So what is it with this Latin American love of ska, a Jamaican genre from the early 60’s that’s had a second coming amongst British and American bands since the early 80’s? Lucky for us, ska is almost always sung very clearly, in short, catchy, easy to understand phrases. Liquits hails from Mexico City, but this award winning group has been hopping continents to record and play for a growing audience since 1993. The animation is ¡padrisimo!

Chido, is Mexican for “cool” (and we don’t mean leaning towards cold). As is typical, a precise definition can vary with context. Liquits, representative of Mexico City’s young and playful, enjoy riffing and aren’t afraid to mix languages (and cultural references) with abandon.

If there was an entry for “trippy” in the English-Spanish dictionary we think there would be a photo of Liquits sitting there next to it. Lyrically, this neat little tune is not as simple as it at first sounds, and is loaded with double meanings and word plays—we’ve tried to point out a few! Have fun (you know you like to sing)—vocab quiz on naked stork firefly poppies first thing Monday.

Mexican singer Lila Downs sings soulfully about the fictional character, Naila and how, after betraying her lover, she cannot be “Naila for you anymore.”

Listen to the catchy pop tune "Girasol" [Sunflower] by Mexican Band Latin Monkey.

Here's another catchy tune by the Latin Monkey band. Let's dance!

The owner of "Huesos" [Bones] the dog takes him to meet a new veterinarian and find out about his general health.

After a thorough examination of the dog, Huesos, the veterinarian recommends to his owner to seek out specialists for some of the issues particular to him.

The worm might be blind but these guys can certainly see their way around a good hook. "Giroscopio" is a classic style video reminiscent of early MTV that fits well with this “power pop” tune. Yabla loves this band, you will too!

La Gusana Ciega is one of our favorite bands! Excellent writing plus deep hooks equals beautiful pop. This live recording of "Tornasol", a big hit for the band, may just leave you hungry for more.

"No Puedo Verte" (I Can’t See You) is a perfect title for a band called La Gusana Ciega (The Blind Worm). But this video is not about visual handicaps; it’s a testament to the painful sight of a long lost love in new caring arms.

"No me tientes" (“Don’t tempt me!”) is both a warning and a plea in this song from Yabla favorite, La Gusana Ciega. Despite the lyrics’ drama and the high-speed car chase, we are pleased to report that no one was hurt in the making of this video.

The friendly guys from La Gusana Ciega bring us this surrealist tune, full of bright colors, rusty cars, and a beautiful girl being chased by the band members.

Life on Mars? A star invasion? As usual, our boys of La Gusana Ciega are a bit surreal, a bit out there, but always fun to listen to. Enjoy the ride.

"Me Puedes" is the first sencillo (single) to be released by the phenomenal La Gusana Ciega in over five years. (And it’s great!) It’s from an album called La Rueda del Diablo (The Devil’s Wheel), which was recorded in Los Angeles under the direction of eight-time grammy winner Benny Faccone, who has worked his magic with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin and Santana.