Their musical style covers a wide variety of genres, though it is most commonly labeled as Rock en Español. Their music has been heavily influenced by Mexico's indigenous population and folk music traditions, most notable the Jarocho style of the state of Veracruz, but also by punk and electronic music and other bands in the Mexico City scene. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of their music is Albarrán's nasal voice, which, combined with his impressive lung capacity (as demonstrated on "La Ingrata", an homage to norteño music), makes for a very distinctive sound. They sing entirely in Spanish but have a significant Anglophone following regardless.
They have an especially eclectic sound, and it's commonly said that none of their discs is of exactly the same genre. For example, "Maria" is a bolero style ballad, "La Ingrata" is a mix of rock and "norteño" , while "Eres", a hit included in "Cuatro Caminos" album, is mostly pop-rock.
They were founded in 1989, and since then have had the same musical lineup:
* Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega aka "Pinche Juan" ("Fuckin Juan"), "Cosme", "Anónimo" (Anonymous), "Nrü" (pronounced "dshyoo", [dʃju] in IPA), "Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak'ech" (or "At Medardo ILK"), "G3", "Gallo Gasss", "Élfego Buendía", "Sizu Yantra" (which is his solo moniker as well), "Rita Cantalagua", "Ixi Xoo" and many others. (vocals, guitar)
* Emmanuel "Meme" del Real Díaz: (keyboards, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, vocals, melodion)
* José Alfredo "Joselo" Rangel Arroyo: (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals)
* Enrique 'Quique' Rangel Arroyo: (bass guitar, electric upright bass, vocals)
Mexican folk music player Alejandro Flores is considered the 5th tacubo, as he has played the violin in almost every Café Tacuba concert since 1994. Since the Cuatro Caminos World Tour, Luis "El Children" Ledezma has played the drums in every concert but is not considered an official member of the band.
**Previously known as "Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí" (a tribute to Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Café de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Café de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Café Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.
1989
Mexico City, Mexico
13
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Excepcional es se ve el revés.
Este ritmo se baila al revés,
Este ritmo está al revés.
The lyrics to Café Tacvba's "13" are a bit cryptic, but seem to be playing with the idea of things being exceptional when viewed in reverse. The opening lines, "Excepcional se ve revés, excepcional es se ve el revés" roughly translate to "Exceptional looks reversed, exceptional is how it looks reversed." This may be referring to the idea that sometimes things appear better or more intriguing when viewed from a different perspective, or that our perception of things can be altered by changing our viewpoint.
The next two lines, "Este ritmo se baila al revés, este ritmo está al revés" translate to "This rhythm is danced in reverse, this rhythm is backwards." In this context, it seems like the lyrics are describing a dance or a song that is played and danced in reverse. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for life - sometimes we have to go backwards in order to move forwards, or we need to step back and look at things from a different angle in order to gain new insights.
Overall, the lyrics to "13" seem to be exploring the concept of perception and how our understanding of things can be manipulated by changing our perspective. The idea of things being "exceptional" in reverse could be seen as a call to think outside the box and challenge our assumptions about the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Excepcional se ve revés,
Seeing things differently can be exceptional,
Excepcional es se ve el revés.
Being exceptional is all about seeing things differently.
Este ritmo se baila al revés,
This rhythm is danced backwards,
Este ritmo está al revés.
This rhythm is backwards.
Contributed by Colin B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anton Kovner
Porque no lo vuelven a sacar al mercado el álbum de Revés? Es épico y no ha tenido el respeto que merece
VINCULACIÓN EDUCATIVA IMAC
PUES SI YA LO TENEMOS EN YOUTUBE, Y LO PODEMOS TENER EN MP3, Y LO PODEMOS ESCUCHAR CUANDO QUERAMOS, PARA QUÉ CHINGADO LO QUEREMOS EN EL MERCADO'''? ADEMÁS YA NI HAY MERCADO.
Qriba
@VINCULACIÓN EDUCATIVA IMAC Porque ni en YT se encuentra en la calidad que se merece. Por supuesto que siempre hay mercado para discos como este.
Pedro C. Martínez
Infravaloradísima esta obra de arte
Peter Maximoff
OBRA DE ARTE PERFECTA, CHINGONA ESTA ROLA...
21ArcticM79RomancePanic! Fall out
Que genial ❤
Gastón LeGume
La mejor rola de todos los tiempos
caeg8925
debería tener más comentarios esta gran rola
Miguel Gonzale
Buenisima para un viaje en ácido
ᖴᖇᗩᑎᑕO
5:10
Se escucha un pedacito de "A day in the life" de The Beatles.