Welcome to another edition of Quarantine Sessions! Yeah, yeah, re-branding is weird but bear with me as we dive deep into this week’s recs. If you’re not in the loop, every two weeks we hit you with some of the hottest quarantine sets from our beloved local music scene. This week we’ve got everything ranging from trans-inclusive punk to cascading loop-based arrangements. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy and keep supporting our sprawling but struggling independent music scene.
As per usual, I’ll be giving you guys and gals some oh snap moments. These can be either some tracks that sound really cool or specific moments that we think are really something!
1) Sesiones Xirgu – Crew Rod
With sounds that harken back to neo-soul acts in the vein of Hiatus Kaiyote or BADBADNOTGOOD, Crew Rod comes at you with snappy and groovy songs all throughout this set. What’s really great about this set is how every song segways perfectly into the next, the performances are absolutely on point and the vibes switch between funk and hip-hop with relative ease. Jazz fanatics, rejoice! Brought to you by Xirgu UNTREF.
Oh snap moments: 1) The mad rhythm change during the tail end of Principio del Final, the opener (2:27) 2) The fast and frenetic intro to the song PARC (8:08)
2) Sóttkvi Festival 2020 – Catalín Munteanu
Catalín manages to sound both nostalgic and powerful in her Sóttkví Festival solo set. Armed with a loop pedal and all her other instruments, she builds walls of melodic landscapes filled with guitar counterpoints, breakbeat drum patterns, and her Björk-esque vocal lines. I also get a lot of early John Frusciante from her guitar work which is a plus in my book.
Oh snap moments: 1) The math-rocky intro to the set on Al Sur (0:00) and 2) the angular riffs on Trenes near the very end of the set. (25:13)
3) Cosquín Rock – El Mató A Un Policia Motorizado
LAPTRA Records poster-boys and indie rock veterans El Mató Un Policia Motorizado embody a very particular brand of indie which is characterized by driving basses and huge singable melodic choruses. Thanks to Cosquin Rock, one the biggest (if not THE biggest) festivals of Cordoba, El Mató bring some of their most iconic songs from La Síntesis O’Konor (their latest full-length album) and some classics.
Oh snap moments: 1) Ani’s (Las Ligas Menores) participation in Las Luces 2) the blistering and fast-paced performance of Ahora Imagino Cosas
4) Especial de Navidad Niceto – Gativideo
Although it’s technically not a quarantine session, Gativideo’s Especial de Navidad is a totally crazy and hilarious pre-Coronavirus set. We are not going for amazing virtuosity here but rather a celebratory taste of what our 2019 Christmas times were like. If you’re looking for synth-based funk that doesn’t take itself WAY too seriously, Gativideo’s got your fix. Brought to you thanks to Niceto Club
Oh snap moments: This thing is filled with bizarre and fun all throughout its runtime. To the point where it felt like a string of fun skits tied together by song interludes.
5) Dilda En Casa – Tranki Punki + Horregias
Double feature for the insatiable! Dilda Festival is alive and kickin’ and their latest set feature two great bands. First, the polka-punk group called Tranki Punki. Who would have thought that fuzzy guitars would pair so well with the upbeat sounds of blaring accordeons and playful violins? The next act is Horregias, a punk trio whose sound is just as confrontational as their lyrics. I love how their voices join in their three-part harmonies in most of their songs
Oh snap moment: 1) Tranki Punki’s intro song (0:00) 2) Horregias’ Heteronormativa (14:08)