Fhennu - Inconmensurable

Score: 8.1 

The second release from the Chilean band Fhennu is, in short, a revelatory experience. Cracky, almost rotten synths melt with absurdly attached strings, lo-fi effects and screamo voices to concoct music that's as different and on its own as intriguing, alluring and captivating. This is the sound of a band with a truly weird personality and raison d'etre; a band that knows exactly what it wants to and from the listener, and manages to master it.

Tracks I like the most: Instantes (Tos Hindú), Algo Con el Tiempo, 369

Tracks I like the least: Majestuoso Vacío

Artist: Fhennu

Country: Chile

Album: Inconmensurable

Released: 09/02/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Electronic, Lo-Fi, Screamo, Experimental, Ambient, Indie Folk, Art Rock

Length: 38:39

Tim Hecker - Konoyo

Score: 8.3 

The ninth album from the Canadian electronic producer and sound artist Tim Hecker is a fascinating journey through his mindset and peripheral thoughts on Japanese ancient culture. It's his irrefutable personal style what makes the traditional Eastern sounds blend so cohesively and smoothly with the harsh layers of drone and distorted strings in the songs. It's a record that breathes by itself, and it's giving birth to a formless creature we don't certainly know it's peaceful or doomed; anyhow, we love its creation, and how it sounds, and how it evolves, and how it comes to be.

Tracks I like the most: Across To Anoyo, This life, Keyed out, A sodium codec haze

Tracks I like the least: In Death Valley

Artist: Tim Hecker

Country: Canada

Album: Konoyo

Released: 28/09/2018

Genres: Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, Drone, Noise, Gagaku, Dark Ambient

Length: 59:09

Gevurah - Sulphur Soul

Score: 7.6 

With just four tracks and barely 31 minutes, the newest EP by Canadian band Gevurah feels urgently disponent and malevolent, erratic and cacophonous in its anger and relentless power. Sulphur Soul is a call to arms and a revelation in itself, also showing just how immense the band can get, even in the smallest of spaces.

Tracks I like the most: The Putrid Stench Of Rotting Flesh, Black Sun Thaumiel

Tracks I like the least: Across The Primordial Sea

Artist: Gevurah

Country: Canada

Album: Sulphur Soul

Released: 28/09/2018

Genres: Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal

Length: 31:07

Tomás Justo - Ronco Y Bruxo

Score: 6.7 

The debut solo album from Onda Vaga singer and composer Tomás Justo Gaggero starts and ends in a really creative and technicolor ways, but it's the mild in-between that sets the whole record as nothing more than an average musical experience. Influences are heard here and there, and there's a visible lack of identity and explotion in the artist's performance.

Tracks I like the most: Esperanza Última, Droga!

Tracks I like the least: Broti, Esfinge En Mí

Artist: Tomás Justo

Country: Argentina

Album: Ronco Y Bruxo

Released: 13/04/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Electronic

Length: 40:28

El Sur - Antes De Que Sea Muy Tarde

Score: 5.1 

If there's any adjective to describe Argentinian band El Sur, that'd be "adventurous": they dare, they suffer through their songs and, most importantly, they live by them. But if there's an adjective to describe their sophomore record, Antes De Que Sea Muy Tarde, that'd be "stuck": it's stuck in its premise, never developing or showing more than what's already expected from a young, still immature and recklessly square group that is too busy watching its belly to expand on and go up. The record is not a catastrophe in itself, but it's far from the angry resolution/revolution it pretends to be.

Tracks I like the most: Confié En Vos, Nada Más Que Hablar

Tracks I like the least: Perdido

Artist: El Sur

Country: Argentina

Album: Antes De Que Sea Muy Tarde

Released: 10/04/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Punk, Indie Pop

Length: 37:05

Julio Franchi - Invierno En La Luna

Score: 7.0 

The debut full-length album by Argentinian singer-songwriter and producer Julio Franchi feels refreshing to the already suffocated indie rock national scene, bringing twists of electronic and sing-along, stadium-filler pop bangers into the musical field. For the most part, the artist tries to move forward the conventional standards of how music this potentially commerical should sound like, but his intents are usually self-hindered and self-sabotaged. One is left with the feeling that he doesn't push his sound and his artistry futher enough; and it's a pity because, given more amounts of courage and creativity, Invierno En La Luna could have tackled and excelled.

Artist: Julio Franchi

Country: Argentina

Album: Invierno En La Luna

Released: 20/04/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Electronic, Synth-Pop

Length: 35:11

Hipnotica - Clásico

Score: 4.8 

The sophomore LP by Argentinian band Hipnotica is syrupy at the extent of mawkishness and redundant at the verge of irritability. Almost none of the songs portrayed throughout its 34 ironically long minutes leave a strong impression or branch of thought to cling into from. Clásico is not bad but it's forgettable at best, and maybe that's its biggest issue.

Tracks I like the most: Así, Caída Libre, Presente Perfecto

Tracks I like the least: 3 Intentos, De Nuevo

Artist: Hipnotica

Country: Argentina

Album: Clásico

Released: 31/08/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Dream Pop

Length: 34:45

Shaman Y Los Pilares De La Creación - El Primero Es El Último

Score: 8.2 

The third record from Argentinian troubadour Shaman Herrera with his ensemble is a liberating experience. The freak folk arrangements melt wonderfully with the baroque, classical instrumentation, but it's Shaman's eerie and malevolent vocals what makes the record an almost shamanic, cavernous album. It is a full realisation of life and love in the purest of ways, as if the band is wholly immersed into a forest of thought and spiritual zeitgeist.

Tracks I like the most: El Año Del Gallo, El Primero Es El Último, Yermo

Tracks I like the least: Murmullo Cruel

Artist: Shaman Y Los Pilares De La Creación

Country: Argentina

Album: El Primero Es El Último

Released: 13/07/2018

Genres: Indie Folk, Freak Folk, Psychedelic Folk, Baroque Pop, Classical

Length: 32:56

Cajú - Astrology Went Stupid

Score: 7.3 

The debut full-length album by Argentinian artist Cajú is wondrous and intimate in its delicacy and bedroom-y atmosphere. While the first half of it is sweetly intertwined and executed, the latter falls a bit underdeveloped and too sloppy to bear substance. It's a nice record overall, but if we consider the great potential the singer showcases, it could have been even better.

Tracks I like the most: Podrías Llevarme A Casa (Take Me Home), Confiá, Beach House

Tracks I like the least: Organ Song

Artist: Cajú

Country: Argentina

Album: Astrology Went Stupid

Released: 21/09/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Synth-Pop

Length: 32:21

Yataians - Retorno A Yatay

Score: 7.5 

The third record by Argentinian band Yataians finds them experimenting and excelling at their classic yet twisty approach to reggae music. The tracks feel levitant and cohesive, one following the other effortlessly and without any kind of utter surprise. It's not an album that'll break minds nor hearts, but as back-up, ambient-esque atmosphere it'll suit many.

Tracks I like the most: El Latido, Fuego, Fever, Money

Tracks I like the least: Dame Tu Amor

Artist: Yataians

Country: Argentina

Album: Retorno A Yatay

Released: 04/05/2018

Genres: Reggae

Length: 44:42

Dilly Dally - Heaven

Score: 7.3 

The second album by Canadian band Dilly Dally explodes in heaviness and density, showcasing great instrumental and rhythmic abilities and a poignant take on grunge. But it's Katie Monks' acrobatic and perturbing vocals what makes the songs elevate to higher grounds and deeper wounds and voids. It's a slow-paced yet self-assured record that dissolves and grows constantly and consistently.

Tracks I like the most: I Fell Free, Sober Motel, Marijuana

Tracks I like the least: Believe

Artist: Dilly Dally 

Country: Canada

Album: Heaven

Released: 14/09/2018

Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Grunge, Noise Pop

Length: 34:18

Los Andes - Obras Cumbres

Score: 6.8

The debut full-length album by Argentinian band Los Andes is mistakably called power pop, since all the songs feel breezy, almost acoustic in their intimacy and self-control. Some tracks are gems, displaying visceral, iridiscent lyrics that express youth, reflection and hope; some other feel too corny to be taken seriously. A bit of a hit-and-miss, Obras Cumbres still let us think that the band has yet to overcome their fluffiness and really take off.

Tracks I like the most: Todo Lo Que Quiero, El Momento

Tracks I like the least: Si Te Tengo A Ti

Artist: Los Andes

Country: Argentina

Album: Obras Cumbres

Released: 26/07/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Soft Rock, Dream Pop

Length: 36:23

Death Cab For Cutie - Thank You For Today

Score: 7.8 

The tenth album by American band Death Cab For Cutie finds them further exploring their ever-changing essence and rhythmic songcraft, this time showing increased maturity and restrain. The tracks flow beautifully between one another, floating like feathers and ranging distances and sentiments really close. Thank You For Today might not be the biggest, most important record in the band's discography, but it's still a great example of how palpably good the men over here are.

Tracks I like the most: You Moved Away, I Dreamt We Spoke Again, When We Drive

Tracks I like the least: Northern Lights

Artist: Death Cab For Cutie

Country: United States

Album: Thank You For Today

Released: 17/08/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Alternative Rock

Length: 38:40

Anticasper - Anillaco

Score: 7.4 

The newest release from Córdoba psychedelic band Anticasper is an intrepid, lavish rock record that take you to unexpected and surprisingly cheerful places with its distorted vocals, samples and instrumentals. If it lacks solidity at times, it makes up for vibrant performances and a cool sense of story-telling.

Tracks I like the most: Es Tu Lugar, Nos Vendimos

Tracks I like the least: El Terror

Artist: Anticasper

Country: Argentina

Album: Anillaco

Released: 10/06/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Psychedelic Rock, Dream Pop

Length: 46:48

Jungle - For Ever

Score: 5.4 

After their relatively well-received breakthrough debut album in 2014, British ensemble Jungle comes back with a far more personal and introspective approach, melting R&B and soul with disco, funk, electronica and even gospel-like chants. There are some standout tracks that feel really groovy and pleasant to the ears, yet the majority of the songs are affably forgettable. But the worst problem for For Ever is its constant lack of cohesion, as if the band were trying too hard to hit the jackpot but instead consistently making holes on the wall nearby.

Tracks I like the most: Smile, Beat 54 (All Good Now), Heavy California

Tracks I like the least: Give Over

Artist: Jungle

Country: United Kingdom

Album: For Ever

Released: 14/09/2018

Genres: Soul, R&B, Funk, Electronic, Pop, Nu-Disco

Length: 46:00

Medalla Milagrosa - Fantasía Peligro

Score: 5.0 

Medalla Milagrosa releases its first full-length album and, despite a couple of synthy touches and tempo twists, feels extremely lazy and numb in its own pleasures and comatoses to leave a strong impression on the listener. There are short and ephimeral glimpses of potential now and then but, in general, Fantasía Peligro ends up being one of the blandest national records of the year.

Tracks I like the most: Juegos

Tracks I like the least: Halo Disco Luna

Artist: Medalla Milagrosa

Country: Argentina

Album: Fantasía Peligro

Released: 04/06/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Synth-Pop, Dream Pop

Length: 38:19

Hembro - Los Nuevos Ricos

Score: 7.6 

The second studio album by the Argentinian band is extremely playful and cheeky. There's political, societal and even emotional consciousness here, all of them packed up in adventurous and unrestrained tracks that jump and awe at equal levels. There's also enough proof that Hembro is one of the most intriguing takes out there in the local sphere.

Tracks I like the most: Lo Peor De Mí, Macha

Tracks I like the least: La Fiesta Del Cuchillo

Artist: Hembro

Country: Argentina

Album: Los Nuevos Ricos

Released: 30/03/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock

Length: 32:23

Nidos - La Trampa

Score: 7.2 

The third full-length studio album by Buenos Aires band Nidos was recorded in the mytical Abbey Road studios. The quality and diversity of the work is present all over the tracks, though it's fair to say that the last songs lose the momentum and aching emotion of the first ones. La Trampa dissolves into itself as it passes by, but it's still a decent, enjoyable indie rock album about love, loss and hope.

Tracks I like the most: La Trampa, Los Pies

Tracks I like the least: No Existe

Artist: Nidos

Country: Argentina

Album: La Trampa

Released: 10/08/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Length: 30:57

Aphex Twin - Collapse EP

Score: 7.1 

After a couple of silent years, electronic legend Aphex Twin returns with a 28-minute, 5-song EP that's as hyperkinetic as deliciously detailed. While the tracks do tell stories that make you bounce and sweat in admirable ways, there's a continous sense of listness in the artist's take on the twisted jams; as if, paradoxically, all the energy portrayed in the tracks' BPM hide weakness and/or mildness.

Tracks I like the most: T69 collapse, 1st 44

Tracks I like the least: abundance10edit[2 R8's, FZ20m & a 909]

Artist: Aphex Twin

Country: United States

Album: Collapse EP

Released: 14/09/2018

Genres: Electronic, Experimental, IDM, Footwork, Acid Techno, Ambient Techno

Length: 28:57

Valdes - Gris

Score: 7.9 

The sophomore album by Córdoba-based duo Valdes is a groovy, effervescent and sophisticated journey through the stages of love and loss. The tracks feel vibrant and urgent, every beat coldly calculated and every tone firmly self-assured. Gris is short and concise, banging the dance-floor and moving feelings in respectable, charismatic ways.

Tracks I like the most: A Mi Lado, Qué Me Está Pasando, No Sé

Tracks I like the least: Más Allá

Artist: Valdes

Country: Argentina

Album: Gris

Released: 25/05/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Electropop, Synth-Pop

Length: 30:21

Gazelle Twin - Pastoral

Score: 8.4 

The latest release from British singer, song-writer and electronic producer Gazelle Twin is a marvelous satire about the hypocrisy, tension and impeded doom that her country is suffering from the inside, no matter how greenish, lush or "pastoral" it might seem according to its landscape and persona. The artist submerges into heavy layers of distorsion, acute noise and dark chasms to make it all real but, despite that, there's a gigantic sense of humanity and consciousness throughout the tracks, that feel as poignant as engrossingly playful. Pastoral is bizarre and almost childish in its performance, but that doesn't mean it won't scare the sh*t out of you and your psyche.

Tracks I like the most: Better In My Day, Little Lambs, Tea Rooms

Tracks I like the least: Mongrel

Artist: Gazelle Twin

Country: United Kingdom

Album: Pastoral

Released: 21/09/2018

Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Dark Ambient, Art Pop, Post-Industrial, Power Noise

Length: 37:32

Ash Koosha - Return 0

Score: 7.8 

The fifth release and third in 2018 from Iranian electronic producer is his most playful in a while. He lets himself be swallowed up and swirled into his modular synths to create phantasmagoric and phenomenal tracks that touch extremely artifical topics, but with a candid and abrassive human approach; they speak and scream so many times for one to avoid or ignore them. Ash Koosha dives even deeper into ambient IDM, and while it's clear that he's more entertaining when he gets gut-punching, Return 0 offers variety and skill in all its facets (all enjoyable and admirable).

Tracks I like the most: Muzikenono, StuSs, Earth

Tracks I like the least: Elastic

Artist: Ash Koosha

Country: Iran/United Kingdom

Album: Return 0

Released: 21/09/2018

Genres: IDM, Electronic, Experimental, Future Bass, Glitch Pop, Glitch Hop

Length: 41:37

Las Luces Primeras - Forestal Tape

Score: 7.4 

Forestal Tapes marks another good step forward for the Mendoza-based psychedelic rock band. There are glimpses of krautrock here and there, but the mellow ambient and the playfully diverse rhythms, patterns and melodies make for an album that's as hard to classify as easy to enjoy. Las Luces Primeras also shows how much capability there is in the country and, especially, in the Cuyo region when it comes to independent, creative music.

Tracks I like the most: Abre Tu Portal, Caballo Con Alas, Dragón De La Montaña

Tracks I like the least: Agua De Las Avispas

Artist: Las Luces Primeras

Country: Argentina

Album: Forestal Tape

Released: 07/02/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Dream Pop, Lo-Fi, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Pop

Length: 36:12

Las Cosas Que Pasan - Fundir Todo

Score: 7.8 

The second release from the Lujan de Cuyo-based band Las Cosas Que Pasan hits you with disdain and force, while it makes you think about life, routine, loved ones and the future itself. Its almost cavernous sound transports you to uncomfortable voids and tasteless corners, but the pinch of hope that can be seen far away also gives the tracks more taste and depth to chew on. Fundir Todo is disjointed but heavily coherent, and rotten yet awfully smart.

Tracks I like the most: Eo Recuerdo, Matmática, Luján

Tracks I like the least: Cuestión De Tiempo

Artist: Las Cosas Que Pasan

Country: Argentina

Album: Fundir Todo

Released: 14/03/2018

Genres: Indie Rock, Grunge, Lo-Fi, Singer-Songwriter, Neo-Psychedelia

Length: 28:08

Las Ligas Menores - Fuego Artificial

Score: 7.4 

Fuego Artificial is plagued with short but concise songs that feel like sunshine and stormy nights at the same time. The delivery and sense of cooperation the Argentinian band shows on their latest record is proof of relentless practice, skilled membership and a pure, enjoyable love for the music and the messages they are offering.

Tracks I like the most: A Tres Colores, Ni Una Canción, La Paciencia

Tracks I like the least: Luces Y Carteles

Artist: Las Ligas Menores

Country: Argentina

Album: Fuego Artificial

Released: 10/05/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock

Length: 36:00

Gativideo - Colorama

Score: 8.1 

The debut full-length studio album by Argentinian band Gativideo is exquisite. The quartet takes vintage imagery and sounds to concoct groovy, electric and viscerally cheerful electrofunk and dance rock tunes with as much technical precision as freedom and even humour. Colorama is the precious sound of an honest, fresh and eager young band; something we kind of missed in the late local scene.

Tracks I like the most: Bruce Willis, Vicios De Medianoche, Jazz Jackrabbit, Disco Majul, Fantástico Bailable

Tracks I like the least: Intro

Artist: Gativideo

Country: Argentina

Album: Colorama

Released: 15/05/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Indietronica, Alternative Dance, Zolo, Nu-Disco, Funk

Length: 29:33

Mi Nave - Ojos Cuadrados

Score: 7.7 

The newest release from already established indie rock band Mi Nave is an explanatory, vibrant journey through human thoughts, hypocrisy and the relevancy of our imperfection. It's mature but radically entertaining jammy pop that will reveal itself more after repeated listens. From its sensational art work to its successful formulas, Ojos Cuadrados feels hypnotic.

Tracks I like the most: Confite, Redondel, Hélice, Ojos Cuadrados

Tracks I like the least: Happening

Artist: Mi Nave

Country: Argentina

Album: Ojos Cuadrados

Released: 26/06/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Dream Pop, Art Pop, Post-Rock, Shoegazing

Length: 26:38

Ibiza Pareo - Bailemos Juntas

Score: 7.8 

The sophomore full-length album from the Argentinian duo Ibiza Pareo is much more dancefloor-oriented than its predecessor, but that doesn't mean it's less textured, deep and indulgingly savage. The tracks feel boiling, suffocated and exotic, but it's the voices and the restlessly playful instrumentation what keeps tracks in continuous momentum and joy. Bailemos Juntas triumphs all over the place because it knows how to tackle and marvel.

Tracks I like the most: San Antonio, En Una Cita, Loba De Noche

Tracks I like the least: Somos Agua

Artist: Ibiza Pareo

Country: Argentina

Album: Bailemos Juntas

Released: 11/05/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Electronic, Balearic Beat, EDM, House, Disco

Length: 44:54

Francisca Y Los Exploradores - Hermafrodita

Score: 7.5 

The third release from Argentinian band Francisca Y Los Exploradores is another example to justify why the band is one of the most important national acts out there: there's a constant and wholly sense of control here, no matter how hesitant, doubtful and melodramatic the songs aim to be. They're sweet, powerful and soothing without losing momentum or grandeur. Hermafrodita is a short but beautiful statement.

Tracks I like the most: La Señal, El Asesino, Villa Urquiza

Tracks I like the least: Cuentagotas

Artist: Francisca Y Los Exploradores

Country: Argentina

Album: Hermafrodita

Released: 21/09/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Soft Rock, Synth-Pop

Length: 24:58

Cítrico - Retorno Acuario

Score: 7.4 

The sophomore release from Argentinian singer and producer Cítrico feels organic and uplifitng, but with a certain degree of melancholy and restrain too. The twisty, juicy synths almost do the whole talking, expressing even more than the artist's voice at times. It's a kaleidoscopic journey that take on several experiments with and through the human psyche, and succeeds in almost all of them.

Tracks I like the most: Otro Lugar, Donde, Le Matin (Interludio)

Tracks I like the least: En Esto

Artist: Cítrico

Country: Argentina

Album: Retorno Acuario

Released: 27/07/2018

Genres: Indie Pop, Synth-Pop, Alternative R&B

Length: 24:32