A lot of rock from the Southern continent is pretty appalling. (Café Tacuba, El Kinto and all of Brazil are excepted.) Every time I was living in Argentina and heard a half-good song from a local group I would pick up the CD at the local entertainment/TV store megaplex, thinking I was about to find some hot band to brag about to folks back home. In pretty much every case I would think the single was still pretty cool, but the rest of the album would be of such poor quality that I'd forget the band altogether.
The one - one! - exception is Los Látigos, who are actually good, beyond their main single "Luces Sensacional." Like basically every other South American rock band, they play a very poppy style of rock, but these guys have two things going for them. First is a sense of irony that's admittedly somewhat underdeveloped (they did title their album Hombre) but which makes them seem like towering cynics in comparison with the rest of the Argentine rock landscape. Most importantly, they have catchy rock songs that don't suck! Let's call them the Argentine Killers, and I really do mean that in the highest sense. As much as music designed to make teenage girls lust after the lead singer (I see you there, guy) can be awesome, this music is awesome. Really.
Los Látigos - Luces Sensacional [Hombre LP, 2003]
Los Látigos - (Un) Amor Toda la Vida [Hombre LP, 2003]
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