El Equilibrio de Los Jaguares

After a bitter power struggle between Caifanes' founding members Saul Hernandez (vocals, guitar) and Alejandro Marcovich (guitar) culminated in the demise of the much-beloved Mexico City art rock unit, Hernandez and drummer Alfonso Andre re-formed in 1995 under a new name, Jaguares (the new moniker was needed due to ownership of the Caifanes name being a key component of the Hernandez-Marcovich conflict). Andre brought with him guitarist Jose Manuel Aguilera and bassist Federico Fong, one-time Caifanes sidemen and his bandmates in underground avant-garde favorites La Barranca. Although the songs are very much cut from the same cloth as songs from Caifanes, Jaguares' debut is nonetheless a tentative affair. Hernandez had been plagued with recurring throat problems at the time and it definitely shows, not to mention being an obvious liability to the songs themselves. However, this did not prevent "Detras de los Cerros" from becoming an international smash or "Dime Jaguar" a minor hit. While credit must be given to Aguilera and Fong for their nuanced performances throughout, this was a band whose best work would lie ahead. ~ Henry Mena