La Muñeca y Los Muertos: Estrella, CD Review by Kendra Atleework (July 2010),

Everything’s better bilingual. True to their California roots, San Francisco quintet La Muñeca y Los Muertos incorporate not only lyrics in English and Spanish but a diverse aesthetic and musical style. The resulting album serves as an intricate collage of two of the major cultures that make up our state and country. And at the same time, La Muñeca y Los Muertos are simply good to listen to.

Their 2010 debut release invokes ska-pop favorites like No Doubt or Reel Big Fish, as well as Latin rock and pop artists such as Julieta Venegas. Top it off with a sprinkle of rockabilly and a grinning calavera and you have Estrella, or “Star” in English, a combination of cultures and musical genres that is both original and well balanced.

This debut was not hastily released. Estrella is the product of a band who has been playing together since 2004, and the album has been carefully thought out, rehearsed, and pieced together, characterized by skillful musicianship and tight, professional arrangements. Melodies are aggressive and memorable while remaining catchy and skankable, as ska should be. Such genre-melding is perhaps the most interesting thing about this album. It is the factor that sets La Muñeca y Los Muertos significantly beyond similar contemporary acts. For example, La Muñeca y Los Muertos may vaguely resemble Girl in a Coma, a group focusing on a Latina aesthetic and rockabilly sound, and it is easy to draw countless comparisons with ska and Mexican rock bands alike, from the Specials to Mana.

Page 1 of 3