Alex Anwandter: 'Rebeldes'

Warning: Do not mock Chile’s Alex Anwandter's new album. His nasal tone will illicit an overwhelming desire to bang your head against the wall and scream, “This is a load of pop nonsense!” Don't. Because later, when you are singing "¿Cómo puedes vivir contigo mismo?" (How Can You Live With Yourself?) repeatedly and you're not being ironic, you will feel idiotic for your initial revulsion. Anwandter can do that to you: trick you into believing that you are in control of the mockery and then he slaps you in the face with a catchy — and smart — tune that’ll make you torture your friends with your broken Spanish. For beneath the surface of mainstream basics, Anwandter has created an anthology of pop, from Madonna to MGMT, reminding us that pop can be more than “Call Me Maybe.” Gems like the slow moving “Tormenta” (Storm) and “Como una estrella” (Like a Star) are more than a homage to boy bands of the ’90s — they’re a reminder of when pop reigned supreme and we liked it. So don't mock the Prince of Chilean pop, embrace the keyboard's synthetic sounds and sing along.

★★★ ½ (out of 5 stars)