That the immigrant experience in the U.S. is not always, or often, what it's cracked up to be -- a fairy tale of moving, hope, hard work, and eventual success of the kind you hear at political party conventions -- is the subject of "Sueño Americano," the new single and video from Oakland's Los Rakas. These two should know. Born in Panama, Raka Rich and Raka Dun take their name from a Panamanian slur used to describe someone from the ghetto. Their latest single, off of today's major-label debut, El Negrito Dun Dun & Ricardo, tells how the hopes of the migrant can so easily be squelched by a system that offers little opportunity and even less concern. "Here, if you want something, you have to find it, and if you don't have work, you have to sin," they sing in Spanish. "'Cause the rent is high, the law is bad -- without papers, you're nothing." The video, directed by the Perez Bros., offers a frightening look at how bad the struggle can get. Watch it below, and read a translation of the lyrics as well. "Sueño Americano" is also the Latin single of the week on iTunes, so you can download it there.
Another week, another map showing broad generalizations about who in what part of America likes what kind of music. The latest one, created by real estate site Movoto, shows regional preference for certain genres. Guess what San Francisco likes? Well, as with the rest of California, it prefers rock 'n' roll -- at least according to this map. The city-by-city breakdown explains that, while "jazz and EDM showed up much higher on the list of San Francisco favorites than they did in other cities, neither outranked rock and blues." Also popular in S.F., to no one's surprise? "Indie" music, whatever that means.
Cocktails are one of our favorites among the younger crop of shambolic S.F. guitar bands. The five-piece appeared last year with an easy-to-love EP on Father/Daughter Records and a couple of effortlessly catchy power-pop singles. We featured them in the paper. Now Cocktails is back with Adult Life, its first album, out June 17 on Father/Daugther. Recorded at Oakland's Fuzz City Studios -- the home base of Warm Soda's Matthew Melton and Rob Good, among others -- Adult Life builds on Cocktails' brand of "slop-pop": The hooks are as sharp, but the overall texture of the sound is just as gauzy and easygoing -- even if some of the lyrics reflect slightly more grown-up concerns. This is all part of Cocktails' charm: This group is not a precisely measured concoction of pricey spirits, but rather a few classic ingredients stirred together over ice. Hear "Tough Love," the first single from the new album, below. The band performs this Friday, April 18, at Rickshaw Stop, April 24 at the Knockout, and May 2 at the Make Out Room.
