Los Giros

As you will have hopefully noticed, the title of The Spins is in Spanish this week, rather than its standard English. And unlike those bums in the NBA, we’re not doing just Los Spins. Full translation! The reason for this was to set myself a task for this edition: to consider only Spanish-language and Latin-influenced albums. I had a few to listen to, and I knew that I would find ways not to hear them this week if I didn’t set myself a task. To peek behind the curtain on my end, much of my listening for the last few days has been Westside Gunn, MF Doom, and Roc Marciano with sprinklings of Shabazz Palaces. So, with this in mind, this is what I came back with.

The common thread between all of the albums that will be in this dispatch is vibes. The first set of vibes are tense, but dreamy and romantic. Those are found on Buscabulla’s Se Amaba Así. While the lyrics are about a point of strain in the relationship of the group’s two members, Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo Del Valle, their synth pop is breezy and engaging. Much like on their first album, which I enjoyed quite a bit, the duo find a way to balance serious lyrics with gentler instrumentation, making it an engaging listen.

If you want some more tripped out vibes, you can turn to Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodélicos II. This album was not on my radar at all, and I was thrilled to have listened to it. Have vocalists sing baladas and boleros over cool backdrops of downtempo beats, heavily reverbed guitars, and vintage electronics. That is this album in a nutshell, and I thought it was absolutely marvelous. There are plenty of standouts across this set, such as “Hoy Que Llueve.” I really had an excellent time listening to this one.

If you wanted to understand Miami right now—and I mean, right now—listen to Nick Léon’s A Tropical Entropy. A 30-minute electronic album that careens from the club to the heat to the ocean to the shadows with breakneck intensity. It is an album that both loves its home city and also acknowledges that it contains various dark corners. It absolutely never sits still while becoming all encompassing. I’ll admit that this sounds rather high-minded, but the album itself is extremely immediate and engaging. I understood his idea clearly, and I’m sure you will as well.

The last couple albums will take you on journeys. The first is to Montevideo with Juan Wauters. On his album MVD LUV, Wauters enlist a band of local musicians and pays tribute to this homeland through a well-crafted set of folk-pop songs. The music is fun and engaging, and it is nice to hear a musician who is happy. You can hear his joy at being able to do this album in his voice and in the instrumentation.

The other journey is through the music of Latin America. This is done by Karol G on her album Tropicoqueta. Covering sounds from Cuba, Mexico, and Brazil, to name a few, Karol G pays tribute to the artists who came before her. While this could just be a reverent tribute, she adds her own flair, bringing in reggaeton as well as smooth R&B sounds. In addition, there is a flip of the sax solo from George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” on one of the tracks. I’ll let you find that on your own.

That ends Los Giros for this week. We’ll be back to regular programming next week here. I have no idea of what the long post will be this week. Ideas in my head include introducing a new genre of rap music, offering a primer on MF Doom, and considering the successful return of legacy acts over the last couple of years. There are other things floating around as well such as talking about Aubrey’s Iceman rollout, but don’t expect that one though. While it edges close to my “No Hating” rule, I have a neutral take on the strategy of the whole approach. If you’ve got an idea, let me know.