I don’t listen to salsa. I was born in Argentina, so it pretty much goes against my genetics. Still, “Lluvia con Sol” by Puerto Rico’s Orquesta El Macabeo is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in recent years, of any genre, in any language. And the video is pretty cool, too. Done with archival footage used to promote tourism to Puerto Rico in the ’50s (some of it hilarious, some infuriating—the video is called “Fiesta Island“ for Christ’s sake!), the video has a retro aesthetic that goes great with the classic salsa sound they went for.
The guys from Orquesta El Macabeo describe themselves as rockeros who play salsa, which doesn’t mean (fortunately!) that they mix salsa with distorted guitars. But they definitely bring a new sensibility to salsa, with lyrics that younger people can relate to.
The song will be included in Orquesta El Macabeo’s next album, titled Lluvia Con Sol, available June 7th. But if you can’t wait to get it and you spin vinyl, you can already get it in the compilation Salsa Bestial, recently released by Spain’s VampiSoul. A collector’s item, no doubt.
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