Maneja Beto

Escante Calling (Lengua Marron)

Modernizing traditional building blocks – electrified Spanish-language organics – works wonders for this local “indie en Español” quintet, whose second full-length and third release overall blends a lively pastiche of texture and style. Big beats (opener “El Abrigo”) and big builds (“Panteón” hits a cruise control straight out of Malo’s “Sauvecito”) meet the electro shimmy/shake of “Ubícate,” late-night contemplation of “Contémplame,” and chill atmospherics demarcating “Vermillion Border Wars.”

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This article appears in November 19 • 2010.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.