Vasos Vacíos

Released

This Argentinian ska-punk-Latin-funk band’s biggest hit, “Matador,” was one of the few new tracks on this 1993 album, which mostly consisted of tracks from their six previous full-lengths, some re-recorded or remixed. But “Matador,” with its thunderous samba-inspired drums, punchy horns, and football-stadium chants, as well as its lyrics decrying the suppression of dissent by military dictatorships in Argentina and Chile, is a cri de coeur disguised as a fist-pumping anthem. “Quinto Centenario,” the other new song, blends twitchy ska with an interpolation of “America,” from West Side Story, then launches into a hardcore punk sprint. Meanwhile, older songs like “El Satánico Dr. Cadillac,” “Vasos Vacíos” (featuring guest vocals from salsa legend Celia Cruz), and their cover of “Revolution Rock” (a cover of a reggae song by Danny Ray that the Clash also covered, on London Calling) throw elements of funk and even Hawaiian guitar into the mix.

Phil Freeman

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