I have this little CD shop and 8 years ago was desperate for any used stuff I could find. Here in Atlanta all the major labels have branches so I was scarfing up all the stuff the worker bees couldn't sell to their usual connects. Ended up with about 5 copies of this weird double CD called Reves/Yosoy by some band called Cafe' Tacuba. Hey, I was desperate for merch, got 'em cheap! Was a year, probably, before I listened to it and it remains one of the best records I've ever heard in my life. There's no way to tell y'all the breadth of styles on this record, you really, really have to hear it. Since then they've made several other records, all different, all amazing in their own way. It's not like I'm some kind of pioneer--they're about the hugest band in Mexico but every time I listen to their records I wonder why because this is not the Dave Matthews Band of Mexico, not the U2 of Mexico, not the Kanye West of Mexico. The citizens of Mexico clearly have better taste than that, I guess. This band reinvents itself pretty much with every record but they are absolutely identifiable the second one of their tracks starts. Their new record, Sinois pretty dang good. They are pretty militantly Mexican, don't give interviews in English, their site is in Spanish only so it's tough to get a whole lot of info about them although the New York Times just did a feature on them. Is there another ILXer out there who appreciates the fabulosity of this band?
― ellaguru, Thursday, 18 October 2007 22:45 (5 years ago) Permalink
I know Dimension 5 is a fan.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 18 October 2007 22:49 (5 years ago) Permalink
they have some decent stuff. I only have one album and I like maybe 2/3rds of it - the more metal-ish stuff leaves me cold.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 18 October 2007 22:50 (5 years ago) Permalink
they're hardly unknown in the states tho, I believe they opened for Beck on one tour...?
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 18 October 2007 22:51 (5 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, they did and there's a mention of that in the Times article. They're known in the states because there are a lot of Mexicans in the states. The first time I saw them was during the Reves/Yosoy tour and I figured I'd be pretty much all alone in the old Cotton Club in Atlanta. Shows you what I know--the place was absolutely mobbed with Latinos whose girls were sitting on their shoulders singing every word of every song, a mosh pit raging, Jesus, it was chaos and that record is anything but the kind of record you'd mosh to. They're just stellar performers.
― ellaguru, Thursday, 18 October 2007 22:59 (5 years ago) Permalink
I've got Cuatro Caminos, and I listen to it a few times a year. I really dig it, it's a great album, and definitely one that really grew on me the more I listened to it. I think I first heard about them after seeing a video for "Eres" (which is a remarkably Radiohead-sounding track, but most of their stuff doesn't really sound like this, I even think they used a different singer for it) when I was studying abroad in Chile back in college. I've not heard any of their other stuff, but CC is really good.
― Mark Clemente, Friday, 19 October 2007 13:37 (5 years ago) Permalink
From the "whirled music thread 2007"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/arts/music/14kun.html?pagewanted=1&ref=arts
Nice Josh Kun interview/feature in the Sunday NY Times on Cafe Tacuba and their new cd SiNo. It supposely has a classic rock feel.
“Classic rock is by far the biggest influence on the new songs,” said Joselo Rangel, the lead guitarist. “Yet we know that by running it through the filter of four Mexicans who are all around 40 years old and who’ve spent 18 years playing everything from sones huastecos to technopunk, the result would be something pretty original.”
-- curmudgeon, Sunday, 14 October 2007 14:10 (5 days ago) Link
― curmudgeon, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
Chuck Eddy and I and others have discussed them there and on prior year whirled music threads I think.
I'm looking forward to their return appearance in DC in November.
― curmudgeon, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:05 (5 years ago) Permalink
>don't give interviews in English
They most certainly do. I interviewed the singer and bassist, in English, for the upcoming all-Latin-music issue of Global Rhythm. I love everything from the debut through Vale Callampa, but Cuatro Caminos and the new one really leave me cold. All the fun seems to have been sucked out of their music; they now make limp-wristed psych-pop for fans of the Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc., just in Spanish. But yeah, Reves/Yosoy is one of the greatest records of the '90s, easy. And they're still tremendous live; I saw them at BB King's in NYC in 2002 and again at Central Park Summerstage this year, and they totally tear it up.
― unperson, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:08 (5 years ago) Permalink
This isn't just the best Café Tacuba album, or the best Rock Latino disc of the year; it may be the best rock record of 2007, period.
-- Achy Obejas in the Washington Post Tuesday, October 16, 2007; Page C05
I have not heard it yet but intend to, and decide myself. Phil, I think Chuck E. does not like their recent stuff as much either.
― curmudgeon, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:11 (5 years ago) Permalink
greg kot is a big fan locally
― deej, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:25 (5 years ago) Permalink
I thought their performance with Incubus during the '05 Latin Grammys kicked ass, but I think the only recording I've heard is Cuatro Caminos, which didn't make much of an impression on me.
― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:35 (5 years ago) Permalink
I've said it before but live disc Un Viaje is the holy shit
I like them just fine but I'm not a groupie fiend or anything, dang.
― Dimension 5ive, Friday, 19 October 2007 14:38 (5 years ago) Permalink
last time I saw them (here in Monterrey, Mexico) they had a big audience in this open air concert, and it was quite fun (their 90's hits and even the new ballads). but their records have become quite dull... adult alternative music or cubicle indie. but yeah, go see them live :)
― saganyouth, Saturday, 20 October 2007 23:30 (5 years ago) Permalink
I'm digging "Volver a Comenzar," from the new one.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 6 November 2007 18:04 (5 years ago) Permalink
I've been a fan for a decade, but keep missing them live. They started 15 minuts after TVOTR did at Lollapalooza, but by the time I waded through the sea of mud (that smelled like pee) and people, they were done.
First impression of new album isn't much of an impression. Need to give it a real listen soon. CC was one of the year's best.
― Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 6 November 2007 23:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
There's some other thread I was trying to find that has some discussion of Sino on it.
I'm a big Tacvbos fan, and have been since Re. (I never got Vale Callampa, though.) My favorite record of theirs is still probably their twisted covers EP, Avalancha de Exitos. One of the things I love about them is that they really come across as a different band on every record, although there's lots of things that unify their work across the years. They have achieved that special artistic position where they really have the attention of enough people that they can take risks and use irony without worrying about their brand integrity. I also really love that they are that rarest of aves in the current world: an actual band whose work is the product of what seems like real collaboration.
They are stupendous live -- very pro, very high-energy. I saw them here a couple of years ago in a largish club jammed with Mexican kids. My wife, who doesn't like the records much at all, was completely won over.
I would never compare them to Dave Matthews Band -- perish the thought! (And I'm not even such a DMB hater.) My touchstones would be R.E.M. (for the hippie artiness and philosophical bent), Wilco (for the constant re-invention and folk-punk roots), and The Clash (for the politics and breadth of taste and style, and also for whom they pretty clearly wanted to be when they started).
All that said, I'm having trouble with Sino. Sometimes it seems like a tribute album to late, Who-Are-You? Who (well, there's a lot of Who's Next in there, too, but I don't worship Who's Next much), and Duran Duran. It's enormously, deliberately slick. Lots of pretty harmonies, lots of people other than Reuben singing lead. Very abstract, often preachy lyrics. I'm just not loving it in the way that I've loved every other record of theirs -- absolutely including Cuatro Caminos -- right out of the box.
― Vornado, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 17:29 (5 years ago) Permalink
I was in Mexico city 2 weeks ago and saw the cafe they were named after. Still haven't heard their music though.
― jaxon, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 18:00 (5 years ago) Permalink
yeah the restaurant and the band both rule
― Euler, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 18:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
love their stuff, especially the first album "re" and the song "ingrata" -- that was the first song i heard from them and i LOVED it
"avalancha de exitos" is pretty good too, though not as crazy
i haven't heard so much lately but i've always had a soft spot for them
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 18:07 (5 years ago) Permalink
whoa never realizes "re" wasn't their first record - i will have to track down the eponymous debut
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 18:21 (5 years ago) Permalink
Their two hour DC show last night had some flaws but was mostly alot of fun. The new cd, Sino, is growing on me. They did about six songs from it.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 18 November 2007 14:06 (5 years ago) Permalink
i am a fan of this band
― chaki, Sunday, 18 November 2007 14:15 (5 years ago) Permalink
Some of their 'fun' older ska-punk numbers sound samey to me, but I like "Las Flores," alot--pop chorus has more than just Albarran's nasal snarled vocals. My fave Sino cuts have pop melodies and/or feature new wavey and dance aspects not just 'classic rock' homages or Radiohead meets Flaming Lips touches.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 18 November 2007 18:55 (5 years ago) Permalink
love their stuff, especially the first album "re" and the song "ingrata" -- that was the first song i heard from them and i LOVED it I heard that song on the radio in Chile once and it's indelibly stuck in my head forever.
― jim, Sunday, 18 November 2007 19:01 (5 years ago) Permalink
Sino has been growing on me, too. I'm not in love with it or anything, but it's hard to deny the classic rock and New Wave hooks, or the preachy but engaging lyrics.
― Vornado, Monday, 19 November 2007 23:06 (5 years ago) Permalink
I havent' listened to Sino but I'm curious: exactly what kind of 'classic rock' is it influenced by?
― daavid, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 03:01 (5 years ago) Permalink
Ok, forget about that. I should've just read the NY Times link before asking.
― daavid, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 03:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
New album out in October: El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco (translation: The Object Formerly Called An Album). They're coming around on tour in the next few weeks, too. I haven't seen them live in years, am tempted to revisit.
― 誤訳侮辱, Thursday, 2 August 2012 19:34 (10 months ago) Permalink
i bet the live show is killer!
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 2 August 2012 20:49 (10 months ago) Permalink
I wonder if they're gonna add dates to their US tour? NYC is the only East Coast location; other dates are in California, Texas and Vegas.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 2 August 2012 21:30 (10 months ago) Permalink
I've been surprisingly let down by the group the two times I've seen them, given their reputation.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 2 August 2012 21:52 (10 months ago) Permalink
They were much better in 2002 than 2007, but that was a club gig vs. an outdoor concert. I bet the Irving Plaza show will rule.
― 誤訳侮辱, Friday, 3 August 2012 00:54 (10 months ago) Permalink
Yes, I'm quite fond of Cafe Tacuba. Their 'Re' album is one of my favourite foreign-language releases.
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Friday, 3 August 2012 20:11 (10 months ago) Permalink
Listening to their October 2012 release for the first time now: El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco (translation: The Object Formerly Called An Album
Like some of it so far (just 4 songs in). They're using a drum machine again
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 16:30 (6 months ago) Permalink
I have it (bought it at Target) but haven't listened to it yet - other stuff got in the way. Might try to take it in over the four-day weekend.
― 誤訳侮辱, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 17:01 (6 months ago) Permalink