La Barranca has been a successful on going outfit for ever since 1994. Base… Read Full Bio ↴La Barranca has been a successful on going outfit for ever since 1994. Based in Mexico City they are led by guitarist and songwriter Jose Manuel Aguilera, who previously and concurrently worked with Sangre Asteka, Jaguares, Cecilia Toussaint, Steven Brown / Nine Rain (Tuxedomoon), and more. He has an unusually economical style of playing that concentrates on great rhythms, superb tone, and very melodic solos. This 2nd edition of the band includes Santa Sabina (band) guitar virtuoso Alex Otaola and the extremely flexible rhythm section of Jose Maria and Alonso Arreola. The band effortlessly moves from flat out rock to fusion-ish jamming and passes through a kind of Mexican folk influence along the way.

Aguilera is a good singer with a talent for finding simple melodies amidst rather complex songs. On "El Fluir" the band decided to record live and to cut back on the keyboard and programmed additions to their music. Surprisingly, the result is not an over-the-top jamfest but rather a very tightly arranged set of songs that hint at the overwhelming power they will possess in concert. As always, the two guitar interplay between Aguilera and Otaola is not to be missed as they exhaust all forms of playing together and against one another (with Otaola pulling all sorts of radical sounds out of his guitar). "El Fluir" is their first US release since "Tempestad" in 1998. This edition is further sweetened by the inclusion of a previously unreleased bonus track and a video for the first single "Pare de Sufrir."

Their latest offering is Piedad Ciudad (2010, Fonarte, Fonca).

Tambor
La Barranca Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tambor latido
percusión vital
un tambor para los sentidos
otro tambor para imaginar

Toca para mí
toca tu ritual
toca para oir tu señal

eres el reloj universal
no dejes de transmitir

Corazon pulso primitivo
ritmo que surge desde el big bang
un tambor hecho de cuero
otro tambor virtual

toca para mí
toca tu ritual
toca para oir tu señal
eres el reloj universal
no dejes de transmitir

Todo el tiempo sigue al pulso del tambor
todo el tiempo sigue al pulso del tambor

todo el tiempo sigue al pulso del tambor
todo el tiempo sigue al pulso del tambor

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to La Barranca's song Tambor talk about the significance of drums in our lives. The first stanza talks about two types of drums - one that is felt by our senses and the other that is imagined in our minds. The drum beat is referred to as the vital percussion that is essential for our existence. The singer calls upon the drums to play their rhythm and transmit their signal, indicating the importance of drum beats in our daily lives. The drums are referred to as the universal clock, indicating that they are omnipresent and transcend time and space.

The second stanza talks about the primitive heartbeat of the drum that has been present since the beginning of time, right from the big bang. The leather drum is juxtaposed with a virtual drum, hinting at the changing times where technology plays a significant role. The singer calls upon the drum to continue transmitting its rhythm, keeping time with the world. The refrain emphasizes the constant presence of the drum and how everything in the world follows its rhythm.

Overall, the lyrics of Tambor evoke a sense of reverence for the drums, their history, and their significance in our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Tambor latido
The drumbeat pulse

percusión vital
essential percussion

un tambor para los sentidos
a drum for the senses

otro tambor para imaginar
another drum for imagination

Toca para mí
Play for me

toca tu ritual
play your ritual

toca para oir tu señal
Play to hear your signal

eres el reloj universal
you are the universal clock

no dejes de transmitir
do not stop transmitting

Corazon pulso primitivo
Primitive heart beat