“Dame Eso”, the First Music Video by Kubricks

Kubricks Gezzio

What’s the worst thing that can happen when someone who was in a band you admired launches his solo career? Well, that his new work will take after his former oeuvre excessively. That’s a bit like having a loved one revived as a zombie that will chase you around mindlessly. And if Daryl Dixon isn’t around to shoot the fucker in the head with an arrow, things can get pretty heavy indeed…

Fortunately, that’s not the case here. Marcelo Gezzio (the erstwhile bass player for Sordromo, a key Uruguayan band at the turn of the century – see here and here) is now fronting a new outfit which is named “Kubricks”, and which is striking out more than excitingly.
The band has just issued its first promotional video (for the song “Dame Eso” [Gimme That]), and an album (tentatively called “Conexión”) should see the light of day before too long.

The band is Marcelo on bass and vocals, Fernando Fontes on drums and Alejandro Gorgoroso on guitar.

While there are clear nods to Sordromo, it’s good to see that Marcelo is trying to keep things distinct.
I seem to think that the overall sound is rawer, and the finale in particular is very rallying, with some solemn soloing that’s sure to rouse anyone within earshot. Continue reading

Cínica Issues Its First Album, “Transparente”

Cinica transparente

Uruguayan metal band Cínica was the first national artist to be featured on MusicKO, back when they were recording their eponymous EP.

And it’s a great pleasure to break the news they’ve just released their first album (“Transparente”), and that they’ve got a promotional video to go with it.

The video is for the song “Panacea”, one of the tracks that were actually included on the band’s earlier EP. All these cuts are featured on “Transparente”, newly remixed and remastered, along with seven other original compositions.

Cínica’s current line-up comprises Vico Campbell on vocals, Marcelo Simonetti on guitar and backing vocals, Gonzalo Simonetti on bass and Manuel Kastanas on drums.

Marcelo Fontanini (from Snake), Mariana Acosta (the former singer for Dr. Rocka) and Fabián Furtado (from Rey Toro) all have guest spots on the album.

“Transparente” will soon be available for digital purchase, and when that happens I’ll make sure to update this post. In any case, note that if you drop by the band’s website (www.cinica.net) you’ll be able to buy a physical copy using PayPal.

Cinica transparente banda

“Please” by Lucía González, a New Uruguayan Artist (Music Video)

First thing first, today I’m announcing the winners of last month’s competition. As I’m sure you remember, readers were asked to submit artwork inspired by MusicKO’s logo. The response was extraordinary, and for that I’m exceedingly grateful. I received so many submissions (and I had to go through all of them one by one) that I had the perfect excuse for not stepping out of my garret in a fortnight.
When I did, I found out that my whole family had gone and left me (which was just a small collateral), and that I had missed the season finale of “Dexter” (which was not). Regardless of that, I’ve had the time of my life!

Anyway, these are the lucky winners of our latest compo:

Third Place:

This image was submitted by a fan of One Direction, obviously irate because of all my recent posts in which I (allegedly) made fun of the boys. And to think I’ve made it crystal clear that (to some extent) I actually like them. Sigh…

Why did the chicken
Calm down, girl. Easy does it. Go to the toilet, or something.
You know what? I’ll give you a piece of advice, a true pearl of wisdom for free: next Halloween, disguise yourself as a bell and see if someone hits you. I hope it works!

Second Place:

Someone from South America sent this in:

Dragon ball

Yes, I know. It’s captioned in Spanish.
So what? Have you got a problem with that???? MUSICKO IS AN INTERNATIONAL BLOG!!!!!
Capitalist pigs! Bastards! Learn some Spanish! Or go follow the chicken, cross the street, and fuck your mother!

First Place:

This came from some far-flung country, I don’t know what the text says, but who gives two wanks?

foreign girl
(Five, actually)

(Ten)

(OK, fifteen)

If you are the person who submitted any of these images, then you’ll get a voucher by the hallowed sponsors of this blog (namely the Brill Building Society) in six month’s time. And if you haven’t received your voucher by then, don’t panic. All you must do is to visit the nearest Army of Salvation office, and ask them to help you out. (Remember that these offices are open from 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM only, and that you must wear fuchsia and magenta to be granted access to the premises).

The Brill Building Society.
The Army of Salvation.
Yes, I’ve got ties with all these organizations.
And plenty more.
I do.
Honestly.
MUSICKO IS AN INTERNATIONAL BLOG.
And because MUSICKO IS AN INTERNATIONAL BLOG, I cover Uruguayan artists! Yes! Uruguayan! From Uruguay! We rock! We roll! We twist! And we do the alligator!

And today, it’s the time to write about a lady! At last! I’ve been writing about boys for so long that the main page of this blog looks like a Russian submarine by now!

Her name’s Lucía González, and she has just released her first CD. The song “Please” has been chosen as its first promotional cut, and you can watch the accompanying music video below. It basically stars Lucía and her dog, Minnie.

Lucía González
The song was written and produced by Gabriel Casacuberta (who in fact helmed/co-wrote the whole record), and it’s an amiable mix of folk, pop and rock, held together by a steady bass and lyrics which nail the subject of love that’s clearly forthcoming but which still hangs on the faultline in a very supple way.

“Please” is also included on the soundtrack for “La Casa Muda” [The Silent House], a Uruguayan movie that’s had the distinction of being licensed all over the world (a first for a Uruguayan flick). 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

Escritos Circulares Brings Spanish-language Artists To The World

Escritos Circulares [Circular Writings] is a Spanish-language blog that covers art in all its manifestations. The contents of this blog are split evenly between music, literature and cinema, and new posts are published daily.

Although the blogger (Claudio, AKA “An Imaginary Boy”) is based on Argentina, Escritos Circulares deals with artists from all over the Spanish-speaking world. Some of the artists that have already been featured include Dënver (Chile), Todos Los Santos (Mexico), Scars (Colombia), Ferretría (Ecuador) and Mixti Fori (Uruguay). And that’s not counting all the Argentinean bands and artist that have been covered so far, such as La Mala Vida. Coming Soon, Adrián Juarez, Kill All Hipsters and Uma Totoro.

All posts come with pictures and videos, and you’re always told how to get in touch with the featured artists via Facebook and Twitter. (The Escritos Circulares fanpage itself is found here.)

The blog also includes a “Random Thoughts” section where you can read quotes that come from established artists and personalities, along with poems from authors such as Mario Benedetti. And every Friday, a new artist is specially highlighted on the section named “Recomendado del Viernes”. Plus, the “Artista Indie de la Semana” [Indie Artist of the Week] offers exactly what its name says. Oh, and an “English Section” is included, too. So far, it’s been the recipient of just a handful of posts, but give it time.

Casablancas To Release Their Debut EP, “Please Don’t Be Like Me” (Teaser)

Casablancas are back from the atmosphere, with drops of Jupiter in their hairs.

Well, not really. They’ve just released a new video to promote their upcoming EP, that’s all. But (if you’re a bit like me) that’s the best possible news you could ever read. I love the guys, they were the recipients of the most badass post I wrote in the history of this blog (more badass than all the characters from The Expendables I & II put together). In an alternate reality, we’re all brothers, traveling through the English countryside on the back of a train, strumming mandolins and singing about love and life with sartorial eloquence.

Their debut EP is going to be named “Please Don’t Be Like Me”. Watch the clip above, wipe the tears of joy from your eyes and then like Casablancas’ page on Facebook. If you send them a message mentioning MusicKO when doing so, you’ll be entered into a competition for a motorcycle like the one you can see below. Talk about badass…

And The Graffiti Award For Best Music Video Goes To…

Trotsky Vengarán for “Noche de Rock”.

Pretty cool, wouldn’t you say? The winners were the ones who focused on telling a story with humor and enthusiasm, not on creating a technically-complex video.

My congratulations to Trotsky Vengarán, and also to all the other nominees – the quality of the videos that were nominated this time was uniformly high.

In case you are yet to see it, this is the video for “Noche de Rock”.

Noche De Rock by Trotsky Vengaran (Video)

The fifth (and final) nominees for a Graffiti Award are Uruguayan punk rockers Trotsky Vengarán (MySpace profile), with their “Noche de Rock” [Night of Rock]. The song’s taken from the album “Todo Para Ser Feliz” [Everything To Be Happy], and the music video features cameos from celebrated musicians like Dani Umpi and Rubén Rada.

A to-the-point music video that tells the aftermath of a night of debacle with wry humor, “Noche de Rock” is a good alternative to all the other nominees – they all more or less rely on special effects and fancy editing to get their stories told.

We’ll see what happens this Friday, when the Graffiti Awards ceremony is held.

Just to do a quick recap, the other four nominated music videos are:

“A Donde Van Los Pájaros” by Luciano Supervielle
“Antes del Fin”  by Walter Bordoni
“Cadáver” by ReyToro
“Invierno” by Socio

“Invierno” by Socio (Video)

Socio (Spanish for “partner”) is the latest project by Fede Lima, a Uruguayan musician who’s best-known for having fronted the bands Loop Lascano and Miss Wichita. Both bands were characterized for a constant sonic search, and that’s also the spirit that keeps Socio alive. On this new band, he’s backed by former members of No Te Va Gustar (a ska/rock outfit that has enjoyed a great deal of popularity, both in Uruguay and elsewhere) and Monoroots (a reggae band that released a tasteful tribute to Bob Marley in 2008).

The video you can watch below is from Socio’s debut album, “Aurora” [Dawn]. The song is named “Invierno” [Winter], and it’s the band’s entry into the 2011 Graffiti Awards

And just to cover all bases, I’ll mention that Fede also sang a duet with Laura Chinelli on her “Historias de Invierno”.

You can learn more about Socio’s music on the band’s MySpace profile.

“Cadáver” by ReyToro (Video)

“Cadáver” [Corpse] is ReyToro’s entry into this year’s Graffiti Awards. The song is featured on the band’s latest album (“ReyToro II”, issued in 2008 by Bizarro Records). The video has been directed by Juan Tambolini, and it pays a good homage to the survival fiction that’s all the rage nowadays. The band is well-known for the high level of energy between its players and lyrics which are both ruminative and urgent, and all these elements can be easily appreciated on “Cadáver”.

ReyToro was formed in 1998 in Uruguay, and it is one of most popular metal bands in the country. Its current lineup comprises Norberto Arriola, Fabián Furtado, Enzo Broglia and Fernando Alfaro.

ReyToro opening for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010

They opened for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010, when Axl brought the Chinese Democracy World Tour to South America, and played many countries that the band had bypassed at the height of its popularity in the early 90s.

You can listen to ReyToro’s music both on the band’s website (in Spanish only), and on their MySpace profile.