I love getting unsolicited demos and emails. There, I said it. Sure, the odds are not always in favor of the band being good (the world is filled with mediocrity and worse), but sometimes, you get lucky. And boy, did Argentina's Sol Marianela ever get it right the first time! Within the first ten seconds of the lead track on this album, "Los Novios", I was hooked, and things only got better from there! Imagine the twee-pop joy of All Girl Summer Fun Band or Heavenly, but with a little touch of That Dog or Juliana Hatfield-inspired grittiness on top, only sung in Spanish. Originally released last year in a short-run of cd-rs and cassettes in her home country, this is Sol's debut album under her own name, but she has recently recruited a band and is already planning her follow-up album (using the new moniker of Amor en la isla). Until then, though, please enjoy this little gem from the southern hemisphere...