Babasonicos Glams It Up in L.A. Debut

When Babasonicos lead singer Adrian Rodriguez strutted on stage at Hollywood’s Sixteen-Fifty club in a glittery, fringe-heavy outfit Wednesday, it was hard not to think of Freddy Mercury and Queen.

In its Los Angeles debut, the Argentine band showed that the rambunctious, androgynous spirit of glam rock is at the core of its eccentric sensibility. The show also helped explain the sextet’s rising critical status in rock en espanol.

Glam rock and its liberal use of quirky synth sounds are not the only elements in the group’s eclectic compositions. In “Jessico,” the band’s most recent effort, you’ll also hear touches of lounge exotica and strains of spaghetti western soundtracks.

In concert, Rodriguez is the group’s soul, stretching his skinny arms in regal, Roman-emperor fashion, exploiting his feminine side for shock value and singing with a whiny accent that adds credibility to his surreal stories of capricious gods (“El Loco”) and hot-blooded girls (“Los Calientes”).

At times, the band’s emphasis on loud, straightforward rock drowned its art-school ambitions in a sea of heard-them-all-before riffs. When it focuses on creating cohesive pop mini-symphonies, however, Babasonicos shines brighter than most Latin rock bands out there.