Pass the paella and put on your headphones, because we’re going to Spain this week. Axe wielders around the world can credit the development of the guitar to several Spanish ancestors such as the Flamenco guitar developed in the region of Andalusia. Today the myriad of genres construed as rock enjoy immense popularity throughout the country but this wasn’t always the case. Under Francisco Franco’s regime in the 60s, Spanish youth imported much of their music tastes from the US and UK. While Franco is long gone and the country has moved past forcing a fake sense of nationalism, the strong influence of American and British rock music still persists.

Madrid-based Ska-P is one of the most well-known in ska bands in Europe. Buzz band We Are Standard made quite an impression at South by Southwest in 2008 with their indietronic dance punk style. On the “wizard” end of the rock spectrum there’s the very popular Spanish folk metal band called Mägo de Oz who formed over their love of Iron Maiden. While this week’s batch of UN recommendations isn’t limited to just rock, these artists are certainly worth a whirl. Here’s a sampling of Spain on OurStage:

Barcelona-born singer IreneB was raised on a healthy diet of modern R&B from the likes of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Boyz II Men. She began her music career studying at Aula de Música Moderna y Jazz del Liceo. After releasing two successful records in Spain, she put out her first English language album Metamorphosis earlier this year. Prepare to fall in love with this songbird on the very soulful “Are You the One For Me?”

Ester Andujar

On the Spanish indie rock front there’s The Last 3 Lines. With a myriad of post-punk and britpop influences, this band would be hard to pick out of a police line up consisting of We Are Scientists and The Futureheads. Check out the band’s recently-released Crows EP featuring future classic “Fish Tank.”

Ester Andujar got her start in the mid 90s singing in jazz clubs around Valencia. After growing a reputation by performing with some of Spain’s best musicians such as guitarist Ximo Tebar and Ramon Cardo, she was elected President of the Valencian Association of Jazz Musicians in 2000. In 2005 she released the internationally acclaimed Celebrating Cole Porter tribute album. Listen to “Aprovecho La lluvia” to get a sense of Ester’s timeless sound.

Las Palmas is the capital city in the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. It’s also home to Red Marks, a rock band reviving that classic garage sound in the same vein as The Mooney Suzuki and The Hellacopters. The band, led by singer Marcos Alonso Ramos, has been around since 1996; albeit with a few roster changes along the way.