical bursts: ground troops march to the sound of desert-hot synths, tribal drums gather collateral damage. By the time the spectacular guiro-assisted breakdown comes in, we all know this is just a cakewalk for María y José. "Conquistalos..." the menacing end refrain, might as well have reworked Future's "Tony Montana" to incorporate the following instead: Tony Gallardo, Tony Gallardo, Tony Gallardo. - Giovanni Guillén