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
Olor A Gas
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Esta todo apagado, hay luna en paz
No tengo hambre, voy a revisar
Hay masa en el horno, y no es de pan
Olor a una carne
Mantel y sal
Sol celestial
Sin sabanas
Sin un colchón
Duerme tranquilo como un liron
Seco el corazón
En la cocina hay olor a gas
Esta todo apagado hay luna en paz
Busco mi camisa a tientas, voy a desfilar
Planchada y de fiesta, hay olor a gas
Olor a una carne
Mantel y sal
Es semana santa
Sol celestial
Sin sabanas
Sin un colchón
Duerme tranquilo como un liron
Seco el corazón
The song "Olor A Gas" by Café Tacvba depicts a peaceful night with a faint smell of gas in the kitchen. The lyrics narrate the singer's actions as they check the kitchen and find bread baking in the oven. The song then takes a turn to describe the scene of a delightful meal with a mouth-watering aroma of cooked meat and the presence of a beautiful sunny day during Holy Week. The haunting vocals build up to a description of a person sleeping peacefully without sheets or a mattress, and finally, the singer declares that their heart is dry.
The lyrics of the song are metaphorical and abstract, making it difficult to accurately interpret its true meaning. Some people have suggested that the song is a reference to the emptiness and loneliness that the singer feels. The lyrics "Seco el corazon" (Dry the heart) may refer to the feeling of being emotionally stagnant or unfulfilled. The song also mentions Holy Week, which is an important religious observation in Mexico, and the underlying themes could be associated with religious issues.
Line by Line Meaning
En la cocina hay olor a gas
There is a smell of gas in the kitchen
Esta todo apagado, hay luna en paz
Everything is turned off, and there is a peaceful moon
No tengo hambre, voy a revisar
I'm not hungry, but I'll go check anyways
Hay masa en el horno, y no es de pan
There is dough in the oven, but it's not bread
Olor a una carne
Smell of meat
Mantel y sal
Tablecloth and salt
Es semana santa
It's Holy Week
Sol celestial
Celestial sun
Sin sabanas
Without sheets
Sin un colchón
Without a mattress
Duerme tranquilo como un liron
Sleeps peacefully like a dormouse
Seco el corazón
The heart is dry
Busco mi camisa a tientas, voy a desfilar
Feeling for my shirt, I'll go parade
Planchada y de fiesta, hay olor a gas
Ironed and dressed up, there's a smell of gas
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ivanzito kings
En mi humilde opinión ,me parece que fue un gran homenaje a los tres,buenas versiones, sobre todo que ellos siempre tuvieron o tienen esa influencia de los tres ,y también de los prisioneros, aunque casi nadie lo mencione.Grandes nuestros tacubos!!!
Rosario Sama
Talento 100% de todos ellos, Los Tacubos, los Tres y Los Prisioneros
Oscar B
Un lujo de canción, qué manera de componer tenían Los Tres. Este cover de Café Tacuba muy prolijo y bien realizado
Chileno Pensante
Tanto Café Tacuba como Los Tres son genios de la música. Ambas bandas son muy buenas.
JON MOXLEY
Sí
Pablo Gonzalez Lopez
Que buena rola de los tres, interpretada de una manera magistral por café tacvba
Luis Del Angel
esta versión es la mas chida de interpretada por mi grupo favorito café tacuba
CHARLIEMIX MUSIC
Buen cover muchachos saludos desde 🇨🇱🤘
Alejandro Meza Ruiz
Excelente versión de los Tacvbos, son mi banda preferida,son los #1 *w* Amor y paz ;)
Maria Duarte Garate
Lo mejor de chile. Despues de los prisioneros