Clandestino

Brightly sprightly bouncy and lively with all sorts.

some definite bops. i like how it was experimental, but at times, i was lost in its sauce.

Pretty good

3.5/5. Hey these are the Me Gusta Tu dudes.

Interesting. Singing in at least three different languages.

Makes me want to dance and smile. Great music for a party.

This wasn't my cup of tea. I don't think it's bad, I just didn't relate well to it. It's hard to rate something like this -- there's stuff out there that is objectively terrible, and this isn't that.

a really strong 3.5 the first half is definetely in the 4 star range but the second half puts it down for me still the king of the bongo bong

Clandestino // Desaparecido // Bongo Bong // Mentira // Mama Call // 3.5/5

Wish I got this on a warmer, sunny day so I could vibe with this even more. The album kind of faded into the background as it went on though. 3/5

Could be a coincidence, but felt super happy as soon as these songs came on. Much vibes. The songs blend into each other very well, so worth listening to it in order. So far I don't really have a favorite.

Consistent sound, relaxed and upbeat

suprisingly decent reggae, I expected suffering but got some groovy tunes

Begint sterk maar zakt daarna wel steeds meer in. Beetje rare combi van Spaanse en Franse muziek. Het Spaanse deel vind ik leuk, het Franse wat minder.

Not my style, but catchy.

Ok ... I've it when world music comes up. Sounds fun. Not really my thing but respect given.

Likte da egentlig litt, men mistenke at eg fort kan gå lei

Very unusual, but kinda like it!

upbeat and lively music with a mexican twist. i liked it well enough.

My wife really liked this guy in college. Listening now, sometimes I wanted to light up a spliff in my dorm room, sometimes I wanted to just turn it off, sometimes it was a decent background album. Not something I'd go to as a listen, but it wasn't bad.

This was a fun, eclectic journey into a variety of world music that has a chill vibe and a bit of an edge. Manu Chao manages to draw from a lot of musical influences without sounding overly disjointed or contrived at all. A couple of songs are a bit silly, but overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. Fave Songs: Desaparecido, Lágrimas de Oro, Clandestino, Luna y Sol, Mentira..., Je ne t'aime plus

Very pleasant!

Funky, groovy, good dance music at times

Til den kedelige side, men et par gode tracks

Hiukan yllättävä lattari tauko tähän väliin, mutta täähän oli ihan hyvääkin. Oli monipuolisuutta ja paljon parempaa kuin tää nykyinen lattaripoppipaska

Perfectly listenable, just wouldn’t choose to listen to it again

Well, yeah, not transcendental, is it? I can parse its appeal; but it doesn't appeal to me, not very much. But one must be fair

Hard for me to write this one as it’s way outside of my wheelhouse.

Can't understand most of it, but I liked it anyways. Nice and chill.

Hard to not like but still not something you have to listen to.

It definitely is some cool music - something that I haven't really heard of. I wouldn't say that it is my type of music, however, and the vocals don't do it for me.

Wasnt expecting much but thgis way up there. Much better than a lot of sit on this list. + the Narcos vibe

It was a beaut

6/16, 38%

Interesting. Didn’t know what to expect but it’s catchy and I enjoyed it mostly. Wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again though.

not really my style.

Interesting mix of musical styles and languages. I preferthe reggae tracks.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Bonus, this was the first Spanish language album I listened to that was in Spanish, English and French. 3.5/5.

Me gusta, tiene canciones pegajosas y otras de las que por unos meses no podías escapar: estaban en todas partes. En todo caso, me aburre rápidamente.

A pleasant surprise of an album! I liked it. It got a little repetitive toward the second half, but I found the blend of genres really surprising in how well they worked. A lot of these records I feel like I've heard before and don't remember where from. Just really liked it overall, 3/5

Big ups , rest still sounds average

this was a breath of fresh air! manu chao's clandestino is an easy, fun listen. it's different from other albums on this list by the virtue of it being world music (which is just too vague of a term!). but i enjoyed some incorporations of hip hop and electronic music. the concept of this album is cool and is, i think, the reason why it comes across as so fresh. traveling to different locations to record music on a laptop might be a very 1998 thing to do, but i enjoyed it anyway. 3.5

I had never heard of Manu Chao, but was pretty impressed! The way one track flowed into another was immaculate here. He traveled from location to location recording this album, and it really shows; this is sung in four different languages and played in a corresponding cultural genre, and Manu does it all masterfully. It all just made for a great mix of music. He isn't particularly doing anything revolutionary here from a musical perspective, but the blend of languages and genres certainly makes this a unique creative outlet. At the end of the day, it seems like Manu Chao just really enjoys making music, and he makes it fun to listen to.

Surprisingly meta

bango bong was poggo

Honestly don't have a big reaction to this... which means average.

I thought I'd like this one more, but with each song going into one another, it flows so much I can hsrdly tell songs apart, and makes everything blend together. Doesn't help when some songs use the exact same backing music as well. It was alright overall, certainly some good stuff, but it left a lot to be desired. Right down the middle with this one.

3.5

Spanish, French, English singing, interesting but not grabbing me.

Not my type, but pretty okay to listen to.

This was OK. Nothing wrong with it really. Just not my type of music

Today's listen was very interesting! Spanish/French vocals with a bit of English mixed in! The musical accompaniment was highly influenced by Spanish culture though it sounded like. Beautifully intricate Spanish guitar mixed with modern sampling and rapping techniques left you with a very interesting sound. What I like about these international albums is that it isn't necessarily something I would ever have discovered on my own. I like hearing how other cultures music have different influences. Even though I didn't understand most of what was said, the beauty of the music that was made still came through. Overall, a great listen today. Nothing spectacular, but it was still very good! Favorite songs: Luna y Sol, Clandestino, Welcome to Tijuana, Minha Galera, Mama Call Least favorite songs: La Despedida 3/5

C'est pas forcément ce que j'ai l'habitude d'écouter à 2h du matin mais je n'ai pas détesté l'expérience

Not something I thought I would enjoy. I didn't enjoy it but it was tolerable simply because it was different.

The variety of languages and styles makes Manu Chao stand out among world music. Chao has been called Latin alternative, but it’s interesting because he’s Spanish rather than from the new world. Despite his European origins, he brings a lot of Latin influence into his music, along with a melange of other styles. I don’t always enjoy his voice, but the mix of styles is pretty cool.

I liked this a lot more than I expected, which was to not like it at all. Couple really neat songs on there. Might throw a few in a playlist.

Album has a nice, kinda lo-fi vibe to it that I like, but the tunes just aren’t that strong. Kinda dull. 2.5/5

Pleasant to listen to, Mano negra more my kind of thing, 3 stars

Pretty cool album, foreign vibes. Would be a good listen on a summer day.

Not what i expected

Middle of the road for me

I mean this is fine... just sounds like typical Spanish hippie music. Those dudes you'd see in a botellon with dreads not really drinking but smoking a ton of weed. I thought I recognized the guy from "Me Gustas Tu" on a different album. 6/10.

Started strong, didn't stay there

My dad texted me about this album

Eigenlijk totaal niet mijn straatje, maar toch erg gezellig.

Normaliter niet helemaal mijn ding, maar op een zonnige vrije dag prima te doen.

Het zonnetje schijnt!

Jeugdsentiment!

3 star

Funky tunes by the king of bongo

Suojautuu yksitoikkoisuudelta hienovaraisin keinoin, ja seurauksena kuulijan mielenkiinto pysyy yllä. Toimii. Kannattaisi silti kokeilla duuripohjaisiakin biisejä - eivät ne aina ole niin naiiveja kuin voisi luulla.

skyder en lømmel til det her musik

Not my vibe.

Enjoyable sounds and rhythms

Expresión tolerable de postmodernismo. El problema está si se la piensa como un manifiesto político o la respuesta genuina de un territorio oprimido. Es cierto que los sonidos y las letras sugieren algo de eso, pero lo hacen tan solo como un ejercicio, la posibilidad lúdica de una combinación, que, al final, termina siendo exitosa. La instrumentalización es pequeña y las texturas, suaves: los materiales diversos se armonizan. Y en última instancia, por más que políticamente tal armonía pueda ser fútil, o incluso la solicitud de un conformismo, también amplía el espectro de lo imaginable, crea una especie de no-lugar. Y no todo tiene que ser realismo.

lo disfrute pero a la mitad ya lo queria sacar. supongo que no estoy con ganas de estas cosas ahora

Ok, so this was interesting! As with most music that falls under the “worldwide” umbrella it’s obviously going to appeal to a certain customer rather than a 40 year old, fat Scotsman. But, I enjoyed it for what it was! Not going to be racing down the local record shop for it though!

A good solid offering. Deceptively simple tunes delivered with skill. Didn’t have a clue what was going on but it was all pretty catchy

Pretty good!

Such a nice summer vibe record! Yeah, I've only known Bongo Bong, but the rest is very laid back as well! It has some nice layers, cool sampling and nice melodies. The vocals and lyrics are not too great, but still enjoyable and fit the songs well! Key tracks: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne T'aime Plus, Mentira, Minha Galera 7 out of 10

Varme minner fra Roskilde. Helt knall

Groovy

Good vibes

Started off quite strong but got pretty repetitive and boring as the album went on

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Luna y Sol (8) 2 - Malegria (12) 3 - Bongo Bong (3)

Overall a pretty cool and unique album. Songs were a little hit or miss for me, but a few bangers on here for sure.

Relaxed, far-flung music to background a stressful time at work. I’ll give it a more concentrated listen later.

I used to work in a machine shop where my boss would BLAST norteño 8 hours a day everyday. Think constant accordions and twangy guitars absolutely blaring in your ears. It's polka from latin america. 15 years of therapy and I'm still on edge when I hear even the slightest honk in the background. I had shivers even thinking about pressing play on this album. Pleased to report, I made it through. It's a chill album with a good flow and no accordions.

Different and enjoyable

Had a lot of fun with this one. High energy, enjoyable, welcome to Tijuana, tequila, sexo, marihuana!

It was almost impossible to avoid this album if you went to college in the late 90's. They were playing it in the cafés, you could hear it in partys and that girl that just went back from Barcelona with dreadlocks always had a copy of the CD in her bag with a Che patch on it. I personally never cared for it, but Je ne t'aime plus is really good, almost makes me think of Jean Leloup and I gotta say that it now holds a certain nostalgic value for me. Deep down I hate this, but I can't give it less than 3 anyway.

Album is too long, 30 minutes would have been enough.

I had no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The first half is made of very strong songs with original and creative beats. After that, the album seems a bit too long winded and the quality is slowly turning down. Glad I listened to it.

Nice enough and I enjoyed the rhythms and energy. The fact that I didn't understand a word made it difficult to give a higher score.

enjoyable

A couple of really catchy tracks, but nothing too surprising

v̶̢̹̋̉i̷͓̒b̵̹̎͐e̴̹͍̅ỹ̷̢͘͜

I didn’t understand it. But I liked it.

30th November 2022 Listened in the office. Came home on the train and watched White Lotus. Reminds me of Adam Fuller.

Nice Latin music

Musik, deren lyrics ich nicht verstehe, geht mir echt schwerer rein. Vom vibe sehr nice!

I liked this! I liked what another reviewer said about how it was respectful of the culture while still being accessible. I have mad respect for anyone who performs music in multiple languages. “Bongo Bong” was the highlight for me.

01-Nov-2022 I've never even heard of this artist, so will be intersted to check this out! Good to see some other countries represented in the list.

Highlights: Mentira, but the album flows so well it's very easy to just sit and listen to the whole thing.

- Never heard of this before - Not usually my thing, but some catchy songs - Liked the switching between languages - Fav songs: Welcome to Tijuana, La vie à 2, Desaparecido

How have I come this far along in life without having heard of this guy or this album. It's the oddest thing I've ever heard. It's like Spanish trip hop with sampling and rhythms that go around and about. Not really tracks as such as it bleeds from one track to another. No real substance as it feels like pop music and certainly not punk rock. Not sure if it deserves one star or 5 stars.

I'm very sick today. Barely upright. This music does nothing to speed my recovery. It's too bright, too happy, it hurts my brain. It's like a never-ending mariachi interlude from Breaking Bad that takes up the whole episode and makes you curse Vince Gilligan for his shenanigans. Grading on a curve today to balance out my harsh attitude, and points added for Bongo Bong. In the end it adds up to neutral.

Jamaika vibes

It was ok and I’m glad I listened, but won’t be seeking out again.

I really enjoyed this but it did get a bit samey by the end

Cool

Enjoyable in parts but it all sort of just passed me by in a mass of sound.

Fun mix of genres.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I spoke more foreign languages other than English. Aside from that, this is a solid album.

3.5/5. Really catchy stuff.

Pretty good listen.

Initially wasn't that impressed but went to bed singing one of the songs.

4/6 references made

Few iconic ones, rest is veel vant zelfde. Leuk zomers sfeertje wel

Good

Not bad really. Some decent chilled out tunes.

It was a good one time listen but I’m probably not gonna listen to it again

Good vibes

An eclectic multi-cultural, multilingual experience, Clandestino is a tour-de-force of rambunctious ideas that, regardless of the language barrier, burst through with vigor and intrigue. Manu Chao's patchwork of sounds benefit from never staying past its welcome and largely blends from one song to the next and keeping the listener attentive with each step. Favorites: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, Malegìra, La ve à 2.

7/14/2022 - ALBUM #168 Today's Album: "Clandestino" by Manu Chao - As with most latin albums I review here, I have to address the disconnect between myself and the music due to not understanding the language. But, like many other albums I give this disclaimer when reviewing, it was actually a really pleasant listening experience. The opener Clandestino welcomes the listener in with these swinging bass melodies and a chilled out shaker groove. There are some interesting vocal effects going on in the chorus and I think it sets a good tone for what is to come. I really like some of the production choices on this album, with this descending, ‘video-game’-like, synth sound being used throughout the tracklist, tying many of the tracks to one uniform theme, and there is overall a lot of attention paid to the way the vocals interact with the instruments. Bongo Bong is a pretty fun and lighthearted track that still follows the chilled out groove set up by the first track, but brings some more auxiliary percussion and some english vocals to spice things up before carrying into ‘Je ne t’aime plus’ with the same groove. The album actually transitions very smoothly across all the tracks and just does a really good job of getting the listener lost in a swaying latin groove and keeping them there, even if you don’t speak the language. I really appreciate the layered guitars and stringed instruments that create the instrumental backbone for many of the songs and I think the bass is mixed really nicely into the back to the point where the focus is drawn much more on the tone of the bass than the attacks and movement (even if it do be movin’). In the songs where the band implements some english lyrics into the mix like Bongo Bong and Mama Call, I really start to see the chain of influence from this band to groups like Santana and even later contemporaries like Sublime. They end up being some of the most enjoyable moments on the record for me for fairly obvious reasons. Overall, I think this album is a great demonstration of the state of latin music as the 80s were coming to a close and the baton was being handed back and forth between groups like this and prominent latin acts like Santana. If you enjoy latin music that occasionally caters to English speaking peoples or have ever enjoyed a track from Santana, this album is a great history lesson in that sound. Highlights: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, La vie a 2, Minha galera Score: 6.75/10 A dense meditation on Latin music by an achieved French artist

It was alright. I’ll relisten in the future to see if I like it more than I do now.

I thought I'd go in totally disliking this, but WOW. I definitely had heard "Bongo Bong" before on another CD, but I'd say I dug "Lágrimas de oro," "Sol y luna," and the title track the most.

I was well irritable this day, its hard to say whether I didn't massively like this because of that or it wasn't for me. Soz but a 3 start not much to say from Chole

Nur das eine Lied…

It's fine. That is, the music is good, but ultimately left me cold. Indeed, I have struggled in writing this review solely because I don't have anything interesting to say about it whatsoever. This very sentence is a travail to write. Still, I shall endeavour to bring you insight. Manu Chao is a French-Spanish singer songwriter who, after the breakup of his group Mano Negra in the mid-90s, took a quest across Latin America to imbibe as much of the music as possible. To that end, he collected a multitude of pirated radio samples, which he then scattered throughout this album (hence the title). Along with this, he sought to continue his mongrelish, catholic eclecticism by merging as many genres as he could muster, with son, reggae, hip-hop and French pop being notable influences on the album, and also by singing in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. So, the sentiments behind the album can't really be dissed, and the music isn't actually bad, but you unavoidably perceive the album's bizarre sameyness. You know how if you mix all the meats together, from rattlesnake to human, it all just ends up tasting of chicken? Clandestino has that resultant poultriness. Now, nobody will slam the taste of chicken, but who has chicken as their favourite meat? Manu Chao travelled the expanses of Central and South America and brought you back some chicken. You wouldn't complain, but could you hide your disappointment successfully? I once had a gourmet burger in South Korea with a French engineer who would always play Bongo Bong in the bar. He liked Bongo Bong because he found it funny and groovy, which is fair enough. Still, I didn't have a chicken burger, did I?

Didn’t care for all of it, but I did enjoy how Manu Chao weaves through different genres & languages

Утром было слушать задорно, вечером уже похуже. Самобытность

Some cool songs and a nice listen overall. Nothing jumped out to me so I didn’t save any though.

3.5 / 5 Heard this one before. The more I hear it the better it gets.

It was OK. I dont really know if this album is a great of its genre or not since it's not something I really listen to at all. It was a pretty enjoyable experience overall but it felt longer than it really was.

Bouncy and spicy and inventively sampled and layered, plus enlightened-sounding and fun to listen to. This monolingual globalist knows he’s missing a lot of meaning and subtlety and probably irony, too. Still, doesn’t quite get to life-changing or deathbed-worthy. 3.4

Entertaining, and wow - the diversity of language.

5/10. Eh.

Surprisingly good. I’m usually not interested in Spanish music, but this was different. 3/5

Very fun and lively. Definitely something to tap your foot to. However, probably not something I'd add to my regular listening, but something to put on when I fee like listening to something very upbeat.

I had no idea what to expect but I rather enjoyed it. I probably forget I ever listen to it in a year.

While I enjoyed this much more than anticipated, not sure I’d reach for it again. Love the guitar, horns, energy, production though.

It was fine. not something i'd listen to again.

It seems good. I would be very happy if this was the background music in a restaurant with servers who barley spoke English. I have no frame of reference to if it's any good or not, because it's not my normal thing. But I didn't dislike listening to it.

Borrows freely from his global vagabond exploits, slipping between styles as fluidly as he does between songs. Never less than buoyant, even when he occasionally turns contemplative.

This was jazzy, cool background music.

This was a cool one! As always, I welcome international music, especially of the Latin Jazz-y variety. An interesting mix of styles on here. A bit less energy than I would've hoped, but still a good listen through. Fitting for the warm spring weather. Favorite tracks: Desaparecido, Je ne t'aime plus, Welcome to Tijuana, Minha galera. Album art: Just a guy standing there, really nothing to say to that. His outfit gives me pirate vibes. The whole thing feels ripped from a Just Cause game. 3.5/5

good international album. I enjoyed the sounds.

Förvånandsvärt bra. Var inte beredd på att jag skulle tycka om hans musik så mycket som jag gjorde.

Not bad. Can't see myself queuing this up again, but was enjoyable for a single run. C+

diverse and eclectic, but I can't shake the feeling that this could have been a bunch of children's daycare songs if the lyrics were changed

Effectivement, cet album a joué beaucoup dans les petits cafés à l’époque et ça se justifie. C’est un album ensoleillé avec une petite touche de modernité. La fusion des genres était rafraîchissante aussi. Bongo Bong est dans la veine de ce que Gorillaz a fait par la suite. Le groupe a été formé la même année que la sortie de cet album. L’influence ne vient sûrement pas de cet album, mais des influences communes entre les deux artistes. Faut voir aussi qu’on est dans les débuts des enregistrements sur laptop à cette époque ce qui permet d’enregistrer en voyageant. Ça permet de penser un album différemment. C’est pas mon genre habituel, mais c’est agréable à écouter.

HI- Bongo Bong/Je ne t'aime plus, Welcome to Tijuana I first heard "Bongo Bong" as a remake called King of The Bongo by Deekline & Ed Solo, so it's nice to hear the original...I don't have to understand the language to know what Welcome to Tijuana is about (Tequila, Sex, Marijuana, duh). The language barrier didn't really stop my enjoyment of this album, I find it musically appealing and well-rounded. I'd probably keep some of these tracks in the same playlist that I keep other Latin music, like Daddy Yankee.

This is an album comprised of about 4 songs. First off, Bongo Bong - an absolute banger, a masterpiece, a bop, a true classic Then, there's the french one. Not much to say about it, it's pretty french, I'm not the biggest fan of how the french language sounds, it's okay Afterwards there's Welcom to Tijuana, a pleasant tune that worms its way into your ear. Then there's the fourth one, the one called... you know the one. it takes up the rest of the album, gets repetetive after ten minutes and a little annoyting after 20, and brings the original experience down overall. This might be diffrent if I understood the lyrics, obviously, but I do not, and so this is the only rating I can give. 3/5

Aye, fair enough. A welcome change in lyrics language, that's for sure. Hot latin rythms, liked the brasses in some tracks. A pleasant album. Highlight: Bongo Bong (ofc)

Don't speak Spanish, but it had some jams.

I’ve heard this before, but have no idea where. There are at least 3 languages sung and apparently the singer uses up to 8 in his work. Latin dance moving bombastic horns to cypress hill slow groove.

this was a pleasant listen, although I think the reviews were more enjoyable to read haha

Interesting! Wasn't expecting to do much more than just have it as background music while I worked on some stuff but it ended up being fun and diverse in both sound and language

Interesting album. I enjoyed it

I started off dreading this a little as I'm typically not wild about music in other languages. Was surprisingly interesting.

Another one I thought I'd hate but actually very listenable. It kept me interested with all the changes in language etc

Enjoyable, interesting, different. My Spanish is lousy, but if you grab the lyrics off genius.com & toss them into Google Translate, monolingual English speakers like me can discover that Manu Chao is a heckuva thoughtful lyricist as well.

I never knew there were so many words that rhyme with marijuana.

Totally forgot about this album. Very enjoyable

This album surprised me. For sure.

A multilingual treat. Also found the French language earworm I'd been struggling to identify. 3/5

Enjoyable

Groovy

I had a good time with this one. It's not something I would typically listen to but it was fun. I really liked Bongo Bong

It's cool how Bongo Bong blends right into je ne t'aime plus, which means "i don't love you anymore"... Lagrimas de oro, which I believe means "beers of old" is pretty good. I'm being told by my producer that it means tears of gold. This might just be an indication that three languages on one album is too much. And maybe also one bongo too much... I didn't understand why I can't get no satisfaction or have heat?

Good

Good music to have on in the background though admittedly not something I'd choose to give my full attention to

Not a fan of salsa but this was as good as it gets for me.

When I was a little boy the older brother of a friend had this album and so for decades this has been this symbol of cool, evolved, advanced musical taste. It's pretty good. The friend in question listens to mainly country music now, but at the time? He was the barometer of cool music taste. Also introduced me to BNL and Daft Punk

Great album and vibes, I used to listen to Manu Chao as a teenager and I'm pleased that by and large he still elicits the same joy from me.

I like how the songs flow into one another

Notre Manu Chao bleu blanc rouge est en effet totalement clandestino au sein de ce génerateur mais on finit par s'habituer à sa techno hardcore.

I am impressed that Manu Chao sings in so many languages. I could do English and maybe… Pig Latin? (Okay, maybe a bit of Spanish if I was pressed.) I did not find his vocal range to be very impressive. I was hoping for more there. I did like how each song flowed into each other, which was different. The brevity of the songs was also good, not hanging on one riff too long. Least favorite track was Welcome to Tijuana. That got annoying really quickly. The instrumentation seemed pretty sparse, I was hoping for more. I just don’t see why THIS is in the top 1001.

Fair

Nije loš album, ono što mi se sviđa mi se baš sviđa, jest da smo sad taj album dobili na ružno vrijeme jer je ovo baš onak ljetni odabir, ali šta je tu je. Nije mi baš toliko odličan, ali stvarno ništa loše nemam reć za album, ali jednostavno nije moj đir. Sve pjesme koje znam, to su što je društvo puštalo i zato mi i jesu drage te pjesme. (Vidi favoritne) Favoritne: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Luna y sol, Minha Galeria.

Valeu a experiência da sequencia de músicas pelo mundo a fora.

some really good multi lingual tunes, especially bongo bongo

I didn't know what to expect going into this, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised by Manu Chao's laid-back delivery, the occasional banger, the the calming repetitions of the songs like ripples on a swimming pool. For all I know, Cao might be singing about heavy and horrific subject matter, but "Clandestino"'s pervading musical mood is mellow, light, hypnotic in its Latin grooves. It often veers into a kind of Euro-reggae, with similar offbeat guitar rhythms crossing each of the numbers. There's a not great deal of musicality on show: the songs are simple and seem at ease with themselves, repeating basic chord progressions and often revisiting each other over the course of the album. Chao's limited vocal range is ideal for this style, often repeating one or two phrases over the course of each song until they almost become a mantra. "Minha Galera" is the prettiest melody, while "Bongo Bong", "Je ne t'aime plus" and "Mama Call" got into my head and carried me all the way to the nearest Spanish bar (several hundred miles). Manu Chao creates a great atmosphere, but at times I wanted him to be a bit more riotous: when the tempo kicks up a gear in "Luna y sol" and "Malegria", it's a real joy, with the frenetic guitar criss-crossing over the horns and poly-rhythms. I would have loved more of this- the party atmosphere is still there, but it's more coy, breezy, detached. Overall though, lots of fun with this album and the ambience of the background recordings was a great immersive touch.

Cool, I guess...

It's nice, but getting a bit monotonous halfway through.

Olisin halunnut tykätä enemmän. Levyn alkuun olin fiiliksissä, että tämähän on ihan varteenotettava vaihtoehto Buena Vistalle, mutta levyn loppua ja toista kuuntelukertaa kohti fiilikset laskivat. Jäi jotenkin pinnallinen fiilis tästä. Meininki ei ollut niin hyväntuulista ja rentoa fiilistelyä, kuin olisin toivonut, vaan jotenkin enemmän kantaaottavan kuuloista, marijuanat, illegalit ja mano negrot vaan vilisivät lyriikoissa. Ei voi kolmosta enempää antaa, valitettavasti.

I liked it. It was fun to jump genres from what I normally listen to, but for me it was background music that I listened to passively.

It's got some catchy tunes and international flair! I can see why it is on the list. Will I buy it? no. Do I like the bongo song? Yeah :)

BONGO BONG!! I liked this album, it was pretty enjoyable and easy to listen to.

011121 17:32 3.5

Fun, interesting, occasionally twee, but not something I will listen to again.

not my ting

Cool Latino

Lots of short songs, not bad but didn't engage me

bongo bong is massive, but i reckon this just about gets by without being an album of filler. its a teeny bit repetetive, if anything removing the bongo bong would make the album better. a bit like how taking stevie me out of the liverpool team made them a better team.

The last time I heard this I was on the run from the police. I had butchered a close knit group of teenage girls in Nebraska, after I heard them laughing about the shape of my calves. This record acted like a soundtrack as I fled the country and started a new life as a children's entertainer in Tijuana.

Really cool, funky stuff.

Good vibes. A little repetitive

Good sound, but I wish I understood the lyrics. Can’t judge it appropriately.

Chill music in Spanish and French

Good as a solo record, but why not include the great Mano Negra rather than Many Chao's solo efforts?

I really liked it at first, but then I started to realize many of the songs shared the exact same beat and sound. Even the biggest hit from his follow up album had the same beat from the previous album. Come on, man. Sounds good, but the music is lazy. You can hear a handful of the songs and know what every other song sounds like, just with different lyrics.

Heard of this guy before but don't really recognise the tracks at the mid-point. Love a bit of Latin American though, it's all so feel good and upbeat. Enjoyed this but not sure I'd go back and listen again. Think it's worth a 3 as I'd happily listen anytime if someone stuck it on. 3/5

It’s fine, just not what I would choose to listen to

I admit it's not for me. Not world music. But I will list what I liked and did not like. The production is alright, but I feel the background noises tend to work against it. Even when you understand the subject matter and lyrics, it unnecessarily breaks the flow of the album. I like the overlaying vocals (adds atmospheric value) and sound effects (some Galaga effect here and there which doesn't get too annoying). Soothing voice and instruments. I like the smooth transition between songs, especially from Bongo Bong to Je ne t'aime pas. In fact, those two are the only one I somewhat like, maybe Welcome to Tijuana too. Lots of cultural influences, which some more preachy (Clandestino) or funky (Mentira) than others. The influences and diversity keeps me interested, but there are many tracks I absolutely dislike. Lagrima de soro, Por el suelo, La vie a 2, Minha galera, La despedida, and there are more on the borderline of dislike and mixed. Overall not just something I'd ever listen to again, except maybe the first few tracks for those transitions.

A nice throwback to late 90s alternative music. I love Mano Negra's "Casa Babylon", a fucking masterpiece. But Manu Chao's solo output seems a bit too bland (not to mention progressive lefties love songs about Subcomandante Marcos [and no, I'm not an alt-right conservative]).

3.5 | Recuerdo cuando salió este disco no ponerle mucha atención, simplemente no era el tipo de música que me veía muy dispuesto a escuchar, se oía repetitivo y como de festival Vive Latino. Me agrada hoy en día darle oportunidad y encontrar que en realidad, aunque no será mi máximo, es un bastante buen disco. Sí, es muy repetitivo su estilo, pero siento que es parte de lo que me agradó, quizá es el punto de que las veces que lo puse fue haciendo algo o trabajando, quizá no se presta mucho a sentarte a escucharlo con toda la calma. Es cierto, todas las canciones parece que se van mezclando entre si, a veces no te das cuenta que cambió y podrías pensar que todo suena igual, pero lo que encontré fue que hay mucho uso de son cubano y distintos ritmos caribeños y latinos muy bien colocados y armados. Musicalmente a pesar de ese efecto medio adormecedor es muy creativo y de mayor calidad que muchos grupillos de hippie cochinón que intentaban hacer este tipo de música y letras y solo daban pena. En cuanto a su letra pues justicia social, problemas de la época para los latinos... Siento como si fuera el heredero del legado de Bob Marley en ese sentido. Es como un Rubén Albarrán pero que tiene sentido. Puedo a veces torcer quizá un poco los ojos al escuchar su mensaje pero al menos es mucho mejor colocado y mas respetable que muchos otros similares. Escuche 3 veces el disco, no me peso para nada ninguna de ellas, aunque tampoco llegó al punto de que quiera escucharlo de nuevo. No creo que cambiara mucho mi opinión con algunas otras canciones de él como aquella aberración de Me Gustas Tú, pero al menos en este punto hizo un disco que valía la pena bastante.

Definitivamente esto es mejor que "me gustas tu", y a mi parecer de lo que traía con mano negra (otra de mis decepciones musicales por qué tuvieron un gran nombre y tocaban pura mamada). tal vez en aquel momento estaba muy quemado el pedo político en varios países y por eso no me atrajo en su momento pero ahora escuchandlo con más detenimiento lo pude disfrutar y tener una opinión diferente aunque no me gusta del todo . Usa por ahí un efecto electrónico muy raro que venía en un teclado que tuve de niño y en un sampler también, solo por eso le voy a dar el 3 cerrado y por welcome to Tijuana (tequila, sexo, mariguana)

World music fella does a mix of musical styes in different languages. Dinner party music. Best Tracks: Bongo Bong, Mentira, Welcome to Tijuana

Latin jazz und rock

First few songs are fantastic, gets a little dry towards the middle and only picks up in moments.

Bright Latin jazzy reggae indie stuff. Very world music, but hasn't aged since the late 90s, shark tooth necklaces and blonde tips. Nice enough, but probably not going to listen again. Play at the beach.

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Still can't say it will make it to my weekly playlist, but it is definitely nice chill music. Perfect for restaurant background or for lounging on the beach.

After listening to it a second time on my hifi setup, I actually liked it.

Some nice stuff but not a fan of the whole thing

Very fun and breezy! I wasn't blown away by the tracks, but it was an easy listen.

interesting.. i like the reggae-ish sounds.

I would of enjoyed this much more if I knew Spanish. 3.5/5 stars.

I like Manu Chao's style, but I have never been able to really get into his music. I tend to listen a bit every few years. Maybe it's the foreign lyrics or that the songs tend to sound repetitive to me. He's clearly talented and the sound is good, I just don't need that much of it I guess.

Probably gave the album more than it deserves, on account of not listening to this genre enough. That said, it's hard for me to see how an album like this made this list.

Top album, ik waan me al helemaal op een zonnig terrasje, wel wat repititief.

Hmm, not my genre but wasn't too bad. Wouldn't play it again though

Nostalgios gradios

Funky funky.

I liked this album right away. Brought back memories of beach bars, umbrella drinks and sunburn. Pretty appealing after a long Minnesota winter. I think the first half was better than the second, but it could just have been genre fatigue as the album progressed. This is something that would be good to listen to on a sunny pontoon day at the lake, but other than that I would not intentionally listen to this again.

Jaunty

good album, bit repetitive but i like the way the whole album flows through. i like the way that he uses different languages through the album as well. not something i would listen to normally but its very bearable

Manu Chao, por alguna razón, no me cae, pero esto no quiere decir que no me gusten algunas de sus canciones. Hay un encanto raro y emocional en sus letras más sencillas como Minha Galera y Mama Call que me conmueven y me transportan a los paisajes más hermosos de América Latina. Fuera de eso, creo que el disco tiene un buen rítmito y la integración orgánica de múltiples géneros es algo que celebro en este disco. No obstante, me parece que hay tracks en los que el sampling se vuelven excesivos, y parecen más un relleno con poca producción, una especie de excusa para apelar los sentimientos e ideales de un público de tendencias izquierdistas. En fin, el Mood: siendo un hombre blanco del primer mundo que se siente muy cool por mochilear por toda America Latina sin bañarse y disfrutando de las exquisitas drogas naturalitas de nuestra tierra, :v

I'M THE KING OF BONGO BONG! Do I really need to say more? Ok a little bit. Yes, some of the english songwriting was a bit goofy, but I did enjoy the vibe of this album throughout. Always a fan of an album where all the tracks play into each other. Makes it feel like a cohesive project. You can tell Manu put a lot of love into this album, and the fact that he did it all on his laptop in the 90s is crazy impressive. For that the Bongo Bong King gets a 3.

Always on the vanguard, the unique vocals are matched by unusual rhythms and backing vocals.

tiene muy buenas canciones y otras no tan buenas..un bello 3 es merecido

Its alright. The many languages mask the fact that this album lacks a good song.

Manu Chao has a unique, memorable voice. not knowing the lyrics gives me an unusual appreciation for the music

Des isch des Mastermind hinter Bongo Bong. Da siehste mal. Immerhin den Song kenn ich. Anfangs alles etwas Narcos-esk. Was mir sehr gefällt. Ick kann zwar keen Spanisch nich, knorke is dit aber allema. Diese französischen Tracks sind jetzt ned so meins, weil kein Südamerika Drogen Flair. Rather skip. Solid 3*

Bongo Bong geil. der rest catched mich kaum aber gudes ding.

3 ближе к 4

Music in Spanish is great, music in English is weird

Clearly talented, just not my thing.

I couldn't understand most of the Spanish but the music was enjoyable at points

Bongo bong!

Interesting? My Spanish definitely isn't up to it. Would happily listen in the background for hours at a time.

Despite the language barrier, the album was a fun listen! Not one I would revisit but I can definitely appreciate it and wouldn't switch off were it played again.

Very interesting, seems like some of what to come came off of this

I wonder how different my rating would be if I listened to this in the summer on a nice day with a marg. It was pretty good and catchy. Spanish songs are always fund. I also liked that someone called him more punk than Good Charlotte (not that that’s hard to do)

All over the place, not Bad per se but also not good

This was a fun album but didn’t have the charm I was expecting

Spotify. Not for me

Alternativ latin, muntert, bongo bong

Quiero bailar a la musica

Fena deil sdc ilk yarısını dinledim catchydi.... dörde de yükselebilir

6/10 FT:Clandestino

A bit of a switch up from 90% of this list so far. Still didn’t find anything that special but I’m glad to finally see an entry for Latin music and not another rock or electronic album… 5/10

The instrumentation on the songs on Clandestino is kind of bland and Chao's style is a smattering of different Latin American genres, none of which are performed particularly well. There were a few songs that were interesting and those were generally the songs where Chao pushed his sound in new and interesting directions. Unfortunately those moments were few and far between.

Interesting in parts in terms of production but a lot of the songs drift and wither.

"master, what's a bongo?"

I never like Manu, sorry

Latin music and reggae with vocals in a mix of languages. It was ok but I found the songs a bit simple and repetitive. Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus even the same repetitive backing track.

This was ok, but nothing that special. I’d had a copy of this around the time it came out from a friend, and it didn’t resonate with me then either. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t really hold my interest. After three or four songs I was bored.

Good to have a non-Anglophone album on this list. Unfortunately, this one didn't really grab me, I thought it a terrible mish-mash of influences.

No me gusta.

I was hoping for some warm and joyful Latin music to lift my spirits on a dreary Scottish day. But bar the occasional bust of sunshine, I was left a little disappointed.

Secret French album but they say sexo a lot. I think this is the first non-English language album in here that I haven't particularly liked. Feels like someone trying to replicate and put a spin on a style but doesn't work well. Not sure why it's on here.

Prob a 2.5. Some of this reminded me of Gorillaz…I guess that’s weird.

Started off strong but I was tired of it by the end

Just not my vibe. A couple of good vibes

It’s listenable I guess

No private session used for Spotify. Music was bad, did have me craving some tortilla chips and a cerveza while over looking the ocean, if I listen to this album again that will be the scenario. Guy's voice was a little nasally.

😐

I don’t speak Spanish. 3

I didn't get it.

Im just not a fan of most Latin music

Very repetitive and uninspiring. Not for me

Fetishising music for not being in English is just as droll as complaining about music not being in English. Language is not a proxy for quality. Album itself is okay. It has a cool unique flavour but its pretty uneven and comes across a bit hit and miss.

This album is a proper little gem. While listening I felt this warm, wandering kind of happiness mixed with a bit of sadness and rebellion. It’s got that perfect mix of upbeat energy and melancholic undertones that makes you want to smile and sigh at the same time. It’s not really a strict concept album, but the whole thing feels like one long journey through borders, exile, love, politics, and street life. Manu Chao blends reggae, Latin rhythms, rock, ska, and French chanson with Spanish and French lyrics, throwing in samples and street sounds like it’s all one big multicultural party. Songs like “Clandestino,” “Desaparecido,” “Bongo Bong,” and “Je ne t’aime plus” just flow into each other so naturally. The production is raw and lo-fi in the best way — it feels alive, like it was recorded in someone’s backyard or on the road. It’s political without being preachy, romantic without being cheesy, and danceable without losing its soul. I really enjoyed every listen. It’s not flashy or perfect, but it has so much heart and character that it’s hard not to love. One of those albums that puts you in a good mood even when it’s talking about heavy stuff. Highly recommended.

Uninspiring beach bar music

ehh

This is was fine. Nothing special. 2.75

1. clandezetino - 2 2. dezaparecido - 2 3. bong - 1 4. pluz - 2 5. mentira - 1 6. oro - 1 7. mama - 1 8. luna - 2 9. zuelo - 2 10. tijuana - 1 11. pena - 1 12. malegria - 0 13. vie - 1 14. minha - 2 15. dezpedida - 2 16. viento - 2

Good ..not great..obv I don’t understand most of the lyrics..but that’s not really a huge problem..but I felt as if the whole album has an amazing sound that deserves some chaos uk? Like I wanted there to be an explosion..but I was just left disappointed…some tracks like Luna y Sol gave a taste of that..but ye..apart from that pretty solid..not bad but solid.

I’m sure I’ve heard this record about a billion times cause it sounds exactly like the soundtrack playing at every Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to. It’s fine in that particular context, but I’m never listening to this on my own for fun. 4/10

Didn't understand the lyrics but enjoyed the musicality a bit. 2/5

At the very least, this album was super interesting to experience. French dude making an entire album in not just French, but mostly Spanish and English? Cool stuff. Unfortunately I did not like most of it lol. But I understand it’s one of those “I see the vision but it’s not for me” albums.

Beaucoup écouté au début des années 2000 mais le tout a perdu un peu de sa force…

2- Stars (4/15)

I know I’m not the target audience but this style can be very repetitive.

helt greit dette

Favorite songs: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Mamá Call

Didn’t hate this but it didn’t really do much for me

Actually better than I was expecting having heard only one or two songs. High 2s.

Nice Summer songs

2,5

Exactly what you'd expect a French dude teyijf to sound Mexican to be like.

I was in a bad mood so maybe not fully the albums fault but this did not hit

This had me at first, but starting dragging halfway through. I appreciate the vibe they were going for.

Really highlights to me how provincial my musical tastes are. I guess I'm mostly okay with that.

Si quieres mejorar tu español y divertirte! ✅✅ Luna y Sol

2.5 - Meh

Remarkably unremarkable Latin fusion. Not offensive, but no reason to listen twice and I’ll forget this ever existed in 3…. 2….

Standouts Bongo Bong