El Sirongui

The banda boom of the 1990s and 2000s did a lot to commercialize Mexican banda music, but it also made banda a lot more diverse and eclectic — and in some cases, that spirit of experimentation led to interesting regional Mexican hybrids like the norteño-banda hybrid that Banda Norteña favor on Sirongui. This Chihuahua, Mexico-based sextet does not offer full-fledged banda any more than it offers full-fledged norteño; the very fact that there are only six guys on board lets you know that you aren't getting the huge wall of brass that banda outfits like La Banda el Recodo, Banda Jerez, Pura Caña, and La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho are known for. What Banda Norteña do offer is one of norteño's trademarks (the accordion) combined with one of banda's trademarks (a chugging tuba), and it's an attractive combination that doesn't cater to either banda purists or norteño purists but is still distinctly, recognizably Mexican. Banda Norteña have some of Banda Jerez's rowdy playfulness; there is a lot of Banda Jerez in their sound, but without nearly as much brass and with a constant acknowledgement of norteño (on the norteño side, Grupo Exterminador is another prominent influence). The Chihuahua residents bring their norteño-banda hybrid to a variety of songs, delving into ranchera ("Por Mi Vida," "Tu Tesorito") and corridos ("Chuy y Mauricio," "El 24," "Vida Mafiosa") as well as Mexican-style cumbia ("El Sirongui"). Banda purists as well as norteño purists will likely complain because this 2008 release isn't strictly either of the above, but the fact that Banda Norteña are willing to do their own thing is a positive — not a negative — and they show a fair amount of promise on Sirongui.