There are discs that should not be passed up and this is one of them. From Bilbao, Spain, these kids show off a great mix: funk, punk, rock, garage and frenetic additions. Their vocalist is an essential piece, who impregnates a particular style into the band, and has a voice that could pass for Tom Waits rejuvenated (whiskey, rock and fiesta included). Backbone ritmo says it all, each track is a puntazo (bull’s-eye) as they would say in their native land, although their songs are in English. They possess a force and rhythm, but over all they possess attitude, which is sorely lacking these days. Just what you needed to brush off each of your vertebrae. Get it now, I bet you won’t stop listening to it.

Due to the technology we’ve been immersed in over the last decade, we have seen no stop to the onslaught of electronic music projects. The new mixes and styles that have arisen are difficult to distinguish, from the most hypnotic abstract to the schizophrenic noise, the pallet of musicians who cloister themselves in their rooms to make music have not ceased. That is why in these complicated times its difficult to surprise oneself at first listen; there are too many projects, and too few that have a convincing argument, not only in their lyrics, but also in their textures, either to delve deeply or to finish quickly, few are the projects that manage to thrill us. I won’t tell you who they remind me of, but I can tell you that the The Books are great. Immediately you note that they are musicians that experiment with our ears. The result? An extraordinary delight.

The seventh studio production of Chan Marshall, who is the girl with the seductive voice known worldwide as Cat Power, is far too talented and respected in the world of music. That is why each album this young woman puts out is a guaranteed hit, perhaps that’s why this one is called The Greatest, which is not an album of hits (although it could be) but the latest indie gift to all her fans, which has definitely come to turn on Mexico. Piano, voice and guitar are the principal weapons of choice used to sedate us. If you don’t know the new sound of Memphis, this chick is your perfect guide.

This year, one more time from the USA, these girls make a presence; the great surprise is that they don’t lose their force. Who said that girls don’t know how to make noise? Erase Errata know how to make theirs full on. Their sound is dirty and gritty. I love the rhythm changes they make, the intensity that they give the bass and of course how they sound, which could be described as over-produced and over-blown. In albums like this, what remains on the side is the virtuosity, these girls know how to play their instruments without a doubt, but more than that they manage to put a good spin on the party. They are plenty dark although the market is finally shining their spotlight upon them, and the best part is that they remain very punk.

White Stripe Jack White’s new project, The Raconteurs, gives him the freedom to explore beyond the boundaries of his hugely successful main band. The four piece give us an intense, poppy guitar-driven album that stands alone from the White Stripes. Single ‘Steady As She Goes’ is a near-perfect slice of 60s-ish power pop that contemplates a less complicated life. The soundscape is broad, with the slower, acoustic-led ‘Together’, and ‘Level’, with it’s 80s synth motif.