Café Tacvba: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Oct. 12, 2018, Felix Contreras It s appropriate that the pioneering Mexican band Café Tacvba (Tacuba) start its set with Olita del Altamar ( Waves from the High Seas ) from the group s 2012 album El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco. It s essentially an incantation of the magic that transpired during their performance behind Bob Boilen s desk. The lyrics sing of the comings and goings of waves, symbolic of the passage of time and fueled by the Mexican folk rhythm son jarocho, a favorite of the band s since their start almost 30 years ago. They then fast forward to Diente de León ( Dandelion ), from their 2017 album Jei Beibi. It s a majestic, strippeddown version that puts the emphasis back on the lyric, a plea for existential and environmental harmony using the metaphor of the weedy flower. As usual, lead vocalist Rubén Albarrán is a captivating central presence, evoking a sense of downhome camaraderie with his ever friendly smile that has become the band s most outward image. Having seen the band play
|
|