Project Playlist: South America

Future Perfect Radio has over 25 35 channels, thousands of artists and even more songs. It's a lot to take in and maybe it's tough to find your feet. That's where Project Playlist comes in. At (ir)regular intervals, we'll break out one of our channels and post the first couple of tracks that come up in the radio player. This way, you get a more in-depth look at what's playing on our channels!



At long last, it's here! South American indie -- a whole channel of it! This week Project Playlist takes a look at a tiny selection of the music you can discover on this vibrant channel. These were the first 5 songs to play on my Future Perfect Radio player:

1. Cerouno - "Altura" from Atari Amor (Fan Zinatra, 2008)

A playful electro-pop piece with a heavy dash of twee. Reminds me strongly of The Postal Service if Ben Gibbard had a preference for Spanish. Cerouno hail from Venezuela. You can find out more about them at http://www.myspace.com/cerouno

2. Glivers - "Crise de Consciência" from Single 2008 (Self-Released, 2008)

A straight-up rock track with a catchy melody and heavy rock instrumentals. The Portuguese vocals add a bit of spice (Gulivers are from Porto Alegre in Brazil). The band list Britrock as a strong influence on their music and that can definitely be felt. More here: http://www.myspace.com/guliversrock

3. Quiero Club (feat. Jorge Gonz) - "Minutos de Aire" from Nueva America (Nacional Records, 2009)

Ok, so technically Quiero Club is from Mexico which, according to my atlas, isn't exactly in South America. But you'd have to agree their style fits in perfectly with their fellow bands from Brazil, Argentina and other South American countries. So can we let this geographical error slide? Cool. This is an upbeat tune with a quick-n-silly guitar riff. As with most of the music on our South American channel, it has its spicy moments -- adding a touch of flavor you just don't get with music from other regions. The song evolves into a hand-clapping melody that would sound oh so brilliant live. More here: http://www.myspace.com/quieroclub

4. L.A.B. - "Seguando Andar" from Less a Bullshit (Self-Released, 2009)

If you've heard and love Working for a Nuclear Free City (here: ), you'll fall in love with L.A.B. too. They offer the same blend of other-worldly vocals, subtlety dance-able electro mixes with plenty of rock influences thrown into it all. "Segundo Andar" is particularly worthy of dance floors but offers a hint of the type of expansive instrumentals you usually find in post-rock. A dynamic track. Find out more about L.A.B. here: http://www.myspace.com/labrocklab

5. Homiepie - "Flying Machines" from Fireworks EP (Self-Released, 2008)

A lo-fi mash-up of messy guitars, off-kilter vocals but plenty of hooks. The only track on our list that features English vocals, "Flying Machines" eventually develops into a quirky twee-pop track that would make Architecture of Helsinki proud. I get a Tokyo Police Club vibe, too. More here: http://www.myspace.com/hellohomiepie


The point of it all is that, though I can make comparisons to well-known acts, nothing is a carbon copy. There's something indefinably unique about this music, something that should make you sit up and take notice. Like the next big act out of Austin, Portland or some pretentious university, these bands take what you love and tweak it, make it better, make it more interesting. And there's a whole continent worth of this stuff to discover. Tune in!