“Antes Del Fin” by Walter Bordoni (Video)

This is other of the music videos that are up for a Graffiti Award next week. “Antes Del Fin” [Before The End] is a song by Walter Bordoni, a Uruguayan musician that was born in 1962. His first album was published in 1990. It was titled “El Gol De La Valija y Otros Cuentos”) [The Suitcase’s Goal and Other Stories], after a much-discussed soccer incident that took place in 1933, and that’s an indelible part of Uruguayan folklore.

Walter Bordoni, as depicted on the cover of his second album, "Flor Nueva de Películas Viejas" (1994).

An accomplished piano and guitar player, Bordoni was involved in several artistic groups and collectives. He co-founded an artistic project in 1994 known as “Aguafuertes Montevideana” with Gastón Rodríguez, and the resulting album (published in 1997) still stands as a commercial and artistic highlight.

He is currently a member of the Kafkarudos, a band made up of the collective talents of Gastón Ciarlo “Dino”, Alejando Ferradás, Tabaré Rivero and the late Eduardo Darnauchans.

“Antes Del Fin” is a song is extracted from his newest album, “La Cifra Infinita” [The Infinite Number]. Its music video takes the form of an animated short that corroborates the leaping cadence of the lyrics word by word.

“La Cifra Infinita” has been issued by Bizarro Records, and it has also received two other nominations: one for “Best Production” (Alejandro Ferradas), and another for “Best Popular Music and Urban Song Album”.

This is Walter Bordoni’s MySpace profile. And this is his blog (in Spanish only).

“Perdiste” By Nemesis (Video)

Nemesis is a Uruguayan band that was formed in 2004 by friends Martín Hosman (vocals) and Gabriel Fuchs (guitar). They had a revolving rhythm section for years, came close to recording an album in 2007 and then split up for the first time.
One year later, Nemesis regrouped with Jorge Lira on bass and Sebastián G. Quinteros on drums. This lineup recorded the band’s first album, “Subnormal” in 2010. The track “Perdiste” [You’ve Lost] was the first to be issued as a single. And you can watch the promotional video for the song below:

The start-and-stop structure of the verses might sound a bit formulaic to some, but there’s no denying the quality of the composition on the whole. The rhythm section knows how to sound imperative and make you prick your ears when needed, and the riffs in particular distil rock & roll. All in all, it’s a winning sound. If anything, it proves that in music you don’t need to be the first to do something. The one thing that truly matters is doing it well. And “Perdiste” is an essentially exciting slab at rock, combining the different influences of each band member (classic rock, hard rock, funk) into a song that’s easy to earmark.

I hope to get a copy of “Subnormal” soon and review it. In Uruguay, the album’s been released by Montevideo Music Group. Those of you who live elsewhere can listen to “Subnormal” online in its entirety here. And this is Nemesis’ official site, too.

The band currently comprises Martín Hosman on vocals, Jorge Lira on bass, Sebastián G. Quinteros on drums and Camilo Saralegui on guitar (Gabriel Fuchs left the band once recordings for “Subnormal” wrapped).

Nemesis touring "Subnormal" in 2011

“Por No Saber Decir” By Alfonsina Álvarez (Video)

Alfonsina Álvarez

A wonderful live performance by Alfonsina Álvarez, a singer-songwriter that hails from the City of Paysandú.
The song is called “Por No Saber Decir” [Because I Don’t Know How To Say], and the backing band includes Mateo Moreno (bass), Juan Pablo Chapital (guitar) and Javier Cardellino (drums).

You can listen to more music by Alfonsina on her MySpace profile. And her Facebook fanpage is also a great place for getting better-acquainted with her work.

“Empujen”, The First Music Video By El Gallinero

El Gallinero is a Uruguayan funk band that's just released its first album after 10 years of touring and gigging

“Empujen” [Push] is the first music video by El Gallinero [The Henhouse], a Uruguayan funk band that has actually been around for ten years. It currently comprises Nacho Cejas, Andrés Arnicho, Gerardo Alonso, Pedro Alemany, Leo Méndez, Juan Olivera, Gerónimo De León and Claudio Martínez.

The clip has been shot at the Centro Cultural Florencio Sánchez (named after one of Uruguay’s most celebrated playwrights), and it features Rubén Rada, one of the seminal figures in the development of Uruguayan music in the 20th Century. Along with Eduardo Mateo, Rada was at the forefront of the “Candombe Beat” movement – a movement that married candombe and murga with rock & roll music.

It’s well-known that one day Paul McCartney wanted to know more about South American music, and he asked his assistants to gather as many albums and singles as they could. And out of all the singers and performers they presented him with, Rada was the one that marveled the former Beatle more.

And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, “Empujen” also features a cameo by… Max Headroom! Gotta love it…

Visit El Gallinero’s MySpace profile to know more about the band. In Uruguay, their debut album has been published by Sondor.

 

Tenacious D Returns With A New Video: “Tenacious D – To Be The Best”

Tenacious D, the duo that once proclaimed itself as "greater than the Beatles, the Stones and Zeppelin combined" is back with a new album this May

I’m sure many of you last heard of Tenacious D when they released the film “The Pick Of Destiny” and it’s accompanying soundtrack album in 2006. Both that film and album met with critical indifference, and the subsequent tour was a commercial failure.
But the duo made up by the mercurial Jack Black and Kyle Gass has remained active as a performing unit all this time, and now they’re finally releasing a new album. It’s coming out on May 15th 2012, and it goes by the suitable name of “Rize Of The Fenix”.

To pave the way for their latest record, the band has recently uploaded a mockumentary to its VEVO channel that explains what they’ve been up to until now. It begins with Kyle’s breakdown after the failure of “The Pick Of Destiny”, his subsequent incarceration, and Black’s embracement of the grand Hollywood lifestyle…  but the two former colleagues are reunited before long. I don’t want to spoil it for you, watch the clip below. It’s definitely worth the six minutes it lasts.

Oh, and see how many stars you can spot. Val Kilmer, Dave Grohl (who was the devil on “The Pick Of Destiny”), Tim Robbins… these Tenacious D folks sure know how to keep illustrious company.

The First Video By Uruguayan Band Gamepad Nes Punk

Gamepad Nes Punk

There’s two ways to make music using a Nintendo-related device.

The first involves using a Gameboy:

And the second, a gamepad:

Cool, innit?

What you have just watched is 1.1, the first promotional video released by Uruguayan band Gamepad Nes Punk. They come from the city of San Carlos (Maldonado), and they have a debut album on the horizon. 1.1 is its first promotional single.

Gamepad Nes Punk are signed to Nadiequiere Discos, and I’ll make sure to cover their album when it’s released.

And just for the record, Mario sucked ass. Big time. And so did Sonic, and that clueless two-tailed thing that used to dash behind him. The best superhero to ever grace a videogame? Superfrog! Or alternatively, Zool!

Back when games were games, Team 17 meant business.

I was an Amiga guy. Sorry, can’t help it.

Year In Review 2012: Uruguayan Artists & Videos

Below you’ll find all the independent and unsigned artists that were profiled on MusicKO in 2012.

Vincent Vega

The Bear Season

La Medio Siglo

The Blueberries

Miguel Campal

Picnic

Laura Chinelli

Erika Chuwoki

Matías Cantante

Los Pazientes

El Umbral

 

The following videos were also featured on the blog:

“Llevame” by Laura Chinelli

“Normal” by La Medio Siglo

“This Is Not A Test” by The Bear Season

“El Piso Se Va A Manchar” by Vincent Vega

“POU” by Closet

“Please Don’t Be Like Me” by Casablancas

“Decidir” by Andrea Deleón Santos

“Gigantes” by Orgánica

I also interviewed Pablo Faragó, and covered the release of his first solo album here.

Well, this is the last post of 2012. I want to wish you all a happy New Year, and thank you for your support. Keeping this blog alive takes me a huge amount of time, but it’s always something I do with a lot of conviction, a lot of determination and (most of all) a lot of illusion.

Always will.

Emilio

“Llévame” By Laura Chinelli (Video)

The Music Video For Laura Chinelli's "Llévame" Was Shot In Casa Blanca (Paysandú)

The best song from Laura Chinelli’s “Historias De Invierno” has now got its own music video. Shot in Paysandú, the clip for “Llévame” has Laura trying to hitch a ride on a road, only to end up succeeding in the most unexpected of ways…

The video has been directed by Salomón Reyes for Saladero 19.

“This Is Not A Test” By The Bear Season (Video)

"This Is Not A Test" Is The Bear Season's Latest Single

Yet another music video from a young Uruguayan act, and yet another excellent one. You can tell it’s almost Christmas, can’t you?

The band is The Bear Season (featured recently on MusicKO), and the song is “This Is Not A Test”. It’s the A-side of the band’s latest single, an all-acoustic affair that you can get for free here. And I really, really like it. Musically, it’s an exciting change of tack. I’ve always carried a torch for the softer side of the band, ever since I heard this unplugged version of “Infinity” (from their debut EP, “Do It”):

“Infinity” was (and still is) my favorite track from their debut EP, and (when unplugged) the song’s just dazzling.

And the same can be said about this new cut. Moving, heartfelt, poignant… “This Is Not A Test” is all of that. It’s the kind of song to play in order to get laid on a first date. Make sure to keep a copy at home, and another at the car. Like Macca used to sing, “no more lonely nights”…

“El Piso Se Va A Manchar”, The Newest Video By Vincent Vega

Following a major cosmic alignment and a launch party after which every day was like Sunday, Vincent Vega has released its newest video clip. It’s for the song “El Piso Se Va A Manchar” [The Floor’s Gonna Get Splattered], one of the better compositions from their debut album, and a live staple.

The video for “El Piso Se Va A Manchar” uses live-action footage which has been rotoscoped to produce an animated look (a bit like A-ha’s breakthrough video, “Take On Me”). It details a couple’s split, with Matías and Mauricio seen playing in the background as the events are unfolding.

The clip has been directed by María Noel Silvera and Sebastián González Majo.