Mariachi El Bronx

Last year, the Bronx created a record that, without a doubt, is the best mariachi album of all time from musicians who also play in a Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band. Under the guise of Mariachi El Bronx, vocalist Matt Caughthran and his cohorts recorded eleven mariachi masterpieces devoid of Caughthran's trademark screams, replaced instead with a soft croon tucked amid slightly muted horns, a Catalina drum set, and images of shadowy figures on horseback riding into a Central American sunset. Currently, the boys will be touring along with their alter egos in the Bronx, showing their musical diversity and their costume-changing efficiency. The concept may seem tongue-in-cheek and slightly ridiculous, but the songs are brilliant no matter what color the charro costumes are.