Un Viaje

“El Borrego” on Café Tacuba’s new live album and DVD Un Viaje is so good I almost slipped in my tub. It started blasting on my ghetto baño sound system (discman + old PC speakers= bathtime pachanga) and instinctively esa, quien le entra al Tropical, started reliving Irving Plaza, Exit, SOBs, BB Kings, and every other place blessed by the Tacubos that I’ve wiggled and jumped on the frontera of concussion-land while pinned to a steel rail while sweaty, steeltoed poblanos float overhead, and beefy security guards keep asking me, “You okay? you okay? Who are these guys?” But how do you explain the Tacubos to guys who only have the lameass gringo performers as their references?

So before I could recall that my soapy tina isn’t those same esticky floors, casi casi me rompó la madre.

Pero anyguey, it isn’t your typical compilation or your common live album either. I mean, they’ve only released Vale Callampa and muy commercially friendly Cuatro Caminos since their last compilation and DVD Tiempo Transcurrido.

And at three CDs and a DVD with bonus features, esto es ganga, chamacas y chamaqueros. Not to mention, it was recorded at last October’s Café Tacuba quinceañero show from chilangolandia’s Palacio de los Deportes.

While you do have to listen to annoying crowd singalongs, applause and all the stupid squeals and shit you make when you’re in front of the Tacubos, it’s fine because at the end of this performance your favorite shirt isn’t stretched beyond recognition, your ears won’t ring for the rest of the month, and you won’t have to lament that your boobs might not recover from this squashing.

These aren’t the chafufo pirata recordings where the songs are so distorted by speakers and you get snippets of drunken singing, conversations, and a few: “No mames, PINCHES CULEROS!”

When you play these CDs, you’re almost in between Joselo and Meme in a torta musical con mucho mucho chile. Como los mejores vinos, at 15, the Tacubos are only getting better. I would list more of my favorite songs but why bother, you can look up the track list on Amazon yourself.