Today Reverb Recommends Catching Aurelio's Infectious Pop at the Triple Door

By Chris Kornelis, Mon., Jan. 17 2011 @ 7:00AM

Categories: Today Reverb Recommends...

Yes, Aurelio falls directly into the world-music bin. But his Sub Pop/Next Ambiance release, Laru Beya, which hits stores Tuesday, transcends the Putumayo stereotype, and will not be remembered as a fetish property for those in search of the international sound/cause/taste du jour. It will be remembered as a pop record accessible to anyone with an appreciation for melody and strong hooks; for those who cannot dance, but like to shake it anyway.

Aurelio, a former member of Honduras' congress who told his story to Laura Onstot in our Jan. 12 issue, is the second artist signed to Sub Pop's world-music imprint, Next Ambiance. The first, Bassekou Kouyate's I Speak Fula, is up for a Grammy. To the uninitiated, the electric guitar, hand drums, and pulsing beats of Aurelio's record are even more catching. The lyrics are in Aurelio's native Garifuna, but the beats and rhymes need no translation.