Conceived on an isolated ranch in Mexico and completed in Los Angeles, Atlas unveils several exciting gems. John McCrea, who leads the Sacramento altrock band Cake and toured with Kinky last year, is one of their believers. McCrea sings a Colombian cumbia called "The Headphonist" with Cerezo, one of the album's highlights. Equally remarkable is "Snapshot," rooted in an old Mexican style known as quebradita that's very popular on both sides of the border. The rest goes easily with the flow.