Vic and the Crux

NPR Music just completed the second annual Tiny Desk Contest, in which unsigned bands from across the U.S. submit videos in hopes of being selected to perform behind Bob Boilen's famous desk.

This year, more than 6,000 videos came in, reflecting a breadth and depth of creativity that is truly staggering. You can browse all of the eligible entries here, or filter to see the bands that self-identified as Latin music.

From those thousands of entries, we selected 10 artists that we really liked, or that we felt represent some of the incredible stylistic diversity within the Latino music community here in the U.S.

Again, these 10 are not necessarily "better" than those we didn't select. They are a curated representation of the different ways inspiration can strike folks and make them pick up instruments or open their mouths to sing. We hope you like what you see and hear. - NPR's Alt.Latino

Victor-Andres Cruz feels that he has lived two different lives.

Rather than make an album that reflects one of the two, Cruz attempted to capture both. In his EP Alusión, Cruz makes music that represents his unsettling move at the age of 12 from Colombia to the United States. The album’s seven tracks, three of which are in Spanish and four of which are in English, mix the musical experiences of his Colombian childhood with those of his New England adult life. The album features an unusual mix of folkloric influences and modern indie-folk through which Cruz, who calls his solo project Vic and the Crux, expresses the dichotomy between the two halves of his life.

The album opens with “La Vereda”, a song that creates the environment in which the singer spins his tales. The track opens with a single acoustic guitar, which is soon joined by layer upon layer, a thick quilt, of ethereal electric and acoustic guitars played in a variety of rhythms. The listener hears chords sporadically strum on some guitars, and a single note repeated over and over on others, together distorting the sense of time.

And the guitars are amplified with a variety of textures. Some sound so crisp and clean it’s as if they’re being strummed while held against your ear. Others echo and disperse, a sonorous bubble bath. This plethora of sounds with no perceivable rhythm creates a soundscape like those heard on Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. The crisper guitars produce silvan images of pine needles and spruce trees, while the more ambient sounds create the sensation of floating above it all on a cloud.

But the entrance of the rhythm section and vocals in “La Vereda” creates a new setting entirely, one more reminiscent of Cruz’ Latin roots. Cruz’ voice enters first, and it is surprisingly clear and unadulterated relative to the effect-laden guitars. The first sign of his Latin roots is superficial – the Spanish lyrics. But the deeper influences are soon made evident by the drums and bass.

A sharp percussive beat emphasizes the second beat and the off-beat of the second beat, while the bass emphasizes beats three and one. This rhythm suggests a dance-like quality that adds an intensity to a song that otherwise feels like a ballad. The percussion and bass express similar dichotomies throughout the album, such as in “Till The Time Ends,” creating the impression that multiple opinions are being expressed at the same time. The combination of dance and ballad is also repeated throughout the album, such as in the song “Dreaming.”

The melodies in the album are distinctly folk, specifically in that they don’t follow expected patterns. The contours of the melodies are unpredictable and the vocal rhythms often ignore those of the rhythm section, giving the listener the sense that the singer and the band are two distinct entities.

But the melodies are atypical for stories in that they lack the conventional climaxes, the ups and downs. They are often slow and drawn out, longing and yearning, but unsure of their direction, contrasting with the more confident rhythm section. The melodies don’t carry you in the same way the instrumental sections do, and their lack of resolve can be unsatisfying at times. The lyrics reinforce this sentiment of uncertainty. “Dreaming” begins with the singer following a trail: “I walk through the meadow/I follow the dusty path/I hear your call,” but ends lost: “I dance with your shadow/I’m dreaming alone.”

Each song on the album embraces all sorts of contradictions. But the album as whole doesn’t contradict itself, as one voice takes the listener on an honest musical journey that sounds worth following. - Sound Of Boston

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Hear More from Vic and the Crux at http://www.vicandthecrux.com/ - Wix Music

Based from right here in Boston but originally emanating from Colombia, Vic and the Crux released his brand new EP late last month called "Alusión". The collection is a deeply poignant and somewhat romantic snapshot of a burgeoning talent who evokes his Spanish upbringing that is deeply personified within his music. Sung entirely in Spanish, you really feel the deep emotional connection that Vic strives to establish between his listening audience, and invites you into his world of sonic delights that have an acoustic flavor embedded within it, and also seeks to bring about a cultural appreciation for the type of music that emanates from his homeland. I was very deeply touched and moved about his album as it personifies who he is as an individual, and what matters most in his life as well. Definitely check out his music when you can as he really bridges the cultural foundation between America and his native Colombia. - MusicBoxPete

Vic and the Crux – La Vereda
Directed by: Victor A Cruz & Sergio Lombo - AltSounds

Beautiful debut release from Vic and the Crux​. Vic has joined DB on percussion and toured Europe with Marc a few years back. He is the real deal, and we're honored to consider him part of the Music ADD family. Take a listen and escape Babylon for a moment. - Music ADD

De los sabores agridulces de los recuerdos y las dualidades culturales que resultan por las migraciones, Vic and the Crux unifica sus raíces con las vivencias del mundo que lo forjó. El resultado es una síntesis de todo lo vivido. Un cuestionamiento e interpretación personal de la cultura, las raíces y los conceptos de identidad; desafiándolos constantemente. ‘La Vereda’ del EP debut “Alusión” hace tributo a los recuerdos fundamentales que fortalecen la historia personal, donde siempre se concluye que para conocer el destino, es necesario conocer el origen.

Para conocer más acerca de este artista colombo-estadounidense visita: www.vicandthecrux.com - El Parlante Amarillo