Y Si Tuviera Disquera

Album Review

Aside from the handful of great Latin rock & roll bands that have gotten north of the border distribution thanks to the burgeoning rock en español movement — the playful, Beck-like Plastilina Mosh foremost among them — perhaps the most obvious consequence of this development is a greater understanding among non-Latin audiences of the depth of the Mexican, Central American and South American rock & roll scene, which has been ticking along largely unnoticed nearly as long as it has been in the states. Unfortunately, in practical terms, what this often means is that we're learning that rock en español can be as formulaic and dull as rock in English. The debut album by Guadalajara's Disidente is a fair example: Y Si Tuviere Disquera plods along gamely but without ever catching the rock & roll fire that would lift the workmanlike songs above their standard-issue alt-rock clichés. With their mid-tempo riffs, hackneyed arrangements and alternately bellowing and mopey vocals, Disidente are basically the Mexican Nickelback. Good for them if they achieve a similar level of popular success, but it doesn't bode well for their artistic legacy.