2.0

On recent albums, Estopa have been noticeably trying to outgrow the cheeky attitude typically associated with the band since its 1999 hugely successful debut. 2.0 is perhaps the duo's most daring step toward its own reinvention, as brothers David and Jose Munoz have come up with their most mature, eclectic, and hard-sounding record to date. Loud electric guitars are featured prominently and vie for attention with their trademark flamenco ones, as in the lead single "La Primavera." While they have not totally forgotten their rumba roots (check "Empanados," a throwback to their early sound), this album is notable for being a genre melting pot, an impression underlined by the duo's penchant for changing rhythms in midsong. Indeed, 2.0 is a restless mutant, from the mixture of rumba, hip-hop, and hardcore that opens the album ("Mananitas 2.0") to pure undiluted rock ("Alma Animal"), a piano ballad ("Un Rincon del Mundo"), swing ("La Bombillita"), and even heavy metal with a reggae bridge ("La Locura"). ~ Mariano Prunes