20 favorite Argentinian albums
I’ve been thinking about making this list for a long while (as in, a few years), since I feel like sometimes I make the mistake of focusing too much on stuff that’s going on in other countries, particularly countries like the USA or the UK, which have a significant cultural hegemony over most of the planet.
As an Argentinian person, who has the music taste that I have, what are the artists, bands, projects that I keep closest to my heart, from people who were born and raised here? Which artists hold the most meaning to me? Which albums would I show to a friend or a stranger who asked me about cool music from my country? What would they represent, both music and culture-wise? And most importantly, do I agree with the musical canon that was established here a long time ago?
The answer to that last question is, for the most part, not really. There are some artists and releases that I love which definitely are well-liked by everyone, or at least a good amount of people, but many others that I simply don’t care for much, like Los Redondos (or other Indio Solari projects, for that matter), Charly García, Andrés Calamaro, etc. Despite the fact that I can appreciate their musicianship, their immense talent and impact in our culture, it just really isn’t for me. Sorry. Also as much as I do (and everyone does) consider tango as one of the most important things that ever came out of the country, I honestly never really got into it much, so sorry for that as well.
What I’m trying to say is, this is ***my*** list. This reflects the opinion of absolutely nobody but myself, and if you asked anyone else they’ll probably give you different answers. It’s not the list of the most important Argentinian records of all times, just my taste. When making the list I tried to keep things relatively diverse in terms of both genres and years, both stuff that is wildly popular and stuff that is just not as much. I’m young so there’s obviously going to be a recency bias, though there are albums from pretty much every decade since the 1960s.
Also, as I wanted to include as many different artists as possible, I’m only including one album per artist, and I’m counting bands as such, otherwise I would’ve included Estaciones and especially Bocanada, which hurts like hell to leave out of this list, but it’s for the better I think. Order is pretty much arbitrary, just to keep an order to myself than anything else, really.
DISCLAIMER PARA ARGENTINOS: Ya se que hay muchos discos que quizá no estén en la lista, así que en vez de decirme “CHE POR QUE NO ESTA [X disco]”, sepan que es por que quizá no lo escuché o no me gusto tanto, o prefiero otros discos. Puede pasar. No juzguen (?) Además esto está hecho con gente que quizás sea de otro país en mente, pero espero que igual les sirva para descubrir algún que otro artista o disco que quizá no conocían, me gustaría poder contar con eso. :)
HONORARY MENTIONS:
Andrea Pensado — As Within So Without (2018)
Ariel Ramirez — Misa Criolla: Messe et chants religieux d’inspiration folklorique Argentine (1965)
Asalto al Parque Zoológico — Hexadecimal (2013)
Cazzu — Error 93 (2019)
D.I.E.T.R.I.C.H. — Providencia (2014)
Don Cornelio y La Zona — Don Cornelio y La Zona (1987)
Entre Ríos — Onda (2005)
Facundo Cabral — Facundo Cabral (1970)
Gustavo Cerati — Bocanada (1999)
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs — Fabulosos calavera (1997)
Los Siquicos Litoraleños — A pleno ritmo sideral (2005)
Pibes Chorros — Arriba las manos (2001)
Reynols — Polos Mosco (1999)
Rosario Bléfari — Estaciones (2004)
Tayhana — Tierra del fuego (2019)
#20. Beatriz Ferreyra — Echos + (2020)
[musique concrète]
The Córdoba-born composer Beatriz Ferreyra was one of the pioneers of electroacoustic music and “musique concrète” (concrete music), being the only female member of Pierre Schaeffer’s Groupe de Recherches Musicales de la RTF. While she hasn’t exactly received the same recognition her male counterparts like Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis or Luc Ferrari received, her compositions have always been some of the most boundary-pushing out of the group of composers, using not only found sounds divorced from their source material, but also often focusing on deconstructing the human voice.
Echos +, released earlier this year via Lawrence English’s Room40, compiles three pieces composed between the late-70’s and the mid-00’s, and it’s probably one of the most representative collection of her works. The first two pieces, “Echos” and “L’autre… ou le chant des marécages”, use recordings of her niece Mercedes Cornu — who died in a car accident — singing Argentinian and Brazilian music, but they are chopped, stretched, deconstructed and reconstructed into something that is barely recognizable, emphasizing on heavy breaths or coughs more than any melody in and of itself. While the final piece, “L’autre rive” is more akin to the compositions of some of her contemporaries, it still is a very interesting recording, and the record as a whole could perfectly work as a great introduction not only to one of the most important experimental music artists alive, but also to the world of concrete music itself.
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#19. Giradioses — Dormitorio (1995)
[shoegaze; dream pop]
Shoegaze was, besides maybe grunge, nu-metal or britpop, one of the most important and influential rock music subgenres that was either born in or saw its biggest peak in popularity in the 90s. Many bands were trying, to some extent to replicate or dabble into its sound, both in the mainstream and in the underground, and pretty much all over the world. Argentina was no exception, and the very short-lived band Giradioses was one of its exponents, though you’d be forgiven for not knowing about them since apparently they weren’t really known at the time… or now for that matter.
Dormitorio, their debut album, isn’t exactly the most original record — I am pretty sure that right there the same font for My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless is being used. But it is filled with lots of genuinely creative moments that you wouldn’t see too often in bands at the time, like stretched ambient passages or weird electronic bits that sound like a tamer Sweet Trip, aside from the heavenly melodies and guitars as well as ethereal vocals that typically characterize the genre, matched with great songwriting. According what I’ve looked up online, Giradioses broke up in 2001, one of its members now plays in the more widely-known indie-electronic band Entre Ríos, though apparently others reunited in 2006 and released an album as Mundialmente. Either way, as far as dream pop and shoegaze goes, this really does rule.
#18. Aylu — Walden (2018)
[idm; experimental; footwork?]
Aylu — a.k.a. Ailín Grad — is a producer and musician part of the Argentine juke scene, and a founder member of the Abyss Juke crew, a label which introduced footwork from its origins in Chicago to the Argentina, and has definitely pushed the limits for what the genre can be. This is exactly what Walden, her debut record for the American label Orange Milk does. This might technically sound similar to footwork at times, but at the same time, it has little of what we think of as such.
Instead, it plays between the lines of 90’s IDM, ambient or glitch, but also keeping a very organic element to it, using “real”, organic sounding instruments like guitars or drums to built beats and rhythms with, along with field recordings or other samples and sources that don’t put it way too far from what “musique concréte” is. I have seen this album be compared to Japanese producer’s Foodman’s approach to the genre, and you can hear why at some points. However, this record has an identity of its own, partly because Aylu’s music can be as playful and experimental as it is actually engaging and creative. Walden is of the most brilliant and innovative albums to come out of Argentina in the past few years.
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#17. Tomás Lipán — El canto de Purmamarca vol. 1 (1985)
[carnavalito; andean folk]
Okay, so full disclosure here: I feel like out of all the records here this is the one that is here because of personal attachment… the most. My family were hugely into folk music, particularly folk music from provinces like Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán and others. They would take me to festivals and concerts, and it would be a constant presence in our household. One of the many artists they listened to was Tomás Lipán, an Aymara singer and multi-instrumentalist from Purmamarca, Jujuy. And yeah, I was named after him.
His music was around a lot when I was very young, and I have very fond memories of it being played. Revisiting this record while making this list, I notice that a lot of the instrumentation is very interesting, with a stronger presence from bandoneon in a few tracks that lacks in a lot of Andean folk music I heard. Tomás is also an extremely charming vocalist and performer. Although most of the songs are “carnavalitos”, a type of music with pre-Hispanic roots in what is now the north of Argentina and Chile, there are a wide variety of subgenres of Andean folk covered in this release (as well as the following one), like taquirari or huayno, and it’s just lovely stuff altogether.
#16. Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas — Chaco (1996)
[latin rap; funk]
Rap music in Argentina took… a long while to take off. While there were, of course, a few rappers in the country in the late 80’s and early 90’s that had somewhat of a presence, it was nowhere near as big as it was in other countries from Latin America and during that time it didn’t properly break in the country’s mainstream, nor was it particularly “the sound of the streets”. So, it’s kind of funny that two white (or “white-passing” whatever) guys, one of them the child of a well-known rockstar like Luis Alberto Spinetta, with a band name like “Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas” would be the ones to breakthrough the genre in the country to a bigger audiences.
And the music of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur could have gone wrong in so many ways. And in some aspects, it does feel… corny in some aspects. So many of the lyrics sound strange (nobody really knows what “abajarame en la bañera” actually means), the awkward juxtaposition of Spanish and English, just felt really weird. And yet, that’s the appeal of Chaco. It was a record that took inspiration in the funkier end of rap, with a strong influence from the Beastie Boys and some “rock nacional”, and as much as it engaged in the nonsensical, it also addressed serious themes like rising poverty in the country or the strong presence of white supremacy and erasure of Indigenous cultures. Never is it a drag despite its length, Chaco is a fun listen from beginning to end in a way few rap records from South America are.
#15. Mala Fama — Ritmo sustancia (2000)
[cumbia villera]
Now if you want music that sounds more like what “the streets” might sound like here − saying that as broadly as possible, − cumbia villera might be more of your thing. The genre was born during the 90s, but reached its (first) peak in popularity in the early 00’s, right during Argentina’s great depression moment and after (most of) its censorship was lifted. It came out of the villas, slums present mostly in the greater areas of the biggest cities of the country, where people in precarious economic positions live in hazardous infrastructures. Unlike most cumbia that came out of the country, like that of Santa Fé or Tucumán, this music had a rawer feeling to it, with lyrics about life in these villas: class division, drugs, alcohol, sex, police corruption, etc.
There were many big bands, singers and groups that came out of that genre during that period of time, one of the biggest ones probably being Mala Fama. Led by Hernán Coronel, their debut album Ritmo sustancia is probably the best album that came out of that period. Some of it feels, sonically and lyrically, very much of its time − the less said about “Te volviste …uto” the better, especially since Coronel himself renounced it, − but it also deals with themes that feel current in the situation of the country two decades later. But not only is it an album that shows reality, it also is incredibly fun and well-made! Almost every hook on this is made to be as catchy as possible, and it’s full of surprises from beginning to (especially) the very end.
#14. Beatriz Pichi Malen — Plata: Canciones de Origen Mapuche (1999)
[mapuche folk; new age]
Mapuche singer Beatriz Pichi Malen’s story is one that is very fascinating and unique among vocalists of the region. She started her singing career in 1990, and in 1994 she went to the folk festival Cosquín, in the province of Córdoba, with the intention of performing. When she auditioned she sang acapella, entirely in Mapudungun her native language. The judges were confused, but eventually, she was the one given a slot out of more than 400 women who auditioned for it. And you can surely hear why, her performances are just as perplexing as they are alluring, with a voice that feels one of a kind.
Her proper debut studio album, Plata: Canciones de Origen Mapuche does, I must admit, occasionally sound too close to the style of music that was promoted as “world music” in Western countries, folk music from Indigenous or “non-White” people (using that in the broadest sense possible) over vaguely electronic, “new age” instrumentals. But instead of falling into that, the electronic-leaning production and arrangements made by Néstor M. Iencenella feels complementary to the traditional folk songs she sings, and these compositions are sung in a truly graceful and charming way that truly makes it stand out from any sort of repackaging of folkloric art, instead, it’s something genuine and beautiful.
#13. HHHH — Intro (2014)
[idm; glitch pop]
HHHH describes itself as an “anonymous music production collective”. Aside from the fact that the person behind the project might be someone who was behind a very popular group in Argentina because of the meme-potential of their music, not much really is known about the project. I was first introduced to this album in 2015 after the recommendation of an American online pal, and it was exactly what I wanted from music at the time.
Intro, HHHH’s debut album, was filled with strange, entrancing, glitchy electronic music that sounded like a more industrial-leaning Boards of Canada, or perhaps a more relaxed Arca, with an unpredictable usage of samples that recalled Holy Other or Clams Casino, and a vocal and songwriting style that demonstrated a pop sensibility before everything, quite unique stuff at the time. Revisiting this project while making this list, it still probably is. It’s probably best represented by its fantastic artwork: something that appears to be alien, metallic, standing tall in front of a wonderful sunset. Aside from two EPs, one released in 2017 and other in 2019, HHHH haven’t put out another full-length since, but if whoever is/are behind this project come up with something as outstanding as this record is, I will surely be eager to check it out.
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#12. Federico Durand — El libro de los árboles mágicos (2012)
[ambient; field recordings]
In the past few years, ambient music has been a source of comfort for me, whenever I was feeling anxious or needed to concentrate or just relax, it has soundtracked multiple moments of my life. One of the artists who have contributed to these moments was Federico Durand, and as far as ambient music from this country goes, it’s hard to get better than the stuff that he does.
For El libro de los árboles mágicos, released through Japanese label Home Normal, Federico was inspired by his mother’s house right in the mountain chains of Córdoba, both by the nature that surrounds it and the memories that he had from that place. And through field recordings, tape manipulations and dreamy, soft melodies, he truly captures it. You can hear the rain falling, owls hooting, someone walking, birds and crickets chirping. It surely evokes nostalgia, and it does what some of the best ambient music does, it feels enveloping, like being wrapped in a warm blanket, but it also feels extremely detailed, with every sound being carefully placed into a grandiose collage that you can easily get lost in. It is one of his best works, and whenever I want to feel comfortable and calm, it will always be played.
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#11. Babasónicos — Jessico (2001)
[alternative rock]
Babasónicos, a rock band from Lanús led by singer/songwriter Adrián Dárgelos, became popular in the underground scene of the region during the 90’s. Their music was at the time, this really aggressive, weird kind of stoner rock with elements of electronic music and maybe some tints of nu metal and like… Radiohead? Sort of. There weren’t many bands at the time that sounded like it at the time, and this earned them a sort of cult status back then. But after falling out with the major label they were signed to, probably in part due to the economic crisis that Argentina suffered during the late 00’s, they put out a album that was almost a total shift from their initial records.
That album, Jessico, has a more accessible sound, and was their big breakthrough in the mainstream − release exactly a decade since the moment they formed − despite being released through a local record label. It was very divisive at the time, and coming fresh off of the 90’s, many accusations of “selling out” were thrown. But it was pretty good from beginning to end, and one of their most mature records ever. It was the album relied on its pop strength the most, adding to some of their signature songwriter a more robust structure. Their following records would be more openly pop, to varying degrees of quality, but this album managed to find a midpoint between their earlier material and a more accessible sound. Easily the best introduction their discography possible.
#10. Almendra — Almendra (1970)
[psychedelic pop/rock]
I initially thought about adding Luis Alberto Spinetta to that list of artists above that I’m just not a huge fan of, since many of the big albums and projects he was involved in that tend to get praised do little-to-nothing for me but… realistically, this album by one of his bands, Almendra, is good as hell from beginning to end. Maybe because it’s one I remember being played in my house the most, but maybe because it just… rules?
The poppier, folkier moments on this self-titled record, such as the well-known “Muchacha ojos de papel”, are some of the most delicate, beautiful pop songs ever written in this hemisphere. But also the moments that lent themselves to more impressive lengths, heavier riffs and purely psychedelic moments are also fantastic, without necessarily feeling pretentious as some of the big records of the time feel − feeling quite progressive, but without falling into the tropes that tend to push those who aren’t into prog-rock or the like away from it. This album feels very early 70’s in my ways, but it’s easy to see why this album is so present in Argentinian pop culture half a century after its release.
#09. Ricarda Cometa — Ricarda Cometa 2 (2018)
[noise rock]
Buenos Aires-based band Ricarda Cometa started out in 2009 as a trio, putting out a self-titled debut album in 2013 that saw them combining experimental drum patterns with rhythms from all over South America, improvisational bits and crescendos that were reminiscent of early post-rock, with some occasional noisy, freak-out moments. Sometime in 2017, the band lost a member, and became a duo consisting only of drummer Tatiana Heuman (who also records experimental pop as QEEI) and guitarist Jorge Espinal.
Sometimes losing a member for one reason or another can be a hurdle for a band, especially one as small and relatively unknown like them, but instead it resulted in their best release yet. The record is titled Ricarda Cometa 2, and it’s probably not just a reference to it being the band’s sophomore album, but to the fact that it sounds like much more evolved version of their earlier stuff, with a crispier production, louder, more aggressive, reminiscent of bands like Zs or Lightning Bolt, but with their own personality and sound thanks in part to Tatiana’s drumming that at times sounds as if it was influenced by murga, candombe or even reggaeton (!). It wasn’t an easy record for me to dig into, it being so abrasive and also completely instrumental, but it packs so much into a relatively short length (23-minutes long). Also like, look at that cover. Tell me it doesn’t fucking rule.
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#08. Todos Tus Muertos — Todos Tus Muertos (1988)
[hardcore punk; post-punk]
Post-punk was a presence in the country, but it was combined with hard rock very often and to me can often feel a little bit… edgeless. If you want a record that takes on the actual punk rock spirit of the genre, but doesn’t leave behind its edge, Todos Tus Muertos’ debut album is ideal for you from its very first track. Coming not long after the military junta installed in the 70’s collapsed, this a heavily political record, dealing not only with its aftermath, both in economic and social levels, but also with themes that affected the planet and could be reflected in the country, such as war, racism and discrimination, with the band’s leader Fidel Nadal probably being one of the few Afro-Argentinian figures in rock music to this day — sadly.
It’s a very somber, angsty record, with some noisy bits proper of a more raw recording and guitar tones that felt quite gothic. It also has some reggae and dub-inspired moments on its B-side, which can be a bit confusing, but they don’t derail the record at all and actually seem to make sense in context. Later Todos Tus Muertos would achieve more fame, remaining as political as ever but with a more hi-fi sound, leaving the post-punk-ish sound behind entirely, focusing on the reggae and punk rock parts of their music exclusively, with some dabbles into hip hop every now and then. Fidel would even get a crossover smash pop hit as a solo artist, “International Love”. Regardless, as far as debut albums go from Argentinian bands, it’s hard to find something that kicks as much ass as this.
#07. Mercedes Sosa — Mujeres argentinas (1969)
[nueva canción; south american folk]
Very few singers represent Argentina and its culture as much as Mercedes Sosa does. She gave life to many of the songs that now are very close to the hearts of many people not only in the country, but in the whole Spanish-speaking world. Picking an album by her for this list was hard, not only because many of her best material is live, which is something that I wanted to avoid including, but also because she has so many albums and so many of them are consistently good. Still, I feel Mujeres argentinas is a perfect choice.
Mujeres argentinas is an album that narrates stories of women from Argentina or South America in general, who became historical figures. The lyrics were written by historian and writer Félix Luna and its music by Ariel Ramírez (of “Misa criolla” fame), both of them frequent collaborators of Sosa. And these songs talk about the women who fought for education for girls and women who fought in wars, women who were happy and women who were suffering, with instrumentation that, in addition to what was typical of folkloric music recorded at the time, also had a strong presence of harpsichords and piano that was akin to the baroque pop music present in the end of the 60s. But most importantly, Mercedes’ interpretations were what made these songs as iconic as they are to this day. Some of the most known songs all across the Spanish-speaking world, like “Alfonsina y el mar” or “Juana Azurduy” saw their first release on this record, and is, to this day, proof of Mercedes’ influence in Latin American music.
#06. Miranda! — Es mentira (2002)
[electropop]
Miranda! were until the mid-10’s, the biggest Pop act in the country. Pop with a capital P, pop unashamed of its popness and away from every pretension. They broke out in the Argentinian mainstream in 2004/2005 with their album ‘Sin restricciones’, an album filled with hits from beginning to end that is probably etched onto the brain of every Argentinian person aged 40–18. But if you wanted to get to the true origin of their popularity, you’d have to dig onto their debut album, Es mentira.
This album was released in 2002 independently and promoted by a now-defunct channel called Locomotion, which was very representative of the Y2K/early millennial alternative youth in Latin America, and gained a cult-like following because of it. Es mentira was, first and foremost, Pop. This kind of pop music felt really weird and unusual for the times, especially in a country like Argentina where most of the music of this kind arrived from other countries. At the time, Miranda! was as poppy as the Pet Shop Boys, as theatrical as Pimpinela, but was also closer to some of the pop music Pitchfork hyped up back in the early-to-mid 00s before “poptimism” was a thing as such, like Ladytron, Moloko or Annie, the kind that was not afraid to color outside the lines and showed really unique quirks. They brought happiness to a lot of people in a time of extreme crisis, and along with Javiera Mena and Belanova, they brought electropop to forefront of Latin American music. The group of Ale Sergi, Juliana Gattas and a rotating number of members would become huge figures in the Argentinian pop music world, writing some of the biggest, best pop songs of the country’s history, and this record was a fantastic start to their story.
#05. Gilda — Corazón valiente (1995)
[cumbia]
Gilda is probably one of the most loved singers in all of Argentinian music. The cumbia singer and songwriter was a kindergarten teacher, from a working class background, who decided to take a risk and dedicate herself to the “tropical” scene that was blossoming in the 90s. She went from backing vocalist to a few cumbia groups to soloist, and during her lifetime she would become one of the biggest stars in the genre. Her tragic death in 1996 would be devastating to her growing fanbase, but since then even more and more people started to listen to her music, and she would eventually become a cultural icon in the country with a massive, popular following. She is even considered an actual, literal saint by many.
Corazón valiente was the last album she recorded in full — prior to her death, she had five songs recorded for another LP, which was released posthumously along with remixes, covers etc. — and it is probably one of the strongest collections of cumbia songs you’ll hear from an Argentinian artist. Her take on cumbia had a more melodic emphasis, with a stronger pop appeal than anything else, and it works perfectly. There’s even a cumbia version of Roberto Carlos’ “Jesus Cristo” and even that sounds good! Many of the songs from this record would become classics that today are sung everywhere from karaokes to stadiums, danced in weddings and quinceañeras by people of all ages, “Fuiste”, “No me arrepiento de este amor”, “Paisaje” and many more are known by almost everyone in Argentina. It’s a wonderful legacy to have.
#04. Soda Stereo — Dynamo (1992)
[shoegaze]
In 2016, Pitchfork made a list that compiled “the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time”, and it featured many albums from bands that weren’t exactly big, or popular even in the heyday of the genre, which was a nice surprise. But aside from a few exceptions, it featured artists from the United States, the United Kingdom or other English-speaking countries, and a glaring omission was this particular album. Soda Stereo were, arguably, one of the biggest bands to ever record a full-on shoegaze record. Gustavo Cerati’s band had a huge success in Latin America in the 80’s with a more new wave aesthetic proper of the times, and had probably their biggest success ever with their previous album Canción animal.
Dynamo was probably their most experimental album at the time, far away from the monumental pop hooks of their earlier material and favoring a more atmospheric aesthetic. Still though, their strong songwriting was as present as always, with some of their better-written songs appearing in the tracklist. This record was shoegaze at its closest with alternative rock roots, with some dance-oriented moments that put them closer to “I”-era A.R. Kane. While not as huge as Canción animal in terms of sales, it still was pretty huge, and most importantly it proved to be incredibly influential, leaving a mark on rock music in the continent that would lead to the formation of and provide inspiration for many shoegaze (and shoegaze-adjacent) bands all over Latin America.
#03. Suárez — Horrible (1995)
[lo-fi; indie rock; experimental rock]
To be honest, for multiple reasons I find Argentinian indie rock to be quite… rancid. Its whole culture, especially in the past 10 years or so has proven to be toxic and shitty as a whole. Also it really isn’t worth it based on how boring, uncreative and uninteresting the music that comes out of those scenes tends to be, often imitating the foreigner without any proper success or crafting any actual identity or sound of their own. I’ve never felt that way about Suárez though, quite the contrary, they’re the antithesis to all of that. Granted most of their material was made in the 90’s and early 00’s, but it would have been nice if bands took their weirdness as an influence a bit more.
The band led by Rosario Bléfari, who sadly died a few months ago, have several albums that pushed indie rock at a more experimental next level, but nothing beats Horrible in that aspect. They had a very lo-fi aesthetic that wasn’t too different from what Animal Collective would later do in albums like Sung Tongs, and a style of songwriting that was soft, almost lullaby-like when it needed to be, potent as fuck when it had to be, and all of it aided by Bléfari’s gorgeous voice. They weren’t afraid to incorporate noise or other strange sounds into their music, and this album right here closes with a 40-minute sound collage piece composed of snippets of songs, field recordings, ambient noise and random conversations that was like if Graham Lambkin was commissioned to make a Pavement song. It’s crazy stuff. This whole record — and Suárez’s discography, really — is proof that not all “indie” from here is worthless, since at least in their case there is much to be discovered.
#02. Juana Molina — Segundo (2000)
[folktronica]
In the 90’s, Juana Molina was known for being a comedian in Argentina. She had a show called “Juana y sus hermanas” in which she embodied different characters representative of Argentinian culture in that decade. But when she decided that it was enough, and decided to dedicate herself to music, she was met with a mediocre reception. It is kind of sad how it took Latin America a couple of years to catch up with what Juana’s stuff, but her fanbase constantly grew, and now she is kind of held as a national hero in the indie scene, even if what helped her breakthrough was the attention she was getting by Anglophone media with her second album, the aptly-titled Segundo.
Her debut album, Rara, was more in the vein of indie-rock and singer/songwriter stuff popular in the 90s, but upon re-discovering raga and playing with more electronic-based instruments, she made an almost 180° switch. This record is more based around soundscapes, using her voice as another instrument rather than making lyrics the main focus of her music, and there were also loops from her guitars and other sound sources repeated over and over and layered on top of each other to build a denser tune, while still feeling very organic in terms of production. It was unlike anything at the time here, or anywhere, and was the record that would get her a bigger audience than ever before, and deservingly so. From there, she would build an even denser, more expansive, experimental and diverse sound, but Segundo will always be the one that gave us the possibility of Juana making music that was wildly ahead of its time.
#01. Virus — Locura (1985)
[synthpop; new wave]
Argentina had just come out of the right-wing, U.S.-installed dictatorship that began with a coup d’etat in 1976 and collapsed shortly after the Malvinas War. During those times, not only a lot of civilians who had been affiliated with leftist, anarchist and Peronist movements were tortured and assassinated, but there was also heavy censorship from media of any content that would show any kind of dissident opinion or “inappropriate” behaviour, which would also lead to the persecution of artists and many of them leaving Argentina altogether. Once democracy became part of the country again, it took a bit for the country to properly catch up with the rest of the world in terms of culture. New wave and synthpop, which already were enjoying popularity in the country, certainly played a part in that — and Virus helped as well.
Now, their fifth album Locura does not deal explicitly with themes regarding the dictatorship, at least on a first reading, but it is probably the first big album that couldn’t have existed anytime before. With a heavier focus on synthesizers than ever before, not too dissimilar from early Talk Talk or Frankie Goes to Hollywood, it was one of the most openly sexual records that was around at the time, with hedonistic lyrics, references to extremely taboo topics regarding sexuality, surely caused a lot of controversy at the time. But every song on this record was immaculately written, with hooks that couldn’t leave your head, and surely nobody regardless of how conservative society was at the time regarding such issues, could resist the immediate charm of this album. I could have included their album Superficies de placer, because of it dealing with leader Federico Moura’s HIV-positive diagnosis and coming to terms with his own death, but there are very few records that feel as openly joyful in the country’s history, a record that could attract the most religious of poptimists and the most insistent rockists. It feels like a celebratory lap after everything that happened, it is truly is a one-of-a-kind gem.
