Writer's note: The next twenty blogs will deal with the best of 2007. The first 10 will highlight the best shows that I had a chance to witness during this year. The second ten will highlight my favorite releases of this year. Nothing will be listed in order, as I enjoyed every minute of the shows and recordings that I can’t possibly pick a number one.
Some of the best rock bands in the last fifteen years have come from Latin America. Throughout those years, Café Tacvba has become one of the most important voices not only in Latin Rock but also in all of rock music today. At their show at the Gibson, Café Tacvba seamlessly flowed back and forth from their early Roc ñ Espanòl material into their recent cerebral songs without dating the older songs or trivializing the new ones. The songs they played from their brilliant new album, Si No, captivated the audience as much as the hits. Their show was part Beach Boys, part b-boy, part Electronica, part classic rock and part indie rock, all at it’s finest.
Café Tacvba mixed the older hits (Ingrata, Eres, Las Flores, Maria) with the best songs from the new album (El Outsider, 53100, and the new wavy Volver A Comenzar) The band as a whole was entertaining and played flawless. Lead vocalist Ruben Albarran is everything you want from a front person. He charismatic, has a unique voice, lots of energy yet never takes the spotlight away from the rest of the group. The rest of the band is solid, mixing live instruments with sequenced beats. Bassist Enrique “Quique” Rangel is one of those bass players that can carry a band melodically, much like John Entwistle did for The Who or Mike Mills does with R.E.M.
Café Tacvba ended their show with one of my favorite covers any band has done, a version of Leo Dan’s Como Te Extraño Mi Amor. This was the song that many years ago sold me on the band and started me on a journey discovering older pop songs by great Spanish language artists that I never heard of growing up in the U.S.
Some of the best rock bands in the last fifteen years have come from Latin America. Throughout those years, Café Tacvba has become one of the most important voices not only in Latin Rock but also in all of rock music today. At their show at the Gibson, Café Tacvba seamlessly flowed back and forth from their early Roc ñ Espanòl material into their recent cerebral songs without dating the older songs or trivializing the new ones. The songs they played from their brilliant new album, Si No, captivated the audience as much as the hits. Their show was part Beach Boys, part b-boy, part Electronica, part classic rock and part indie rock, all at it’s finest.
Café Tacvba mixed the older hits (Ingrata, Eres, Las Flores, Maria) with the best songs from the new album (El Outsider, 53100, and the new wavy Volver A Comenzar) The band as a whole was entertaining and played flawless. Lead vocalist Ruben Albarran is everything you want from a front person. He charismatic, has a unique voice, lots of energy yet never takes the spotlight away from the rest of the group. The rest of the band is solid, mixing live instruments with sequenced beats. Bassist Enrique “Quique” Rangel is one of those bass players that can carry a band melodically, much like John Entwistle did for The Who or Mike Mills does with R.E.M.
Café Tacvba ended their show with one of my favorite covers any band has done, a version of Leo Dan’s Como Te Extraño Mi Amor. This was the song that many years ago sold me on the band and started me on a journey discovering older pop songs by great Spanish language artists that I never heard of growing up in the U.S.
Manu Chao’s catalog sells well enough in the Latin Rock & Pop section of Amoeba Music Hollywood that it’s usually in our Top 20 World Music chart every month. In fact, Clandestino, Manu Chao’s first solo album, has been out since 1998 and is usually in our Top Ten every month. Imagine my surprise to find out that three of the four Manu Chao releases, (Clandestino, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza and Radio Bembo Sound System) are currently out of print. It’s a little odd, I must say. It’s like having a Reggae section without Bob Marley or the Rock Section suddenly without Pink Floyd. 