Latinx Files: The best music and podcasts of 2022

The end of the year means every cultural outlet is putting out a list of best of the year. It’s a great way to look back on the year, and it’s also an excuse to reveal your pre-made stuff ahead of the late holiday season.

We are the same. In his next two weeks, we’ll reveal our favorite Latino media of 2022. Next week, we’ll be releasing books, TV, and movies. This week we’re talking about our favorite music and podcasts of the year.

Excuse me, my tamales are getting cold. Happy new year. See you in the new year!

music

Bad Bunny “Un Verano Sin Ti” Bad Bunny

come. You knew this would make the list: El Conejo Malo has been the most streamed artist in the world on Spotify for three years in a row, and for good reason. Bad Bunny has released ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ following their 2020 hit ‘El Último Tour Del Mundo’. From the genre-crossing “Despúes de la Playa” to “Tití Me Preguntó” (his Gen Z answer to Louvega’s “Mambo No. 5”), to the dreamy “Otro Atardecer” (featuring Las He Marias), previously Until the released “Callaita”. (featuring Taney), the album is just a 1 hour 22 minute banger. “Un Verano Sin Ti” became the soundtrack of the year for much of Los Angeles.

Thee Sacred Souls, “Thee Sacred Souls”

As for Apple Music vs. Spotify, I’m unfortunately in the former camp. Sadly, after years of using the service, the algorithm has rarely allowed me to join artists or groups I didn’t already know.

One notable exception is Thee Sacred Souls. San Diego trio Alex Garcia, Sal Samano and Josh Lane make music that, if they’d been born in a different decade, would have been requested on Art Laboe’s radio show. The band’s eponymous debut album, released in August, is full of love-infused, vibe-filled songs. Tracks like “Weak for Your Love” were made for aimlessly driving down Whittier Boulevard, for lazy Saturday mornings, and even for throwing him dancing at Chipster parties.

Adrian Quesada “Psychedelic Bolero”

I first heard about Adrian Quesada’s “Boleros Psicodélicos” in a group chat with Charlie Vela and Jonathan Leal, two multi-hyphenated friends from the Rio Grande Valley (956 cuh!).

“This is one of those ‘why didn’t I come up with this, this is such a good record'” Vela wrote. (It’s worth pointing out that both Vela and Leal are musicians in their own right. The former released the cumbia goth EP “Calavera” under the Fronterawave moniker, while the latter released a jazz collaboration with Brandon Guerra called “After Now” was released in 2016. November).

I don’t play or make music, but if I did I would feel the same way. ‘Boleros Psicódelicos’ is exactly what it sounds like, an album of trippy love his ballads (each with a different vocalist) inspired by Latin American boleros of the 60’s and his 70’s. Personally, I would say “Boy with sad eyes A cover of the Janet Classic featuring Guatemalan singer Tita Moreno.

Yahritza and her essence “Obsessed”

2022 was a big year for Yahritza and Her Essence. “I’m the only one,” first single of Family trio from Yakima, Washington.was already trending on TikTok before being released in March on the Lumbre Music label. The melancholic ballad quickly reached the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and climbed to his 20th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list. This feat was made even more impressive by the fact that Yahritza Martínez wrote it when she was 13 years old.

“It’s crazy because when I wrote that song, no, it felt bad.” The precocious teen told Apple Music. “But when I gave it to my brothers and sisters, they were like, ‘Wow, how did you write this?'”

Yahritza and Her Essence Released in July “Obsession.” It’s not a full-length album and contains a few covers, but the EP is clearly valid Rolling Stone claims He said the group represents “the future of Música Mexicana”.

Ivan Cornejo “Damage”

As if the songs that this generation is writing and recording are thematically out of step with the greats of the past, they represent a new wave of artists squeezed under the obscure genre of Mexican folk music. I have never understood the old people who look down on me. After all, what are “Por Tu Maldito Amor” and “Tragos Amargos” if not a vehicle to fade and unleash inner suffering and heartbreak?That’s exactly what Ivan Cornejo and his sad Cieleños It’s the kind of music Compass does.

Cornejo is another precocious teenager — interestingly, It was a cover of the 2021 hit “Estas Damaged.” That first put Yahritza y su Esencia on the road to instant stardom. The 18-year-old from Riverside scored his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional His Mexican Albums chart with “Dañado” in June. If I had to pick one favorite song, it would be “J.,” a piano-accompanied letter to a lover who will never come back.

Other staff recommendations

— If you want a professional take on the best Latin albums of 2022, compiled by my colleague Susie Exposito A list of the best albums not made by Bad Bunny or Rosalia.

— From Christian Orozco, Multiplatform Editor: Katz Bears A bilingual album that transcends genres “Tommy” It was the soundtrack to the lonely night drive that turned my Prius into Goku’s Flying Nimbus. Yungatita released two Elemental singles earlier this year.fiery “hell on earth” It’s a beautifully chaotic track, held together by some of the best bass playing I’ve heard in rock music this year.upon “raindrops,” Valentina Zapata demonstrates her songwriting skills.

podcast

“Idol: The Ballad of Charino Sanchez”

Charino, man. El Rey del Corrido was indeed legendary. As such, he is one of the few artists to have earned the right to be called by his first name. The Culiacan singer-songwriter left an indelible mark on both sides of the border while living La Vida Rescia.

“Idol: The Ballad of Charino Sanchez” The Sonoro and Futuro Studios co-production, which premiered in February, does Chalino justice. Hosted in English by Eric Galindo and in Spanish by Alejandro Mendoza, his 8 bilingual tales of the musician’s life and times reveal various theories behind his untimely murder over the course of his episodes. Provides a primer.

“The White Hat”

I have been a fan of Jack Herrera’s journalism for quite some time. His work on the evolving and nuanced politics of South Texas Latinos is, in my opinion, one of his most comprehensive on the subject. So imagine my delight when I learned that he was spearheading the new Texas Monthly Podcast with the Texas Rangers, a law enforcement agency widely mythologized in both the Lone Star State and Hollywood. please look.

“The White Hat” You won’t be disappointed. Through six of his well-researched episodes, Herrera & Co. examines Ross Lynch’s true legacy ahead of the organization’s 300th anniversary next year. This includes the parts Hollywood didn’t tell you. Violence against Mexicans and Mexican Americans is rampant. In addition to the podcast, Texas Monthly also published several related articles. South Texas historian Trinidad Gonzales On why the 300th anniversary of the Rangers should be used as a moment of reflection, not an attempt to fudge history.

“La Ultima Copa/The Last Cup”

NPR and Futuro Studios Launch Ahead of 2022 World Cup “La Ultima Copa/The Last Cup” Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi focused on his last chance to win the World Cup. Spoiler alert: he did. Defeated Ding champion France.

And while the world’s biggest sporting event may be over, the podcast, hosted in Spanish and English by Jasmine Garsd, never gets old. If anything, it’s a great way to learn more about why this win meant so much to Messi and the Argentine diaspora.

“Punk in Translation”

Did you know that in the 1960s there was a band in Peru who played music akin to what a few years later would call punk rock?I would love to hear their songs “Dismantling” A fun surf hook song that’s energetic as hell.

“Punk in Translation” Released in March by Audible, the bilingual podcast hosted by musician Ceci Bastida tells the stories of Los Saicos and other Latino artists who have influenced the genre. This podcast features interviews with celebrities such as Alice Bag, Ruy Perez of Los Lobos, Erwin Flores of Los Psychos, and Joan Jett.

Revealing “After Ayotsinapa”

In January, Reveal, produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, published an investigation into the 2014 mass kidnapping by police of 43 students from the Ayotsinapa Rural Teachers College in Guerrero, Mexico. Over the course of three episodes, reporters Anayansi Diaz Cortez and Kate Doyle take you on an investigation to uncover a web of corruption. “After Ayotsinapa” It’s very difficult to hear, but it sheds light on one of the darkest moments in Mexican history.

In September, “Reveal” published a follow-up episode featuring the arrest of an army general who was allegedly linked to the disappearance of a missing student.

Other 2022 Podcasts We Enjoyed

• “Incomplete Paradise, Forgotten Revolutionary” Season 2 of the LAist Studios podcast premiered in March and is an investigation into the death of Chicano activist Oscar Gomez.
• “Breadcrumb.” Named one of the best podcasts of 2022 by Apple Podcasts, “Crumbs” is a bilingual audio memoir about the search for love and the trauma we all live with. Released in February, “Crumbs” was produced by Sonoro and My Cultura Podcast Network.

did i miss something? Please let us know at latinxfiles@latimes.com.