Los Bunkers

Physically, Concepción, Chile is a long way from Manchester, but don’t tell that to Los Bunkers. With the shaggy mops and parkas of the Verve, the brash-sounding stadium rock of Oasis, and lead singer Álvaro López’s penchant for throwing in a "la, la, la,” Vida de Perros (A Dog’s Life) is Exhibit A in Britpop’s truly global reach. Although the British Invasion has been a great influence for many Latin alternative rock bands — read Argentina’s Gustavo Cerati, Babasonicos, and Juana la Loca — with the exception of these and a few other artists, most of the time the guitars seem too loud and generic and the lyrics immature. With four albums under their belts (good luck finding the first three unless you’re planning a trip to Chile), Los Bunkers have perfected the formula and found a balance between confident, crafty guitar riffs, which know how to carry a song out while fists pump in the air, and clever lyrics that visit the familiar territory of drunk, lust-filled evenings, or lack thereof. Having already been received with open-arms in Latin America and the strength of the ringing guitars on single "Llueve Sobre La Ciudad,” Los Bunkers appear poised to play more for more than cigarettes and alcohol.