Los De Abajo

There's a bit of folk musician in any punk, even if the only folklore that's of interest sprung out of mid-'70s bohemia. There's also a sense of art as political agitation, even if the politics are nothing more than a series of contradictory rebellious impulses. In both senses, Mexico City's Los De Abajo fits the profile of an exceptionally well rounded, ideologically coherent punk band. A vivid illustration can be found in the confrontational politics and rapid- fire beat of the ska-flavored "Screw," which portrays the death squad/drug dealer thug as the face of the government on the ground.

Mexican punkers Los De Abajo knock salsa out of bounds.

Related Content

• Rick's Picks For iFest's Second Weekend
  April 23, 2010
• Twitter You've Heard Of (Grrr), But What's a Drobot?
  April 28, 2010
• Houston International Festival
  April 22, 2010

More About

• Los de Abajo
• Ska
• Latin Music

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

That ska rhythm, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a merengue, and it's hard to imagine Los De Abajo staying locked into one approach for long. While the album as a whole shows enthusiasm for traditional rhythms -- bouncing from cumbia to rocksteady to norteña -- the performances are so urgent and the richly layered arrangements so lively and aggressive that this feels like the music of the moment and, perhaps, the future. In a phrase, salsa out of bounds.

While that description suggests the flavor of the instrumentation, what makes Los De Abajo even more appealing is the personal nature of its songwriting, which allows for one moving vocal after another. The human condition is captured as individual moments of heartbreak, loneliness and even madness, but the hopeful moments shine all the brighter for it. On "That Place Does Exist," the singers' call-and-response vocals take on a Pentecostal ecstasy as the song's utopian vision takes shape. The norteña/ska of "Go On, Rise Up" is so frenzied it's giddy, and if you take its advice, liberating. Remember when those words used to describe punk?