by Alex Henderson

Café Tacuba is a product of a movement of the '80s and '90s known as "rock en español" -- rock with lyrics in Spanish. From Mexico to Spain to Argentina, "rock en español" became absolutely huge among Hispanic youths and presented an aggressive, hard-edged alternative to softer Latin pop. It was Mexico that gave the world Café Tacuba, which goes for a punkish snarl on this excellent CD. But while the snarl and aggression are hard to miss, Tacuba is undeniably musical and far from predictable. Punk rock is a strong influence, but so is everything from Jamaican ska to Mexican tejano and banda music. Melody is important to this band, which might have reached English-speaking rockers with this self-titled release were it not for the language barrier and the fact that Latin rock is usually promoted only in Latino circles.