So why is Manu Chao’s Próxima Estación: Esperanza on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Próxima Estación: Esperanza – Manu Chao’s super snappy, catchy, and sublime blend of languages and musical styles – takes me back to a very specific time in my life.
In the early 2000s, my then girlfriend (and now wife) moved into our first apartment together in San Francisco’s East Bay. Shortly after we became engaged, some old friends visited us from Germany.
At the end of their brief stay with us, the quirky, charismatic Roland gave us a CD as a little thank you gift. It was an album by an artist I had never heard of before: Próxima Estación: Esperanza by Manu Chao.
Not only did I then become a lifelong fan of Manu Chao, but I’ll also never forget the note that Roland wrote on the CD sleeve. After thanking us for our hospitality, he said with regard to our upcoming wedding: there’s a lid for every pot, and you two are cooking up something good!
I’ve always dug that.
Here’s what I noted about Manu Chao in the best 1,000 albums ever piece on Clandestino (#692):
Even without fully understanding the lyrics – Manu Chao effortlessly switches up between Spanish, French, and English – what’s also critical to understand about him is that he has a very playful energy and spirit.
“Promiscuity,” which happens to be sung in English, is a good entry point for the uninitiated. This one doubles down on the playful vibe, and if nothing else it’s fun to sing along with the repetition of too much too much throughout.
“Me Gustas Tu,” arguably the best song on the album, has a gorgeous sweeping sense to it, and you have that feeling you get with the best songwriters and song crafters where you’re in strong, confident hands in terms of how the musical experience builds and flows and resolves. And on top of that, check out the outstanding vocals and how they transition easily back and forth between Spanish and French.
Manu Chao is truly world music, in a way that’s deeply appealing to Americans steeped in pop and rock music (among other styles).
The swinging, super light and easy “Trapped By Love” is all kinds of wonderful.
“La Marea” is an uptempo Spanish language number that shows off Chao’s great voice and how adept it is at changing up from moment to moment.
Some stats & info about Manu Chao – Próxima Estación: Esperanza
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? World Music, Rock Music, Pop Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Próxima Estación: Esperanza released? 2001
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #267 out of 1,000
Manu Chao’s Próxima Estación: Esperanza on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Manu Chao’s Próxima Estación: Esperanza that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Me gusta viajar, me gustas tú.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.