LISTEN: Dapuntobeat

It's hard to overlook the wealth of great dance music that's been coming out of Latin America the past few years, and Dapuntobeat is no exception. This electro/disco/funk jam feels like that rush of adrenaline that flows through you when you lock eyes with someone at a bar -- or better yet a dance floor.

LISTEN: I Can Chase Dragons - "O'Donoju"

I Can Chase Dragons - "O'Donoju"

Time is of the essence, and I'm afraid I'm running rather low on it this week and this particular evening.

Listen.

But don't thank me if you enjoy it, thank Paper Garden Records.
More? Look below for the whole album.

SEE AND HEAR: "No Longer Fun" by Rey Pila

Passion Pit and Chromeo fans eat your hearts out.

Hailing from Mexico City, Rey Pila is gearing up to bring us a new brand of bumping, chorus-driven, electro-pop music that is sure to get your hands clapping and feet stomping...until you pay attention to the subject matter.

In anticipation of two gigs at SXSW next month, Rey Pila (neé Diego Solorzano) has released a video for the first single "No Longer Fun" off his debut album. All it takes is one viewing of the dark and eerily beautiful video to understand that Pila (while wanting us to dance) has a not-so delicate message to deliver about life and what we're all supposed to be doing with it. It certainly has a beautiful hook, but this single is not for the feint-hearted.

See the video and SXSW dates after the jump. Warning: This video contains graphic, self-inflicted violence.

Chikita Violenta Releasing U.S. Debut, Grab Two Songs From It Now

After causing quite a stir below the border in Mexico, Chikita Violenta were picked up by the far off Canadian-based Arts & Crafts. The band recently completed a cycle of touring in the States alongside Built to Spill and Ra Ra Riot, nabbing more fans along the way with their welcoming, invigorating indie pop rock. With this momentum, the band is set to the release their third full-length, and U.S. debut, entitled TRE3S January 25, 2011 on Arts & Crafts. TRE3S was released in Mexico back in August and quickly reached #1 on the iTunes Alternative Albums sales chart while the band was making new fans on their U.S. tour. Pick up two songs from the album below.

TRE3S Maxi-Single
1) All I Need’s A Little More

2) Tired

Read: A Letter to Carla Morrison

Dear Ms. Morrison
I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said, that you don't already know. It doesn't matter that I don't understand a word of what you're singing. Whatever you are talking about, whether it be the history of sewage treatment, lists of items on sale at Old Navy, or stories of the deepest and truest love, it makes no difference to me. I hear your voice (the excessive figurative langauge one could use to describe it is endless!) and my heart melts. However, I do not mean this literally. Furthermore, I ought to mention that I love all the songs on your MySpace, especially those recorded live on 103.1!

Do you know how much cash money you could make singing weddings? Do you know how much I would love to see you in concert in Baltimore, Maryland? Do you know that you are one in a million?

Well, that's about it for now, please stay in touch. I just might ring you up one day about my own wedding! In the meantime, please keep recording; I would love to have a real compact disc full of your songs in my hands one day! And if a few years down the line, someone asks you whose idea it was for you to do a duet with Joanna Newsom, the answer is me.

All the best,
Max Levenson



Carla Morrison on MySpace