SOUNDTRACK: LOS LOBOS-Tiny Desk Concert #90 (November 10, 2010).
I don’t really know all that much about Los Lobos. I frankly got sick of them because of “La Bamba” (which came out 20 years ago!) and I don’t think I’d ever heard much else by them. So I wound up enjoying this Tiny Desk much more than I anticipated.
The one big problem with this tiny desk is that the drummer is playing one of those plastic mail bins and it sounds awful. Especially on the first song. I think anything would have had a better drum sound than that.
I really enjoyed the first song “Burn It Down.” It has a propulsive minor key structure and an excellent bass line. I would never have guessed it was Los Lobos, but that may be because it’s not the singer I most associate with them (he sings on the next two songs).
“Yo Canto” is a cumbia, sung by a different guy (in Spanish) who also plays lead guitar. The mail bin sounds better on this song because of the placement (and use of) a cowbell. The singer sounds amazing. I rather like the riff that underlines the song.
Those two songs are from their then latest album. And the band sounds really good all these years on.
The final song is “Don’t Worry Baby.” It has the same singer as the middle song (this time in English) although it is a pretty standard blues song that I found just okay. It also features a bunch of saxophone. I didn’t realize that it was from their major label debut in 1984! and is something of a classic.
So three songs, all of them enjoyable, from a band I didn’t really think I’d enjoy. The funniest part is just before the show stops and someone asks, “Okay, where’s the beer?”
[READ: October 1, 2015] How to Skin a Lion
This book sounded awesome–I love outdated things that we can laugh about now (because I’m a superior git, of course).
But this book proved to be not all that funny. The outmoded advice wasn’t treated comically exactly (well, some was), rather it was looked at rather seriously–some as good advice that still stands, some as crazy advice that is way outmoded and a few things that are, yes, just comical.
Cock-Starkey (insert joke here) says that this is a collection of materials from the vast archives of the British Library. It culls from medieval manuscripts, Victorian manuals and self-help guides from the early 20th century. She explains that the book aims to reveal the secrets of lost arts, remind us of how modern conveniences have changed our lives, recall the complexities of etiquette, highlight changing attitudes and beliefs and furnish us with still useful tips and guidance.
Although she also points out that readers should be advised that some pieces of advice contained herein have stood the test of time better than others. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 