Category Archives: Videos

“It’s So Fine” by Franco Martinz (Music Video)

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franco martinzOne of the wonders of the Internet is how you can become acquainted with people who live a million miles away, but who nonetheless redefine the meaning of the word “synergy”. A musician who lives in Concordia (Argentina), and who has recently issued his first album of original compositions is bringing all this to mind right now. His name is Franco Martinz, and a fellow musician connected us on Facebook. And the rapport we have struck is just atomic.

This is his first promotional video: “It’s So Fine”. The song is included on his CD (“Latinoamericana”) as a bonus track.

Franco is a true admirer of Sir Paul McCartney and I think such an electricity is what powers this song, and results in a melody that passes the test with flying colors.

The band that plays on Franco’s album comprises Ochi Castillo on drumpad/percussion, Ángel Gabriel López on guitars and Matías José Solana on keyboards. Matías is also the producer of Francisco’s album – give it a spin, you can stream it for free on his own website. I particularly like the piano-driven “Caminante Nocturno” [Night Walker] and “Ella” [She] – on both songs, his appreciation of Wings is put to the best possible use.

Incidentally, the four of them also have a parallel project called CHIPSZ, which focuses on covering material from seminal 80s bands such as The Police, Queen et al. (That’s why the name nods to the quintissential TV show “California Highway Patrol”)

You can learn more about Francisco on his Facebook fanpage. And you can follow him on Twitter, too.

Natalie Pryce Releases Its First Single: “Janine” & “Bisclavaret” (Videos)

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Natalie Pryce

A band that operates in Glasgow, Natalie Pryce has just issued its first single. It’s a double A-sided release, made up of the songs “Janine” and “Bisclavaret” – two cuts that fittingly convey the band’s blend of jazz, blues and punk.

The dual essence of this release serves a specific purpose, namely exhibiting the band’s keenness on dichotomy, and establishing a ground where symmetry can be analyzed without compromises or apologies.

The tandem works as intended, as affection and abjection and are explored back and forth between these two compositions, resulting in the blackest of whites and vice versa.

For a limited time only, you can download both songs on the band’s website at no cost. And you can stay posted on their latest releases on Facebook and Soundcloud. Continue reading →

“My Place” by Contraste (Video)

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Tapa Contraste

Uruguayan punk rockers Contraste have just released their first official music video. It’s set to the music of “My Place”, their new promotional cut.

Contraste is made up of Bruno Espino (Vocals), Adrián Fontaiña (guitars), Koki (bass) and Germán Bonet (drums). A slightly different lineup of the band had released an eponymous demo on 2010 (free download), and “My Place” signals a change of pace, as it’s only suitable – the song is entirely in English. Continue reading →

“Lovers At Midnight” by Jordy (Video)

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jordy del plata

Jordy is a Uruguayan saxophonist who resides in New York, and he has just released an album entitled “Jordy Del Plata” (iTunes link). He is currently promoting it in the US, and soon he’ll come back to Uruguay to play some dates.

The song is called “Lovers At Midnight”, and its lilting melody is enough to carry you to the warmest of memories:

The band comprises Daniel Freelikeme on guitar, Minerva Borjas Owen on keyboards, Renzo Vargas on drums and Jose Morillo on bass.

Check Jordy’s Facebook fanpage to know more about future dates and upcoming releases.

“Extrañándote” by Nadia Costa (Live at the Sala Zitarrosa)

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nadia costa sala zitarrosa

Nadia Costa was one of the two artists that performed at the Sala Zitarrosa when I presented my newest book, “Ayer La Lluvia” [Yesterday The Rain].

The book is made up of short stories and a novella that deal with different types of love. So, her music was a perfect match for such a title – all of her compositions are nothing but studies on the vagaries of love and affection.

She opened up the show that night and had her live debut as a solo artist on the prized Sala Zitarrosa, a venue reserved for the highest-ranking of performers only.

This is an excerpt from her live performance. The song is titled “Extrañándote” [Missing You], and it’s one of the compositions of hers that cut the deepest. For me, it works in parallel with “Lejos De Ti” [Far Away From You], a scorching ballad that is highly-likely to be her next single.

The clip was shot by Habemus, a new audiovisual team. The music itself was recorded live by producer/composer Nelson “Cable” Silvera, and our great friend Joaquín Vinci lent us a hand, and gave the sound a little more sheen overall.

“Mirame” by Nicolás Sánchez (Music Video)

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nicolas sanchez cooltivarte

After fronting a rock & roll band called Suburbio for more than 6 years, Uruguayan musician Nicolás Sánchez decided to go solo last year. When he asked me for a review to promote his first single (“Lejos”) [Far Away], little did I know he was actually going to be performing the day I released my first book of prose, “Ayer La Lluvia” [Yesterday The Rain].

“Mirame” [Look At Me] is a song included on his first solo album, “Temporales” ¨[Storms] – an album you can download for free here.

mirame nicolas sanchez

The song is very important to me, if only because it came to define my feelings in the aftermath of writing the book – a time in which lots of people started coming and going from my life.

We shot this clip in order to open up the main event for “Ayer La Lluvia”, held on the 24th of July at the Sala Zitarrosa (one of the most revered venues in Uruguay).
That night, both Nicolás Sánchez and pop musician Nadia Costa played full sets. Their songs actually embody aspects of the book in close detail, so they ended up reenacting the story of “Ayer La Lluvia” onstage in an amazingly accurate way.

The clip itself was directed by Agustín Fagetti Methol, and edited by Félix Pérez. Model Angela Tassano and Nicolás Sánchez himself did the acting. And the female voice you can hear throughout is that of Uruguayan singer-songwriter Laura Chinelli.

“Limbo” by Majorette (Music Video)

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majorette banda uruguay

This is the first video clip by Majorette, an ascending band from the city of San José.
The song is titled “Limbo”, and you can find it on their first EP, an eponymous work that can be freely donwloaded here.
The members of Majorette are Martín Curbelo (vocalas and bass), Mathías Briccola (guitar), Andréz Pérez (piano, sequencers and backing vocals) and Ismael Geribón (drums).

The video for “Limbo” was directed by Elisa Barbosa, and edited by Ismael Geribón. It was shot on Capurro (San José).

I’ll do my best to review the band’s EP soon. I have had it for a long time already, and every song has been clearly labored at with patience and a lot of dedication. If “Limbo” sounds like your cup of tea, then you can’t go wrong with the remaining songs on offer. Get their EP here at zero cost, or tune into their soundcloud profile.

majorette EP

“Spinning” and “Ghost Train” by The Creeping Ivies, a New Scottish Duo

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creeping ivies scotland

A Scottish duo that has just issued their first album, The Creeping Ivies is singer/guitarist Becca Bomb and drummer Duncan Destruction who have ganged together to do just what their stage names suggest: “play wild rock & roll!”.

I suppose they are aware this decimates their chances of opening for Taylor Swift in the upcoming Red Tour of Europe.

But they obviously take that for granted. That’s life for you and me – learning to cope with voluminous loses…

Oh, don’t get me started.
I know what I’m talking about.
I’ve had my share of misfortunes, I have.
For example, I never got to be Prom Queen. But I didn’t put my head into an oven because of that.
I did try to hang myself, though. But I didn’t find a tree that was short enough. Someday I’ll tell you the whole story… Continue reading →

“Celebración” by Garo Arakelián (Video)

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garo arakelian un mundo sin gloria

“Celebración” [Celebration] is one of the tracks on Garo Arakelián’s debut album that hits the hardest. And now, the song has got a promotional video to go with it.

This clip was shot at the Teatro Macció, in the City of San José de Mayo. It was directed by filmmaker Pablo Stoll, and it features Garo and his band getting ready for a show while a former star finds himself stranded where dreams and reality collide.

Garo Arakelián was a key figure in the history of Uruguayan rockers La Trampa. To a lot of people, the band’s credence was rooted in his literate approach to songwriting.
“Un Mundo Sin Gloria” [A World Without Glory] is his first solo album. It has been issued by Bizarro.

In case you want to know more about La Trampa, then check this review of “Laberinto” – while neither fans nor critics single that particular album out, it is the one record by theirs that I feel puts emotions together more expertly.

“Alba” by Mushi Mushi Orquesta (Video)

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mushi mushi orquesta

The most recent promotional video from Uruguayan musicians the Mushi Mushi Orquesta:

The song is named “Alba” [Dawn].

It’s from their forthcoming album, “Otro Cuerpo, Otro Esqueleto” [Another Body, Another Skeleton].
It’s been recorded at Arizona Studios.
It’s been masterminded by Germán Luongo and Virginia Plottier.
And since it’s an instrumental track, my ability to make inane jokes and include unrelated content on the post has been dealt a devastating blow.
Sigh…

I’ll just drown in a river of stillborn tears while this clip flashes back and forwards in the eye of my mind: