100 Best Mexican Contemporary Songs (30-21)

100 Best Mexican Contemporary songs

30

Candy

Atlas

A world where every one is connected to one another (in a Sense 8 way) is the premise of this dystopic tale by Candy. Valentina Plasa's sweet voice tells a dream where "we all were another fragment, you begin where I finish", and is surrounded by lugubrious electronic atmospheres building tension slowly as if it was an apocalyptic prophecy, a danger is hidden in the synth layers and lures in the corners waiting for its moment to unleash; but this threat is patient, it let the two verses flow just reminding us of its presence, and then, when we think we have understood how this black magic works, Valentina screams "If one changes, all of those who were born under the same sun also change" and the band explodes in a blood bath of raw garage rock: the beast showed finally its teeth. It's the first time that Candy adds synths to their sound, but they are not gratuitous, they have clear their new wave influences and channel them in creating a deep and potent rock sound to talk about the connection between every single creature in this planet, but they are not hopeful about it, they let us not that this interdependence could be a horror film.

(Indie Rock, 2016)

29

(Electronic, 2010)

Disco Ruido

Go Twisters!

For such a festive country, Mexico really lacks regional electronic hymns that people can dance to and get excited when they got played by the DJ, something like Justice's D.A.N.C.E. or The Chemical Brothers' Hey Boy, Hey Girl. In a parallel universe (where indietronic mexican bands are huge), Go Twisters! might have been that hymn that every Mexican expected to call a party as such. Go Twisters! sounds like the clash of Klaxons' new rave with Donna Summer's disco music. It's right what the most electrifying moment of a party is made of, an adrenaline injection to keep dancing even if the body is hurting. Probably that mix of electronic styles is what prevented Go Twisters! from feeling dated when new rave proved to be a temporal fashion rather than a true link to the future of electronics, the Giorgio Moroder-esque undulations that serve as a bass give it some retro futuristic vibes and the dissonant synths paint it with neon laser rays while Mercedes Nasta's peculiar high-pitched voice sings about saying goodbye to a fake lover who "twisted" her. And probably that guy twisted her in a cruel way, but the way that Disco Ruido! is making us twist to their beats, certainly feels good.

28

La Gusana Ciega

Tornasol

La Gusana Ciega is one of the bands that, along with Zurdok and Jumbo, marked the end of the Rock en tu Idioma movement in Mexico by looking to what was happening outside and bringing new airs to sounds that by the end of the 90s already were repeating the same vices again and again; by adapting britpop to a latin context they put distance between them and the ska influenced bands like Maldita Vecindad or Panteón Rococó. La Gusana Ciega opened shows for Oasis in 1999 in Mexico City, and it seems like that triggered in them the need to pen an Spanish equivalent to Wonderwall, because the following year, Tornasol became the uncontested hymn of that era's rock music. The catchy guitar riffs and the falsetto vocal work were the key elements that had their expanding fanbase to sing along "You become my dreams again, my sweet mermaid", it's a love declaration with such an expansive sound that is warm and tender while retaining a strong rock attitude. Right at the dawn of the new millennium, with such a hit that resonated with hope for rock lovers, it was impossible to believe that Mexican rock was on the verge of suffering a huge crisis.

(Rock, 2000)

27

(Pop, 2000)

Paulina Rubio

Lo Haré Por Ti

If you want to be a diva, you need to act like one. Probably that is the mantra that Paulina Rubio repeats herself every morning because she strikes you as somebody that tries way too hard to create her own myth of latin pop queen: the obsession with gold that gained her the nickname of "Golden Girl", the fake Spain accent, the unconcealed copying of Madonna's looks, her own sexualization through straight-forward erotic lyrics and videos... even if it all looks manufactured, it worked for her. But, maybe by hazard, all this elements worked well once and for only one track. Lo Haré Por Ti (I'll Do It For You) opens with a slow and well defined bass and is disrupted by an urgent guitar riff that is almost like a fire alarm, and then she enters singing very soft and calmed "Look how good we are at being together the two of us", her raspy voice full of confidence hides her very restricted vocal range and plays with the instruments to set the sexy mood: that 45 opening seconds are pure gold. Then she dares to add percussions that have a traditional bolero rhythm to create contrast and give it a latin heat touch. We can forget that the lyrics are repetitive and that she submits us to a long session of "La-la-la-la", because it's a pop song in the end, but the one that probably she'll never be able to replicate.

26

(Indie Rock, 2006)

Zoé

Vía Láctea

Vía Láctea (Milky Way) is a song that possess a lot of merits: the tight and dynamic instrumentation that constantly adds, subtracts and reinserts elements to make way for changing and exciting progressions, channeling the dark new wave efforts of The Cure, but also reminding us of the energy of Interpol's first album while developing their own poetics about a cosmic love story. But all that goes to a second stage since no matter how great the track itself is, it got engulfed by its legacy and importance in Mexican music. To put things in context, it's the lead single of Zoé's first album as a truly independent band (after they got dropped by Sony Music), and it's the song that changed their destiny from being a dark alternative band to be the biggest mainstream rock band in the country. The success of Vía Láctea was the decisive moment for music production and distribution, it made all kind of music acts to realize that being part of a label was not the path to follow anymore and it marked the boom of independent labels like Noiselab. But more than that, it is the song that gathered a multitude of young Mexicans in a collective trip through the milky way and, in a way, shaped an identity of a generation that keeps searching universal endless love.

25

Plastilina Mosh

Feat. Ximena Sariñana and Patricia Lynn

Pervert Pop Song

Plastilina Mosh is an elusive band that constantly defies our expectations; they do rap, they do rock, they do house... and for their fourth album they decide to close it with a mainstream pop track that turns out to be the most outstanding song in the album. Pretty much the title defines it, Pervert Pop Song plays with bouncy riffs and shiny synths over a very conventional structure to shape a perfect pop track ready for the Top 40 hits compilation, and the suggestive lyrics that are Jonás González singing the verses and the guest voices of Ximena Sariñana and Patricia Lynn in the chorus asking to be punished because they misbehaved couldn't be any more kinky. It's straightforward catchy, never attempts to be more than pure fun, but it never condescends taking the easy way, because Pervert Pop Song is more New Order than Britney Spears; we all can sing along the catchy chorus, but the real magic occurs in the background: simple elements, but coordinated and structured in a pristine way that has immediate effect in our desire to be dragged to the dancefloor. Just like the lyrics suggest, Plastilina Mosh knows that we are enjoying, and they like it.

(Indie Pop, 2009)

24

(Synthpop, 2015)

Meme

No Puedo Parar

Emmanuel "Meme" del Real was always the sensitive-romantic part of Mexican legend band Café Tacvba, being the lead singer of their rock ballads. But after he released his first solo song "No Puedo Parar" (I Can't Stop) to soundtrack the great film Las Oscuras Primaveras, we start wondering if he might also be the music genius of the band. No Puedo Parar strays far away from everything that he did with Café Tacvba, it was a dream-pop tune full of ethereal textures that took cues of the likes of Beach House and Washed Out to create an atmosphere charged with sexual tension. The film's infidelity storyline is translated to the lyrics of the song when Meme decides that he will "lose the difference between what's mine and what's stolen" while the distorted synths takes us to a rapturous point where the flesh blurs the limit of what is morally correct when "this vagabond river flows into your body". It's an erotic tale of forbidden love told in an elegant and adventurous form, that kept us expecting a solo album by Meme that would retain his importance in Mexican music, instead of diminishing himself with the poor albums that he has released with Café Tacvba in the last decade.

23

Dapuntobeat

Dospuntocero

It's enough to look at the title of this song, Dospuntocero (Spanish for the amalgamation of TwoPointZero), that at times is stylized just as ":0" (Got it? Two Points and a Zero) to understand that we are facing weird postmodern eccentricism. This track might sound like all fun with the robotic guitars, catchy loops, percussions that almost hint at a tropical conga and, above all, the mixed female vocals to the point of total distortion that make the verses sound like a funky alien invasion, but Dospuntocero is a very well thought track that gives space and depth to all the elements to avoid saturation and to create a cartoonish space that expands and contracts with an streamlined design. It is a lovable pop moment with an electro sleekness that reminds us of the robotic house of Daft Punk's Homework and the fun electropop of Hot Chip's Made in the Dark. It's an interesting and complex mixture of candy color and futurism that does certainly attracts people to the dancefloor, but it is also a track that can be played live and get a personal band interpretation, rather than be a "just push play" banger.

(Electronic, 2010)

22 Austin TV

Shiva

Austin TV always stand out from the rest of Mexican bands because of their conceptual inclinations that made their complex music, paired with the statements in their material aesthetics (they played in thematic costumes and the album art and narrative was very elaborated), more an artistic impulse rather than a pop act, so they would very well achieve a cult status in the alternative Mexican scene. Their third album, Fontana Bella, gets rid of all lyricism and manages to portray complex ideas and feelings just with music; Shiva might be the best piece there, the atmospheres and the constant key changes takes us in a trip that expands all the influences of the band: the 70's DIY psychedelic punk, the hardcore guitar riffs, the Radiohead musical narratives. It is bold in its experimentation with post-rock that includes retro synths and clapping, that portrays the descent into madness of a man who lives alone in the woods and experiences paranormal events. As flawed as the arrangements are, it is a statement of a band that found a new and universal way to communicate and express feelings and atmospheres through their music.

(Rock, 2007)

21

(Folk, 2006)

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Tamacún

Why is it that, being a country that has such a rich history of native folk music genres this list has mostly focused on rock and pop music? Well, the problem might not be the lack of folk music nowadays, but the fact that most of it has either just been repeating the same structures and rules that were created ages ago (a mariachi song from 1920 sounds the same as a mariachi song today) or went for an easy horns and drums loud excess that portrays toxic models of male-female relationships (you really don't want to get close to duranguense music). But when a band like Rodrigo y Gabriela emerges, you feel hope for a renewed regional music tradition. In Tamacún, Rodrigo opens with a pristine take on huapango (one of the most traditional Mexican music and dance styles) while Gabriela punches chords at a fast-pace, they accompany each other, antagonizing and complementing what their partner is playing: Rodrigo being the delicate, textured, traditional one, and Gabriela being the passional, energetic, savage one. Gabriela Quintero plays a double role in the song, because she manages to punch her guitar while playing in a way that she is also the rythm percussionist. This feels like the real Mexico: a country rich in its contrasts and ready to offer a vibrant experience in every single one of its corners.