by Danny Wiser | Apr 24, 2022 | Reviews
Demonstrating ingenuity and heart, these plucky Uruguayans sit deservedly alongside some of Latin America’s greatest ska-rockers such as Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Maldita Vecindad… As most massive football fans will be aware, since the start of global football...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 17, 2022 | Reviews
Not many albums can pull of an exclamation mark in their name, Yma Sumac’s breakthrough however most certainly deserves the attention it implies… The 1950s is a decade romanticised by some, seen as a simpler time by many, it is fair to say that the world...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 6, 2022 | Reviews
Los Prisioneros’ synth-heavy rhythms are a whole lot of fun and show themselves off as phenomenal lyricists, together earning them status as legends of the Latin new wave scene… The music of Chile that I have been exposed to is somewhat unique when...
by Joel Dwek | Feb 3, 2022 | Reviews
Returning to a genre he helped inspire, Henri Salvador serenades the listener with charming bossa nova-inspired chanson… If I were to ask you what is France’s longest land border, what would you answer? Germany, maybe? No, surely it’s Spain, with that long...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 11, 2021 | Reviews
True musical revolutionaries are few and far between, so put your headphones in, shut your eyes, and marvel in the beauty and tragedy of Víctor Jara’s struggle… In the 21st century, the 11th of September has great significance as a date across the Western...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 3, 2021 | Reviews
Colombia’s psychedelic cumbia maestros Bomba Estéreo serve up an album that is as interesting as it is entertaining… When the Netflix series Break It All, a history of rock in Latin America was released in December 2020, I was astounded by what I saw and...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 1, 2021 | Reviews
The ambitious Ecuadorian violinist takes on some of the most popular folk, tango, and classical pieces in Electroclásica, adding a modern twist… When updating a classic piece of music to the modern day, one always runs the risk of it not living up to the...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 2, 2021 | Reviews
Cementerio De Elefantes provide alternative rock with a few fun twists – but does it impress?… Listening to Larutanatural when sitting down in front of a blank Word document was a lovely surprise, even though it should not have been. Even though I had...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 22, 2021 | Reviews
The Junaro siblings come together and unite their talents in full force, combining the best of what they have to offer… Over the course of this musical odyssey we have seen various family units come together to produce some brilliant pieces of music. From...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 2, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Finding the right adjective to sum up an album is not always an easy task, but the word ‘revolutionary’ is obvious in the case of Charly García’s epic sophomore solo effort… Upon what may well have been my fiftieth listen of this behemoth of an...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 27, 2021 | Reviews
Feminist pop that pays tribute to some of Chile’s greatest figures, Pascuala Ilabaca’s work is thoughtful as well as entertaining… In Europe there exists a perception that it is the continent that has produced the most important and best masters of...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 10, 2021 | Reviews
Cultural hero Aubrey Cummings leaves his mark on two nations, but doesn’t quite do it for me… NoiseNomad is a platform that was created to share and discover music that we love or find fascinating, whilst simultaneously learning about different cultures....
by Joel Dwek | May 11, 2021 | Reviews
A perfect blend of post-rock and indie-rock, Días de Septiembre’s self-titled record differs greatly from much other Latin rock… The genre of post-rock is one that is associated with cold, industrial soundscapes that are harsh on the ear occasionally but...
by Danny Wiser | Apr 29, 2021 | Reviews
Wild and loose, Totó La Momposina carries the torch for traditional Cumbia in this spectacular record… Recently on NoiseNomad we have published a review of Comorian singer Maalesh’s Wassi Wassi. In the piece we discussed his ability to reflect the...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 16, 2021 | Interviews
Documentary filmmaker Nicolas Entel joined us to discuss his groundbreaking new Netflix docuseries Rompan Todo, in which he aims to construct a regional narrative behind the proliferation of rock music in Latin America… “Going to a concert in Argentina is as...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 17, 2021 | Reviews
Machado’s powerful voice shines in this celebration of Afro-Venezuelan culture… Before we start reviewing the album properly, we must address the earworm in the room. The song Oh, Santa Rosa will be stuck in your head for hours and hours, possibly days and...
by Joel Dwek | Dec 23, 2020 | Reviews
An album with a twist as Systema Solar confront issues of feminism and environmentalism on the dancefloor… This album by Colombian electro-cumbia dance group Systema Solar is a truly great party album. It really is. Rumbera, my favourite song by a long, long...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 23, 2020 | Advent Calendar
CHILE: Doña María Le Ruego – Víctor Jara… This Christmas song by Víctor Jara is, unusually for a communist, very religious in its tone. Yet, there are parallels between his communist ideology and his lapsed Catholicism that can be drawn from the lyrics of...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 16, 2020 | Interviews
Ecuadorian rock singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, award-winning sound engineer, former lawyer, and academic Antonio Vergara spoke to NoiseNomad about his background, the power of music, the Ecuadorian music scene, and revealed an exclusive about his latest...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 13, 2020 | Reviews
Andean prog-rock fusion with an interesting sound and an important message… Having not experienced an immediate visceral and emotional connection with this album when I had first listened to it, I was nevertheless intrigued by a style that I had never previously...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 7, 2020 | Advent Calendar
BRAZIL: Tão bom que foi o Natal – Chico Buarque… As the largest Catholic nation in the Americas, it is no surprise that there is a wealth of Christmas songs and traditions. This particular song by famed Brazilian singer-songwriter Chico Buarque is a...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 29, 2020 | Reviews
Dubbed the ‘ambassadors of Paraguayan music’, Los Tres Paraguayos certainly succeed in showcasing Paraguay’s most special instrument Like most nations in Latin America in the 20th century, Paraguay shared a political history marked by the continuous shift between...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 18, 2020 | Reviews
An ambitious, if not entirely successful set of Latin-Balkan fusion tunes by Churupaca that alternately delights and frustrates… Most often here at NoiseNomad we review things we like, but occasionally I find myself having to review an album I don’t know if I...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 1, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
The sextet embrace the musician’s law – “If it feels good, do it!” in this odyssey of funk… If one is, for example, to suffer a bereavement, it is unlikely that they would have the same capacity to immediately enjoy a delicious, sweet...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 14, 2020 | Reviews
Released in the 70s, these adaptations by Brazilian musician Deodato of classical music pieces from centuries ago have an almost futuristic quality to them, making this a truly timeless record… Classical jazz fusion is perhaps a harder genre than most to get...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 30, 2020 | Reviews
Soda Stereo’s iconic record reverberates across Latin America, jam-packed with raw and heartfelt emotion… When reading the likes of Pitchfork or Rolling Stone Magazine, one might notice that amongst many music journalists there is a common trope amidst...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 15, 2020 | Reviews
Calypso-style beats and African rhythms define the unique music of these very Happy Boys… On a surface level, Akoeba by the Happy Boys is simply an infectiously fun, upbeat, uplifting album that could make even someone like me, who has two left feet, tap their...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 14, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Beautiful singing from Sammy Davis Jr and gorgeous acoustic guitar playing from Laurindo Almeida – what more do you need…? What do we mean when we pick an album as ‘album of the week’ on this site? It usually means that the album in question...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 30, 2020 | Reviews
This electronic album, whilst fun and upbeat, could also be enjoyed as Nicola Cruz’s ethnographic tour of the spiritual hotspots of planet Earth… The Andes as a region is famed for its indigenous people’s spiritual cosmology and their belief in the sacred...
by Joel Dwek | Aug 22, 2020 | Reviews
Suave beats and smooth rhythms make Argentinian indie pop rockers Bandalos Chinos stand out from the crowd… The music of BACH, the most recent album by the Argentinian indie pop band Bandalos Chinos has a very cool sound to it. So cool I wonder if I should even...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 16, 2020 | Reviews
Miss Colombia shows off immense and eclectic musical talent, whilst also exploring the complexities that many migrants have when it comes to their relationship with their homeland… For an electro-cumbia album, a record from a genre that is typically dance...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 21, 2020 | Reviews
Effortlessly cool and sharp, Getz/Gilberto provides an excellent foundation for the bossa nova genre… Sometimes, between ourselves, Danny and I talk about a syndrome that afflicts many an album. I am of course talking about ‘One Great Song Syndrome’....
by Danny Wiser | Jul 5, 2020 | Reviews
One can understand why ex-Talking Heads front man David Byrne wanted to showcase Susana Baca’s work after listening to this painfully poetic album in which Africa meets the Andes… I recently heard a quote from American civil rights activist Maya Angelou...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 30, 2020 | Reviews
The Latin Queen of Pop Shakira shows off her capacity to hook a Western audience with her powerful and unique voice… Whilst at NoiseNomad we typically like to discover more niche artists whose albums our readers perhaps have not heard of, it would be unjust to...
by Joel Dwek | Jun 4, 2020 | Reviews
The Uruguayan singer-songwriter’s album has accessible indie tunes, but dig deeper and he touches upon some profound themes… There’s a modern sound to this album that I like a lot. On some levels it’s just indie rock with a pop sensibility, but underneath...
