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Mexican Rock 1988-2002May 31 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line This are only 9 bands, from among hundreds of Mexican bands of many genres and styles, so don't think this is the ultimate list.
Originally, I was intending to write an editorial (my first) about the top Latin bands... but after realizing that my list would be either really long or really incomplete, I decided to limit myself to give an overview on just Mexican Rock bands. The panorama in Mexican music is very varied. Some of the most successful bands, like Mana, have kept the same style since their debut in the late-80’s without sounding tired or obsolete. Others, like Zurdok, have been continuously evoluting, maturing their style with each album. And others, like Genitallica… well, the name speaks for itself. I’m going to list the most successful Mexican Rock bands in an almost chronological order (I’ll rely on my memory for this, so excuse any errors). These are the famous, most well-known bands, not my favorite, so don’t surprise if you read me trash one of their albums in a later review. 1. Maná: the most successful Mexican band in history (this not my opinion, it’s a fact). Their sound is somewhat influenced by 80’s bands like The Police (Fher, the lead vocalist, sounds just like Sting) and Journey. They usually add Mexican traditional wind instruments to their songs (the most famous being Oye mi Amor), and since the release of their excellent MTV Unplugged, they have started to incline a bit towards Caribbean rhythms. Best album: All of their albums have been smash hits, but their ¿Donde Jugarán Los Niños? from 1991-1992 is definitely their prime work. Almost all of its songs got radio airplay, and some of them like Oye mi Amor went all the way to be classics (everyone knows that song!). 2. Caifanes/Jaguares: this is another veteran band. Their works as Caifanes had lots of inspiration from The Cure, with some great lyrics that reflected the Mexican idiosyncrasy of the early-90’s. After Saul Marcovich (great guitarist) left the band, and the vocalist Saúl Hernandez grew a cancerous tumor in his throat, the band’s future was very uncertain. Fortunately, they came back in 1997 (without Marcovich) as the Jaguares. Their music took a very abrupt turn, as they softened their lyrics and their music. Their last albums Bajo el Azul de tu Misterio and Cuando la Sangre Galopa sound are more tilted to the folk side. Best album: my personal favorite is Bajo el Nervio del Volcán when they still were Caifanes, but Cuando la Sangre Galopa also has a great production quality. 3. Café Tacvba: the last of the bands listed that has a decade or more of career. At first, their music was treated as “funny” and “absurd”, due to the eccentric ways of their lead singer, who has changed his artistic name about 8 times (some of his names have been Cosme, Mi Rey, Nrü, and Rita Cantalagua). They started gaining some respect with the release of Re, a nice cd featuring both funny and serious songs, including Ingrata, a funny fast-paced corrido that is kind of a hymn now. The album that definitely converted them in one of the most artistic Mexican rock bands was Avalancha de Éxito, which included 8 songs based on the multiple suburban cultures of Mexico City. Best album: Avalancha de Éxito and Revés/YoSoy are experimental albums that may be interesting for someone who is seeking something never heard before in the international mainstream. 4. Plastilina Mosh: many people call this duo innovative, but I’d rather say that they like to make kitsch music. They have a very weird style, with a part of rock, a part of pop, and a part of electronica. Their first album (self-titled) had a rather digestible array of poppy songs with nonsense lyrics. Their second album Juan Manuel (named after their best friend) is more electronic, but the nonsense lyrics are still there. All in all, a pair of loony guys that enjoy doing risqué things (both in their music and in their videos). Best album: definitely Juan Manuel. The other one is just a waste of time (in my opinion). 5. Molotov: making their debut in the pinnacle of “alternative” music, this band had the guts to release a very, very, liberal debut album (called ¿Donde Jugarán las Niñas?, parodying Mana’s best album), in an extremely conservative society. The amount of foul words they use in their lyrics is ridiculous, almost to the point that is seems that they used that language to attract stupid people looking for something “rebellious”, to their music (and it worked for them!). The disc isn’t bad, it features some interesting guitar work, and a remarkable use of rhythmic bass riffs that conduce the songs very well. Interesting fact: Molotov got sued in Spain by a Gay Pride Association that demanded the censorship of the song Puto, which they found offensive (go find out what puto means in English).. Best work: of their two records, the first one (¿Donde Jugarán…?) is definitely better than their horrid sophomore effort Apocalypsh*t, not to say much more successful. 6. El Gran Silencio: now we have a truly innovative band (unlike Plastilina Mosh’s rubbish). They managed to mix the good ol’ Rock with Norteno rhythms… combining vibrating guitar riffs with vibrations of the accordion and the güiro, a traditional percussion instrument. Their debut Libres y Locos was an unexpected hit in 1997. Unfortunately, their weak second record, Chuntaro’s Radio Poder, didn’t live up to the hype, and disappointed many of their fans (myself included). Best album: Libres y Locos, hands down. 7. Jumbo: leading a period of reform of Mexican Rock (that still goes on), this band appeared in 1999, with Restaurant, a critically praised and commercially successful debut with great singles like Siento Que, Fotografía, and Aquí. Their pop-rock sound is very clean, both in the studio and live. The lead vocalist Clemente Castillo and Eddy the keyboardist make great harmonies (and sing very well individually too). Last year they released Duerme, Despierta y Ponle Play, an even softer album that featured two songs in English… are this guys planning a crossover? Best work: I love both albums, but Restaurant is much more enjoyable and fun to listen. D, D y ponle Play is more laid-back, more relaxing. 8. Zurdok: a band with proggresive influences. Zurdok started out in 1999 with an irregular debut album Antena, that really was a collection of their most digestible songs (including some jokes!) put together and rushed into market. They have improved a lot since then, first with Homber Sinetizador and then with Maquillaje (which I already reviewed). The presence of the Hammonds Organ gives most of the songs a spooky, tense feeling, although some of them like Cuantos Pasos are funny, happy melodies with optimistic lyrics. Best work: the two later albums are great, but I think Maquillaje is much more balanced and carefully arranged. 9. Genitallica: this one is a big, crying shame. Yes, they say their music is only for fun and should not be taken seriously, blah blah. But if they want just to be funny, why don’t they dress up like clowns and go and have their own show? I really hate bands that try to be funny and end up releasing some HORRIBLE, shallow cd’s, that aren’t really funny after the third listen (*cough* Bloodhound Gang *cough* *cough*). Some of their songs are hummable, like ¿Que Fue lo Que Pasó?, but they get old quickly, since their sound is anything but original (think Limp Bizkit merged with No Doubt). Best work; They only have made one album, called Picas o Platicas? that has been terribly overplayed since its release in 2000. Let’s wait for their second work, to see if they make some sort of improvement. Just Adding… Well, that’s it. I listed some of the most successful Mexican Rock bands in the last 10 years. I know I’m missing many of them, like Victimas del Dr. Cerebro, Panda, and Elefante, but they have never (and possibly will never) sell as much copies of their records as the 9 previously mentioned bands. Hope this advice helps you in some way. If you have any question just leave a comment or e-mail me at the address posted in my profile.  |
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