Rock Chapin: Malacates Trebol Shop, El Clubo

A small Spanish lesson: my nickname, Chapín, is actually Central-American slang for guatemalteco (resident of Guatemala). So it's not hard to guess what rock chapín means: in this post we'll have a look at Guatemalan rock music!


The debut of Malacates Trébol Shop was one of the first latin rock albums I bought, so forgive me if the following review is a bit emotionally biased ;) Malacates started out making fun-filled ska and punk music, but on "Déjame Llegar" we hear a more mature poprock sound. Singer Francisco Paez still has that strangely forced voice that inspired me to buy the first album, but I miss the sexy saxophones, politically tinted lyrics, and sheer fun I used to hear. It's a beautiful ballad though, and of a quality rarely seen in these days of Good Charlotte and Chemical Romance cover bands. More yummy music on their MySpace, including my old favorites "Ni Un Centavo" and "Mojado"!


elClubo is a rock band recently emerging from the Guatemala City scene. Real die-hard La Onda readers will recognize the guitar player of Viento en Contra, which was on our playlist almost two years ago. Take a listen to "Me Cansé": both bands sound very much alike, no? So my criticism stays the same too: clear and straightforward music, strong voice, but sometimes it doesn't sound like the right tone. Promising for the future though!

Malacates Trebol Shop - Déjame Llegar mp3
elClubo - Me Canse mp3