Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The play on words in Café Tacuba's new album title may not be obvious to the non-Spanish speaker: "Sino" means "instead of." But it's also sí/no, "yes/no." So . . . instead of what? And what's with the yes and no?

For that, a little Tacuba history is in order, if for no other reason than to understand that this very urban group -- named after an eatery in Mexico City long associated with pachuco history -- first got notice for its inventive infusion of Mexican folklore into pop forms.

From its 1989 inception to 2003, the band had no regular drummer; in fact, it toured, rather proudly, with drum machines. As a final signature, singer Ruben Albarrán commanded the mike almost exclusively with a nasal but powerful voice that was instantly recognizable.

"Sino" basically throws all that out the window. As Joselo Rangel, the band's guitarist, explained to me last summer, Tacuba has been rediscovering its rock roots, the music it used to play way back when these musicians were jamming in each other's rooms. So goodbye wooden flutes and claves and hello jangly guitars, aorta-cracking beats (and a drum solo!), First World synths (you know, you need juice for that) and harmonies that would make the Beach Boys proud.

What's absolutely marvelous, though, is that there's absolutely nothing nostalgic in "Sino"; it's so fresh, so jittery and bright, it's hard to believe these veterans of so many different scenes can still be so excited and charged up. Understanding of Spanish isn't necessary because there's so much here to enjoy.

"Volver a Comenzar" -- which has split the Tacuba fan universe pretty much down the middle -- starts with a disco strut, rocks out, then goes quiet and sad before jumping back into rhythm. "Quiero Ver" is simply beautiful, a summer song with autumn sentiments and a '60s bass. And "El Outsider" is delicious -- the band getting funky. This isn't just the best Café Tacuba album, or the best Rock Latino disc of the year; it may be the best rock record of 2007, period.

-- Achy Obejas

Café Tacuba is scheduled to perform at the 9:30 club on Nov. 17.