Seminal Argentine rock en español band Soda Stereo was due for a tribute anyway. Too bad that this one is a bit uneven.
Still, sometimes you have to get the album for a few songs and this is particularly true with tributes. Here's another occasion to feel like you're sort of, but not completely, throwing money out the window. But why buy in the first place? For the songs that Moenia, Aterciopelados and Julieta Venegas have expropriated and made their own. Andrea Echeverri's honeyed voice and twitchy rhythms blend seductively on "Té para tres". Aterciopelados more than does the song justice. Moenia's revamps "Zoom" with their trademark Depeche Mode sound. Meanwhile, it sounds like Nortec Collective was involved (and that's a good thing) on "Disco Eterno" as interpreted by Julieta Venegas.
Other songs worth a listen include Control Machete's funky scratching on "Camaleón" and Jumbo's easygoing "Un Millón de Años Luz".
Of course, you wouldn't be missing anything but a headache if were to go through life without ever listening to Genitallica's faux speed metal version of "Vitaminas" or "La Cúpula" by Los Caballeros de la Quema. "Persiana Americana" by Atómica sounds like it was recorded in 1980, possibly predating the original Soda Stereo version.
To add insult to injury, the CD booklet advises that the disc is dedicated to Plastilina Mosh, Ely Guerra, Aleks Syntek and Molotov, who for whatever reason could not participate. Ouch! Why tell us that? Ely Guerra covering a Gustavo Cerati song would have been very nice indeed. That's like saying that since Tom Waits wasn't available, instead we'll have N'Sync cover some Chuck E. Weiss and dedicate the result to Tom. No!
Soda Stereo Tributo
