Tatú Vudú (Uruguayan Band)

tatu vudu deespacio

Tatú Vudú was started in 2007 by friends Diego Bustamante and Marcos Meerovich, and after years of playing in Montevideo (and after multiple personnel changes) the band managed to release its debut album in late 2012.

Entitled “Deespacio”, it was published by Uruguayan label Perro Andaluz, and the band made it available as a free download right from the very beginning.

Currently, Tatú Vudú is Diego Bustamante on voice and guitars, Marcos Meerovich on guitar, Federico Araújo on keyboards, Carlos Silva on bass and Andrés Lena on drums. Continue reading

Gonzalo Bouzout Issues “El Camino Bajo”, His First Solo Album

gonzalo bouzout el camino bajo

With the release of “El Camino Bajo”, Gonzalo Bouzout (the former singer for Lapso, and a current member of Pilotos En Caos) launches his solo career in earnest.

The 10-track album can be downloaded for free on his website, and (in general) it’s a more acoustic-derived work than his previous output. Though Gonzalo is joined by a three-piece band, the focus never strays too far away from his singing and playing, and the overall mood is a gentle one from top to bottom.

In all honesty (and leaving aside the fact I’ve always held his music in high esteem) I think this is going to be one of the standout Uruguayan albums of 2013.

A full review of “El Camino Bajo” is forthcoming. I encourage you to get the album now, and see how much it resonates with you.

And this is the video for the song “Puerta Al Sur” [Gateway To The South]. It’s not my favorite track on the album by any stretch, but (when you add a visual dimension to it) the song acquits itself much better:

Gonzalo Bouzout – Puerta al sur from Gonzalo Bouzout on Vimeo.

¿Sueñan Los Lobos con Ovejas Lunares? (Lobo Está) – Uruguayan Independent Artist

Lobo esta disco descargar

(English version of an article first published on Cooltivarte.com)

It is a strange dusk. There are flowers from other springs, there is a world that spins around but a heaven that stands still, as if it no longer had a reason to exist, but which stands there for lack of a better frontier to aim for.

And it is a strange dusk simply because all which is connected with the end of feelings is strange. And you know the night will have a bosom that will expand like a century of memories, way beyond hope, deception, and each and every glimpse of mercy there could ever be. And way, way beyond that yesterday in which everybody dares to say “tomorrow”.

Such is the context of the album under review right now: “¿Sueñan los Lobos con Ovejas Lunares?” [Do Wolves Dream of Lunar Sheep?] by ¿Lobo Está?, the solo project of Gonzalo Saavedra, a musician from the City of San José who was a member of the now-defunct band Pueblo Viejo [Old Town]. The album (get it here for free) has been helmed by producer (and frequent instrumentalist) El Niño Que Toca Fuerte [The Child Who Makes A Racket], and it features Emiliano Pérez Saavedra on drums and Juan Chilndrón on bass. And Matías Gonzáles (from Vincent Vega) has a guest spot on the song “Viento” [Wind].

lobo esta gonzalo

All of the songs included on the album come together and then come undone throughout that strange dusk. They are there  at that time in which lots of things end, and many others have a chance to truly begin. Gonzalo himself says as much as “Entrego Mi Cuerpo Al Viento” [I Yield My Body To The Wind] starts playing:

Todo lo que fuimos no será nada
Comparado con lo que seremos

[All we have been will be nothing
Compared to what we will become]

When the CD begins spinning, the tone is more or less conciliatory. But the message mutates very swiftly indeed, as if all these things that have already come and gone became a clamp of angst, a hindrance to all these things the future could hold. Darkened rooms are opened, and truths are revealed. There are words which become unpronounceable, and reasons no logic could abolish.

“Entrego Mi Alma Al Viento” is surrounded by songs such as “El Túnel” [The Tunnel], “Mañana” [Tomorrrow] and “Invierno” [Winter]. In all cases, these songs partake of the insecurity that characterizes every ending, and reality is transformed in a way that creates either a pact of silence, or the longing for a vicarious exaction.

On “El Túnel”, a fear which is strafed both by ineptitude and by guilt grabs hold of the soul and refuses to ever let it go. To think about time all the time (“Mañana”) is the most untimely of duties. And doubts can vilify even the freest lives in a song such as “Invierno”, and the enumeration of a past which wasn’t that wearisome to begin with ends up sounding like a joke that nobody has even told Continue reading

“Just You And Me” by Limbo (Video)

These foul-mouthed One Direction fans have got on my nerves. Ever since I mentioned their heroes when reviewing Casablancas’ “Please Don’t Be Like Me” and Federico’s “Los Amores Imaginarios”, they’ve sent me a barrage of e-mails, accusing me of every crime since the dawn of time.

Well, just to set the record straight:

1) I think these guys can certainly sing, and 2) I think they are releasing music that’s largely tasteful.

Yet:

1) Louis and Liam have NO REASON WHATSOEVER to be on the band, and 2) They are NOT good-looking. They are NOT. The Backstreet Boys were. N-Sync were. Boyzone were. The Wanted are (though a couple of them look like they’ve just gotten out of prison, and they’re about to star on the next “Fast & Furious” movie). One Direction are NOT.

Actually, there’s only one band member who looks any good: Niall. And how do I know? I know, because I’ve found irrefutable scientific proof online. I mean, see what I’ve managed to find on the WWW after incessant hours of research:


(I found it online, I swear. I didn’t come with this shit up. I’m a master troll, but my life doesn’t revolve around drawing hearts on pictures of members of One Direction)

You know, I’ve taken this very personally. The amount of abuse I’ve received from these directioners has been relentless. I can’t even concentrate, and do my job properly.
A girl went as far as to telling me, “my boyfriend is going to break into your house tonight, and bang your head against your keyboard!!!”.
Oh, yeah? Really, sweetheart?? Is that it??? It’s almost 2 AM and I’m still waiting for him. Tell him that when he xbnowdukrf jneirfh er ekwoigo hg wilrgjw oufvjs lfjowr pgj rgjrldig jrgarig 76irgirtjh gitrjhgit ur8yedhnf lkw fhuefgvu ierfg kdyv rurbgt dfpgrgiort krtgk jekh feuyfu eyfuef.

(Emilio wakes up 8 hours later over his keyboard, and rubs his forehead. He says in a hushed voice: “Man, my head hurts like shit! And for some reason I can’t seem to sit very well! Nevermind, I’ve got a job to do…”)

There’s this new Uruguayan band called “Limbo” that has recently issued their first demo. It’s one of these Uruguayan bands that sing in English (like my doobie brothers Casablancas, my northern siblings Soundays, and these soul ravers who make up The Bear Season). Yet, Limbo stands out if only because their songs deal with romantic matters. You know, boys who like girls, girls who like boys and people who can’t stand up for falling down. Continue reading

Uruguayan Music For Download: Laura Chinelli’s “Historias De Invierno”

Laura Chinelli

One of the most endearing Uruguayan albums of 2010 has just become available online. Laura Chinelli’s “Historias De Invierno” can now be downloaded in its entirety here.

The album (which was produced by Laura’s long-time collaborator Fran Nasser) was originally featured on MusicKO in March, 2011. People in the US and elsewhere could always listen to some of its tracks on Laura’s MySpace profile, but this is the first time that most of you will get to listen to songs like “Más Allá Del Tiempo” [Beyond Time].

Find attached the videos for the tracks that top and tail the album, “Ya No Más” [Not Any More] and “Sueño Profundo” [Deep Dream]:

Cínica Releases Its Self-Titled Debut EP

Cínica’s Debut Is A Five-Song EP You Can Download For Free On Their Site

Cínica’s Debut Is A Five-Song EP You Can Download For Free On Their Site

Cínica was the first Uruguayan unsigned artist that I featured on MusicKO, way back in April.

Well, the band has just released its self-titled (and self-funded) debut EP. It has five songs: “Panacea”, “Conciencia” (my personal favorite), “Piso Frío”, “Velo Gris” and an acoustic take on “Panacea” (which closes the disc).

You can get the whole EP for free on their website.

A great way for them to send off the year!

Congratulations!