Y La Bamba

Oh my god, Y La Bamba are so good. So good. Imagine the notes of a guitar expressed as light through a crystal and then converted back into sound. Slather vocalist and guitarist Luz Elena Mendoza's folky, craggy, beautiful vocals on top, oscillating between Spanish and English, and you have sonic gold. Their latest release, Mujeres, was the soundtrack to my winter, the one ray of warm sunshine in my cold room. "Cuatro Crazy" sounds like something the great British band Broadcast might have put out. "Dieciséis" plays like a prayer, and "Mujeres" an answer to one. Their new album, Entre Los Dos, drops in September.