Making Movies “Xopa” 2022. Cosmica Artists, on multicolored marbled vinyl. I’m still wading through my never-ending to-do pile of records: we picked up this record from the band back in August at Mile of Music, where we caught two of their sets during the festival weekend. Dynamic, upbeat and very entertaining performers, Making Movies is from Kansas City, Missouri. They play Latin American-inspired rock, sung mostly in Spanish, with plenty of “African-derived percussion and styles like rumba, merengue, mambo and cumbia.” Hip-swiveling, ass-shaking and sexy as hell.

“Xopa” is the band’s fourth release and is (I’m relying here on other reviewers since I sadly do not speak Spanish) based on a fictitious airline — Xopa Airlines– and plane crash. My top tracks are the title track “Xopa” which is joyously upbeat, “Sala de los Pecadores” (Hall of Sinners according to Google translate) and “La Primera Radio” (that I can figure out on my own!). The final track on the record, “Caracol” is the most prog/psychedelic track on the LP, with big epic classic rock guitar solos.

It looks like Xopa is currently on tour, scheduled to play a couple of dates in the Midwest soon, including Chicago, Minneapolis and Wausau (of all places!) before heading to saner places this time of year (Panama, Mexico).