*** LOS DE ABAJO

(Luaka Bop)

For all that they're seven Mexico City twentysomethings, Los de Abajo bring with them with a lot of history. They take their name from Mariano Azuela's classic literary rebel yell of the Mexican Revolution. Their neo-rocanrolero attitude has roots in the '68 massacre of student protesters in Tlateloco. And their sound flashes back to 1949, when Cuban mambo king Pérez Prado left Havana to set up shop in Mexico City.

Don't come looking for some kitschy Latin-craze redo, though. Los de Abajo have insurgency on the brain -- federales and free-traders beware. On their first full-scale release outside Mexico, they unleash a tropicalized, agit-rock hurricane of big-city salsa descargas and blue-beat skankathons that pick up a few punky polka trances, bolero interludes, merengue throwdowns, and conjunto scribbles along the way. Sure, once in a while they sound too much like a Maldita Vecindad tribute band, and, sure, Liber Terán's voice isn't always malleable enough to handle the quick-cut montunos and sidestepping stylistic shifts thrown his way. But Los de Abajo pull off one of the best tricks of revolutionary activism: they build a party platform you can party to. Comfortable shoes are a must. A Subcomandante Marcos ski mask wouldn't hurt either.

-- Josh Kun