Re album cover
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Café Tacuba

1994
WEA

On their second album, released in 1994, Café Tacuba threw 20 songs at the listener, fully half of which were shorter than three minutes and all of which hopped willy-nilly from one style to another without ever seeming gimmicky. “Ingrata” combined ska with traditional Mexican music with old-timey jazz, turning it all into a jumpy, ranty indictment of a faithless lover, complete with crowd singalong portions perfect for the barroom. “El Borrego” was drum machine-fueled thrash-punk; “Tropicó de Cancer” was a gentle drift mixing acoustic guitars and deep, throbbing bass; “El Metro” was very nearly Kid Creole-esque disco; “El Tlatoani del Barrio” laid indigenous chanting over thunderous programmed beats, then added whistling synths and a funk guitar break… Café Tacuba were Mexico’s most explosively creative band in the ’90s, and this album is the first in a string of brilliant records.

Phil Freeman

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