Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – El Arte de la Elegancia
Reviewed by Sadie O., 12/5/09
Latin post-punk/ska/pop from Buena Aires – their 16th or so album in 25 or so years. They’re just absurdly good at this… If anything, I’d say this record is slicker and more pop than some of their previous stuff, but that’s not to say they’ve lost any energy or edge. Face it, Vicentico could sing “Margaritaville” and make it sound good, although I don’t see him trying it anytime soon.
No FCCs detected – all in Spanish, so I can’t be 100%...
I like 4, 5, esp. 8, 9 and 11 (part 1) best.
1. 2:56 **big chords, then boppy upbeat ska with a touch of punk.
2. 2:37 **midtempo, groovy Latin ska-pop. Slick, yet cool.
3. 2:45 **midtempo soul swing (cover of a Curtis Mayfield song). Bitchen drum solo.
4. 4:43 ***spy movie vibe, slow with lots of reverb. Sweet vocals. It’s actually a slow dance number, featuring Boris and Natacha.
5. 2:17 ***big, upbeat danceable ska-punk.
6. 2:23 **even MORE upbeat and danceable. If you’re walking down the street listening to this on your iPod, you will wind up skipping. Vocals really shine here.
7. 3:43 **fast 80’s style club groove with a ska beat and wah-wah.
8. 3:04 ****Blaxploitation guitar intro, then groovy crooning, then punk ska. It’s gnarly, just trust me…
9. 3:13 ****the single bitchenest ska riff I’ve ever heard, and great raw vocals.
10. 2:39 **I guess you’d call this New Wave? Kinda pop, maybe a bit So. Cal. surf.
11. 5:41 ****bloopulous midtempo skank. Great sound. Unfortunately, it actually lasts only about 3 minutes! Then there’s a hidden track that starts about 2:15 from the end, all vocal harmonies, with a couple long bits of silence in it. Pooey!