Camino y vereda

Camino y vereda is one of those songs that doesn’t sound like the rest of Mexican rock. The track begins with a vibe somewhere between folk and psychedelia, but by the one-minute mark it’s clear something’s off: the bass and drums move in a time signature that isn’t the usual 4/4, flowing instead with a freedom that recalls the rhythms heard in the markets of Naucalpan. It’s no small detail: that slight rhythmic mismatch gives the song a taste of open road, as if the music itself were walking at a leisurely but steady pace.

The album Cuatro Caminos, released in July 2003, was Café Tacvba’s first to leave synthesizers behind and record with real instruments. Gustavo Santaolalla, Dave Fridmann, Aníbal Kerpel, and Andrew Weiss took turns producing, yet the result sounds as though a single hand guided every note. The session, which lasted just over four minutes, carries that live-workshop air: the arrangements feel organic, as if each musician had walked in to play without knowing exactly how the piece would end. And yet, everything fits. The use of Rubén Albarrán’s alias Élfego Buendía in the credits adds to the atmosphere: a nod to that Mexico hiding behind names and sounds.