Alla (Latin Rock)

Many years in the making, Es Tiempo is the debut album by Chicago buzz band Alla. Chicago-based indie rock veteran Jorge Ledezma spent years behind mixing boards, resurrecting half-finished songs from his previous project, Defender, and re-configuring them at multiple studios. Four years in, he discovered vocalist Lupe Martinez, whose gossamer voice beautifully compliments his neo-psych-meets-Phil-Spector vision. For all the obsessive production, the album breathes freely, breezily besting most other Latin alternative releases this year and giving bands like Stereolab a run for their money.