Clandestino

Dolid vibes

Easy listening even though it was in 3 different languages at least xD

Enjoyed this more as it progressed

Solid album. Didn't understand much, since it's almost all in Spanish, but nice vibes

Didn't understand most of it, but it had a decent rhythm.

A cool sound and quite the relaxing listen.

For those who don't know, Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician who played in several groups, most notably the punk-infused Latin rock group Mano Negra. Unfortunately, that group broke up after years of strife and touring through war-torn Colombia, leaving Chao in a fragile state. He continued performing solo while battling restlessness and depression, albeit mentally wrung to the point of nearly taking his own life. That was until a chance encounter with a cow, whom he described as "tender", gave him a renewed sense of purpose, and Chao formally started recording a solo release.

The recording process was rather unconventional and driven by chance. Chao immersed himself in various locales such as Tijuana, Mexico, Spain, and Paris, with a portable recorder in tow and working alongside producer Renaud Letang. A technical glitch in Letang's computer inadvertently caused most of the electronic elements and drums to be stripped from the tracks, leaving behind a more acoustic, organic sound. Songs were chosen for the cut after being tested out on the children in Chao's neighborhood. Thus, Clandestino proved to be a unique and cathartic album for Chao, and if anything, I'm glad that he found a renewed sense of spirit that happened to be well-received across Europe and South America.

As for the music, this is a solid collection of reggae rock tunes with a melting pot of influences, including salsa, punk, and French chanson. I have to commend Chao and Letang for how they organized the tracks such that they seamlessly flow from one to the next, with Chao himself effortlessly switching his singing across Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French. Checking the translated lyrics, it is evident that Chao put his internal struggles on display while trying to find the brighter side of life as he gives an informal tour of the various locales he visited. Sure, the subject matter does come off rather repetitive across multiple songs that could easily blend into each other with little variance in song structure. But, there's enough conviction in the delivery and performance that I feel it's coming from a sincere place, and that is worth commending.

As such, I think Clandestino deserves to be celebrated as the cultural mixture of sounds it is. I'm glad that Manu Chao came out on the other side with a more positive outlook.

The Lonely Planet of albums, music for tourists who insist on calling themselves travellers, the Che t-shirt of artists. A topical tropical dream of counter-globalization, of a world of cultural exchange as resistance, of hybridity and translation and multi-lingual genre hopping code switching as a global musical commons, of joyous self expression and feel good partying. A dream that curdled over and after the 1990s and was revealed to be just a French guy on holiday, primarily a project of bourgeois first world self-making, just as subject to the stultifying forces of capitalist co-option, of commodification, standardization as any other cultural product - something that becomes just another cultural signifier, the default soundtrack of a certain kind of bar, hostel, or cafe in the gringo district of whatever popular backpacker region. Still, some of those evocative trumpet parts, latin harmonies, and Jamaican basslines really are pretty nice and laid back. An album I've heard a thousand times without ever putting on myself but never minded at all.

Manu Chao’s 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 is a colorful, borderless mix of Latin folk, reggae, and worldbeat, stitched together with radio snippets and multilingual lyrics. It captures a restless, global spirit and carries a strong political message about migration and identity. Still, the heavy use of loops and recycled motifs makes the album drag after a while — what starts as hypnotic can become repetitive. Inventive and important, yes, but not quite the masterpiece it’s often made out to be.

Not bad. I don't understand any of the lyrics but Minha galera sounded nice.

Exactly what I'm here for. An artist I've never heard of with a genre I'm not familiar with. And man, does this put the "groove" into............. erm, "groovy".

An artist with an uncompromising vision and beliefs translating that into musical form. 4 stars - bonus mark for a track called "Bongo Bong". Yes, I have the humour of a 6 year old - and?

Way better than I expected it to be. These songs are lots of fun and the use of different languages is cool. Favorites were Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Lagrimas de oro, Welcome to Tijuana, and Malegria.

Actually very interesting and decent vibe.

A nice departure from largely English language albums that was fun and lively

Not bad, it was a nice mix up from what I typically listen to.

Якось приємно мені слухати ману чао, можливо через ностальгію. Не знаю що він там зараз, але оці старі альбоми заходять гарно.

pristojno, al postane zamorno jbg

Pretty fun listen if a bit forgettable. Big surprise that this guy turned out to be from France and not Latin America. I liked everything on here, but this isn't really my type of music. Still, can't deny that it's catchy, well-made and straddles the line between poppy and interesting pretty well.

Although I can't understand anything, the album seems to be somewhat ok, it can be rather samey and they really love using that one laser sound effect.

low 3/5

When I first saw this album, I expected to hate it — but I didn’t.

Clandestino is energetic and fun, with some great guitar moments and a handful of standout tracks like "Bongo Bong." I especially loved how "Bongo Bong" flowed into "Je Ne T'aime Plus" — fantastic!

I struggle with lyrics in another language since I love hearing the story behind a song and following where it takes me. Because of that, I’d rate the album 2/5 — but I can definitely see why people like it.

Favourite song: Bongo Bong
Least favourite: There were a lot of songs I just didn’t connect with.
Album artwork: Cool cover.