It's been a kick-ass few weeks for new music. Among the iberoamericano artists I dig, I'm liking new stuff from Mexico's Julieta Venegas, Spain's English-singing Marlango, Uruguay's Jorge Drexler and Argentina's Diego Torres.

Julieta Venegas - Bien o Mal

As the sassy gay friend would say, Julieta is one crazy bitch. She is by far my favorite of the Spanish-language pop stars and this video shows that she hasn't lost her alternative, quirky edge. Yes, those chicks are eating flowers and either farting or giving birth to butterflies -- you be the judge. Ya Conocerán (which you can listen to here) is my favorite track on the new CD, Bien o Mal, but this song is great (I'm a sucker for the guitar in the beginning).



Marlango - The Long Fall

I like this song a lot and I love the video. It reminds me of Alanis Morissette's Ironic. I'm a fan of Leonor Watling's acting, so I've always wanted to like the often melancholic Marlango. But until I discovered Hold Me Tight I never really was into her group's music. This new CD has several tracks that I really, really like a lot, including a collaboration with Rufus Wainwright and a few with Watling's baby daddy, Jorge Drexler.



Jorge Drexler - Una Cancion Me Trajo Hasta Aquí

Again, he's Leonor Watling's boyfriend and a really talented singer/songwriter who won an Oscar for a song he wrote for the Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack. His new CD is really interesting -- all recorded live a la the Unplugged series. The song is breezy and fun.



Diego Torres - Guapa

His unplugged, drum-heavy version of Color Esperanza is one of my all-time favorites, but I'm not consistently wowed by Diego Torres. But he does have a wicked good voice. And while it's by far the most conventional of this batch of picks, I like his new, upbeat pop single, Guapa.