Kinda feel like I'm about to alienate a lot of people who may read this blog with any frequency... I had originally intended to pen a review for the new Real Estate album : Atlas today, but I engaged in a conversation regarding one of my all time favorite bands (no... not Braid) - Caifanes.
Damn... where do I begin to describe/discuss the Caifanes? I can't begin to describe their importance to Mexican pop-culture and their importance to the Rock En Espaniol movement of the late 80's and 90's.
I unknowingly saw them perform in the late 80's with my Uncle Jorge in Mexico City, but consciously discovered them while in High School in the early 90's. As I slowly progressed through my teenage years, annual visits to Mexico City during summer breaks began to expose me to a lot culture and music that many around me could not relate to.
While many of my friends were falling into a "punk revival" thru the likes of Green Day/Rancid/ect... I was spending my time listening to seminal albums by the likes of: Cafe Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Soda Stereo and Caifanes.
I sorta embarked on a one man journey to try and understand exactly who I was. Son of a 1st generation American Father and Chilango (of Mexico City) Mother... who spent a good part of his youth connecting to pop-culture that wasn't intended for me.
The Caifanes played a very big part in my self discovery. Music can serve the purpose of escape... when you get to hear something in another language - you get to further distance yourself from everyone around you.
The notion of listening to music in Spanish, in South Texas wasn't exactly new. Culturally, we all grew up knowing the lyrics to Vicente Ferndanez - el Rey. There just wasn't any truly any pop-culture currency to strictly listening to spanish speaking music. One would presume that you listened to a specific genre of music if you enjoyed Spanish speaking music and it wasn't "rock en espaniol".
Between 1991 and 1993... it was really hard to escape mainstream american music. A select few attempted to be trendy and listen exclusively to Brit Pop (Stone Roses, Ride, etc.) and even a more select few were listening to bands like - Cafe Tacvba, Caifanes and Mana.
Mana may have been the first band that really broke around people my age... but they were too mainstream for my liking. Not to take away from the album Donde Jugaran los Ninos? (Where will the Children Play) - I proudly know ever fucking word on that album. I just didn't connect with it like I did with the Caifanes.
I wish I could come up with a parallel act to associate them to. They weren't the "Beatles" - despite having profound popularity. They weren't the "Rolling Stones" despite being the first ever non-english speaking band to EVER open for them in the 90's.
I think I look back at them fondly because I can safely say that they weren't derivative of any specific band. Their first album, may draw comparisons to the Cure... but that all quickly changed after their second album.
The Caifanes released 4 full length albums over a 9 year period. The album I selected to review today is "El Nervio Del Volcan", "The Nerve of the Volcano". Their last studio released effort and reflective of their splintered state circa 1994. The band split up my Junior year of High School and it shook me to the core... It felt like I had been robbed of an opportunity to fully enjoy something I had just discovered. It completely tore up others who had been more intimately familiar with their work for years.
Stand out Tracks:
Afuera (Outside) - sorta sets the tone and sound of the album. The arrangements are lean and intricate... the guitar solo and careful rattle shake arrangements give it an indigenous feel.
Aqui no es Asi (It's not like that Here) - It's hard to find a lyrical parallel to, Saul Hernandez. I don't know if its possibly easier for him to work in a romantic language or if he can simply do no wrong. The opening lyrics speak to an unspecific someone who (woman) who waltzes in (into his life), not knowing her destiny but conquering dreams... later in the track, said person - continues to waltz around - ignoring sacred rites, trampling sacred temples of spiritual love.
Ayer Me Dijo Un Ave (A Birdy told Me Yesterday) - is a very tender song that I would prefer to not translate in any capacity. It would kill me to miss anything in translation... it's one of the most important songs in their catalog.
Avientame (Throw Me) - My all time favorite song by the Caifanes. In short, its a social commentary about a number of things. It's a very angry song with an intent to awake the listener of why the fuck is going on around us all. It's also suspiciously inspirational... it speaks to the resilience of the generational incumbent. Again... too much is lost in direct translation.
Artists: Caifanes
Album: El Nervio Del Volcan
Producer: Greg ladanyi, Saul Hernandez, Alfonso Andre, Alejandro Marchovich
Label: Sony Music
Recorded: O'Henry Sound Studios