Why The Love For "Cuatro Caminos"?

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I decided this morning to give another listen to Café Tacuba’s latest, Cuatro Caminos. I only played it twice, maybe three times, when I first got it, because it seemed so utterly awful. But I’ve been reading so much praise of it lately that I thought I’d better listen again. Who knows? Maybe I was wrong.

Well, I wasn’t. Upon re-hearing, months after first encounter, CC is without a doubt the worst Café Tacuba record, and is in fact depressing, because of the betrayal of potential it represents.

There are exactly four good songs on the disc: "EO," "Eres," "Encantamiento" and "Amor Y Dulzura." The rest bog down in all kinds of awful ways (the song that brings in vibes and church bells is the worst offender), but the real stone around the album’s neck is the new drummer. He’s mixed way too loud, and he’s doing this high-school-garage-band John Bonham crash-bang all over songs that beg for a delicate touch. Tacuba have always floated, and now they’re chained to the dirt. And it bums me the fuck out.

So why do so many people like this record? Is it because it's their dumbass rock move?

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Friday, 31 October 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Cero y Uno and Puntos Cardinales are also really really great. There's some filler, though, I'll give you.

Fridmann likes to mix the drums loud, cf. The Soft Bulletin, where it really worked. I don't think it's that bad here, really.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 31 October 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"Is it because it's their dumbass rock move?"

Nope, it's probably cuz everybody's jumping on the bandwagon. That and it's their most accessible (meaning, they sound more Americanized than ever) whilst remaining somewhat experimental outing yet. I happen to agree with you, though, on the four song picks.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 31 October 2003 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I the only one who sees how Puntos Cardinales is the greatest song ever?

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 31 October 2003 20:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I prefer "Re," myself. Much more chaotic goodness.

― Miggie (Miggie), Friday, 31 October 2003 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

The new album is indeed extremely dull. As have been almost ALL Cafe Tacuba albums since their highly entertaining and bouncy self-titled 1992 debut album. (In fact, I think their tossed-off stop-gap covers EP last year might be my second favorite record by them. This is one band whose worth seems to rise and fall PRECISELY in reverse proportion to their artistic ambitions. Or something.)

― chuck, Friday, 31 October 2003 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

The EP got my hopes up like crazy for the album. I disagree with you about the rest of their catalog, though: Reves/Yosoy (the vocal half, anyway) is brilliant.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Friday, 31 October 2003 21:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, maybe. But it also has that NON-vocal half: zzzzzzzzzz

― chuck, Friday, 31 October 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I never play that.

I hope they're at least still fantastic live. I saw them at BB King's right around the time the EP dropped, and they were amazing. They did an acoustic mini-set in the middle that included a mariachi-style cover of Maldita Vecindad's "Pachuco," a song I hadn't heard in over a decade at that point. They're coming back to NYC in December, but I don't know if I'm gonna go.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Friday, 31 October 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

They are, they are. (Great live, that is.) According to a trustworthy friend who has had the chance to see them play more than a couple o' times.

PS- I'm in agreeance w/ Mr.Eddy! My world is complete! A good compilation could make miracles for their work.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 31 October 2003 23:24 (twenty-two years ago)

WHOOPS! I pulled a Fred Durst! I MOST DEFINITELY meant agreement. Wink wink and so on. ;)

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 31 October 2003 23:27 (twenty-two years ago)

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