Bloque
The spirit of rock took a holiday from its American birthplace and paid a visit to the far-off terrain of the Colombian-born and -bred Bloque--only to find itself in a midlife crisis. And indeed, the genre couldn't find better comrades than this sophisticated musical battalion, named after the commando unit trained to track down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The main songwriting team of Ivan Benavides and Ernesto Ocampo have crafted a fine group of songs sung entirely in Spanish but possessing a musical multilingualism that should win over thoseque no lo entienden. Shades of postpunk art rock saturate the guitar textures of "Dano en el Bano" and "Sin Lagrimas," and they even rip off Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page for the opening lick of "Nena." Never absent, however, are the classic rhythms and vocal harmonies of traditional Latin music, updated innovatively and respectfully on postmodern sambas like "Majana" and "No Volvere." Most of us stateside may not recognize this rock when we see it again, but you always come back from the best trips a little changed, anyway.--Justin Hampton