Mexican singer Meme del Real blends indie rock and Latin rhythms

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

It’s Friday, which suggests all types of recent albums had been launched in a single day and at the moment are accessible to stream or purchase, in case you’re old-fashioned. We’re going to focus as we speak, although, on a undertaking that was launched a few days in the past on the ultimate day of Hispanic Heritage Month. It is the debut album by Meme del Real from the band Cafe Tacvba, and it is known as “La Montana Encendida.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “PRINCESA”)

MEME DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).

KELLY: Anamaria Sayre hosts our Alt.Latino podcast, and I collect you (laughter) – can I insert that you simply’re talking to us from Mexico, the place you simply bumped into Meme del Real?

ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: (Laughter) I did catch him strolling his canine this morning.

KELLY: There you go. Celebs, musicians – they stroll their canine too. OK, we will hear all in regards to the new solo album, however begin with the band that del Real grew up with and is launching from. This is Cafe Tacvba.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ERES”)

CAFE TACVBA: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: So what we’re listening to right here is among the most basic Cafe Tacvba songs known as “Eres.” And it is actually actually laborious to outline Cafe Tacvba simply due to the magnitude of the impression that they’d and proceed to have in Mexico and in a number of Latin America. You may name them a Mexican various rock pop band, however actually what they had been is pioneers in creating this actually accessible and resonant type of rock sound that had this unimaginable lyricism that actually spoke to the hearts of a number of Mexicans. They had been coming type of on this period of rock en espanol, and so they actually redefined the style and what actually Mexican music was at giant.

KELLY: OK, so this new album, a debut album – uncommon in and of itself as a result of del Real is in his mid-50s. What took him so lengthy to make this, “La Montana Encendida”?

SAYRE: You know, he truly says it by no means actually occurred to him. I imply, he was nonetheless creating music after Tacvba, however it wasn’t one thing that he wanted. He did not search for that highlight, search for that solo second. But he mentioned that principally he labored on a music video, and he had this second the place he mentioned he realized what fundamental singer of Cafe Tacvba, Ruben Albarran, felt the entire time taking part in reside, and he needed to have that have. He had all of those songs within him, and it simply took the proper second to essentially deliver them out.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TUMBOS”)

DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).

KELLY: Anamaria, as you hearken to this album, inform me what strikes you. What are you listening to?

SAYRE: I imply, what you actually hear is that this mix of all these completely different Latin American genres – boleros, bossa nova, clearly (talking Spanish).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TUMBOS”)

DEL REAL: (Whistling).

SAYRE: It’s actually this distinctive type of factor that I believe the world was solely prepared for, particularly Latin America, was solely prepared for proper now. He introduced on a legendary – in his personal proper – establishment, Gustavo Santaolalla. He’s an previous composer, rockero from Argentina, was type of equally actually instrumental in defining the music there. And so the 2 of them collaborating, I imply, they create this factor that feels prefer it belongs past even now, which is superb for an artist who has been round for therefore lengthy.

KELLY: That’s so attention-grabbing. Yeah, you do hear all of the, like, conventional Latin sounds, however these songs really feel very completely different. I do not know if futuristic can be going too far, however one thing like that.

SAYRE: Definitely. And one of many actually attention-grabbing issues is that music from Mexico has been having a particular second up to now few years.

KELLY: OK.

SAYRE: This style known as corridos tumbados, which is principally a reimagined model of a hundred-year-old style known as corridos, has been breaking fairly actually world information. This – in some ways, among the songs on right here, particularly a music known as “Embeces,” seems like type of Meme’s response to all of this.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)

DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).

SAYRE: It’s like he type of sat with it the previous few years, considered it and got here again with one thing. And what you hear on this music is him taking ancestry and never simply bringing it into the current, however actually reimagining it on this tremendous nontraditional approach that, like, not one of the younger guys are doing this. He does it on this actually inventive and attention-grabbing approach that feels prefer it belongs in no matter future we’re headed in the direction of.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)

DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).

KELLY: Anamaria Sayre, host of the NPR music podcast Alt.Latino. I hear you may have upcoming (ph) Tiny Desk as properly.

SAYRE: So they are saying.

KELLY: Congrats on that. So they are saying.

SAYRE: You bought to come back up for one.

KELLY: I’ll sit up for it. We’ve been speaking about Meme del Real’s new album. It’s known as “La Montana Encendida,” and it is out now.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)

DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish). Transcript supplied by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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