With the coming of Spring, I get to look back at Winter and the tracks that made me company through it in my first edition of the seasonal Shae-List. Going through diverse time periods and genres, the list is all over the place; for that very same reason I won’t try to impose any sort of hierarchy over them. They each are, in their own way, equally special and memorable for me. Please enjoy.

Manuel Santillán, El León – Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ unique genre-bending Latin sound will always fascinate me. “Manuel Santillán, El León” mixes Ska and Salsa as it narrates the heartbreaking story of a fictional Latin-American revolutionary and his assassination by the police. Through tropical rhythms and melancholic lyrics, Los Cadillacs are capable of making you cry and dance at the same time to one of their catchiest tunes.

Breakdown – Suede

Rediscovering this track —and consequently rediscovering the group’s discography as a whole— turned Suede into one of my favorite bands. It’s cheesy, hurtful, and intense. Above everything, it’s sincere. Such a slow burn and a masterful creation of tension in a song makes it one of the most memorable tracks in Brit-Pop history.

I Am the Resurrection – The Stone Roses

In the vein of Brit-Pop, it results inevitable to refer to one of the founding bands of the genre. “I Am the Resurrection” is a 7-minute monster of a track that takes you on a journey from 60’s pop rock to an experimental electronic jam session. Its ambition and complexity demonstrates how ahead of its time The Stone Roses were, and how influential they became to the British scene that was yet to come.

El Hijo de Obatalá – Ray Barreto

This track contains the most insane conga solo I’ve ever heard. Ray Barretto was gifted with a unique groove and sense of rhythm that he transmits through his percussion-oriented salsa songs. Out of his wonderful album Indestructible, I consider “El Hijo de Obatalá” an absolute masterpiece.

Outro – Diles que no me maten

Diles que no me maten is slow, moody, Post-Punk from Mexico. This is a song I constantly go back to because of its slow progression that builds on itself with abstract electronic sounds. My favorite aspect by far are the lyrics; more spoken than sung, they make the song feel personal. This track is an intimate declamation of poetry that deserves your complete, devoted attention.

Island of Men – Geese

The more time that passes, the more I’m convinced that Geese is one of those bands that will define a generation. “Islands of Men”, like most of Getting Killed, feels refreshing, groovy, and slightly challenging. I love Cameron Winter’s vocals and how they interact with the constantly shifting rhythm of the track. Being one of the best musical projects of last year, it makes me glad to hear stuff this interesting still being made in the rock scene.

Después de la Playa – Bad Bunny

Re-listening to Un Verano Sin Ti results nostalgic and entertaining. The album came out during my last year of high school, and it inevitably takes me back to that time. “Después de la Playa” is my favorite track because it represents one of Bad Bunny’s first attempts at including more traditional Latin sounds in his music — in this case, Mambo. The instrumentals are fantastic, with Mambo and Reggaeton beautifully interacting across time in Latin-American music history.

QUE CHUCHA SALE? – A.K.A.

Straight out of San Juan de Miraflores, this Peruvian Reggeateon group was one of the best surprises I encountered during my music journey this past Winter. The lyrics are fast and creative, with rhymes that you’ll miss if you blink. The rhythms push the distinctive style of Reggaeton —kind of opposing Bad Bunny, who gravitates towards the more Pop side of the spectrum — prioritizing hard, relentless beats and a maximalist, convoluted mixing.

The Manifesto (feat. Trueno & Proof) – Gorillaz

Gorillaz dropped some of their most memorable music in a decade throughout the Winter. “The Manifesto” concretely is a wonderful demonstration of cultural convergence that brings together Hindu tunes with the Latin-American Rap of Trueno. Damon Albarn then includes a posthumous recording by Proof, that takes over the track masterfully. A fantastic display of legacy and multiculturalism.

Contigo – Joaquin Sabina

Today, Joaquín Sabina stands as one Spain’s most iconic singer-songwriters, usually blending Trova and Rock—but he might as well had been a 16th-century poet. Being “Contigo” one of his best ballads, he narrates with a superb domain over language. He seduces you and breaks your heart in the same verse like no one else can. This is a song that I can hear over and over again, and it’ll hurt just like the first time.

People Are Strange (from “Pluribus”) – Kit Sebastian

This Turkish-French band took me by surprise blending Anatolian Psychedelia, Brazilian Tropicalia, and American Jazz in one of The Doors’ most iconic tracks. They completely make it their own, giving new life to a classic and transforming it into an entirely new song. It’s catchy, refreshing and unique.

Kurosawa – Charly García

It’s no secret that García is my absolute favorite artist — to the point where my first Album Review was about him — so it seemed fitting to end this list with one of his works. Interestingly enough, not a lot is said of his 90s phase, which is where he sought reinvention, reacting against his previous work and experimenting with the new abstract electronic sounds that were popping out. “Kurosawa” is one of the greatest results out of this experimentation. Constantly changing, navigating between genres and working almost as a protest of an artist that was being forced to retire by the very same industry that once welcomed him. If you like Ambient, Latin, or Art Rock, this track is for you.

This winter was full of remembrance, and I think it was reflected in the tracks I chose. Revisiting most of them under a new perspective, I enjoyed finding renewed value in songs that are so significant to me, as well as discovering new sounds that feed my never-ending hunger for new music.