Dear Friends,
Well, here we are.
I have now been to the Moroccan Lounge. The hands have all been shook and punk in the post-democratic era appears to be alive and headed for the executioner’s chopping block.
What a way to go out.
San Pedro tonight. Sticker drop. Months of talking about something and it is finally here. It will be fun to have my brothers and sisters there.
Tomorrow's blog might not drop at the normal time. I don't plan on rushing to do any writing, if that makes sense and blogging on the phone, well, is blogging on the phone. I'm a keyboard kinda guy.
*****
About eight years ago or so, I got to write a cover story for Tucson Weekly about the band, Lenguas Largas. I had gotten to know Isaac Reyes a little bit from the music scene and being a fan of their stuff, so it was really fun to spend some time getting to know all the Lenguas Largas guys a bit more. They even stayed at our house after a Phoenix gig and were excellent guests.
My wife, Rhondi, became a really big fan and for a while, she listened to the different Lenguas Largas records a lot. I became particularly smitten with the songs, as well. They are one of those bands that fit into the category for me of being a band I would love to be part of. I love watching them play live, for sure, but the records are just so good, and it seems like they would be really fun songs to play.
Their self-titled album from 2011 starts off with three excellent songs right in a row. “Lost Twin” opens and kind of sneaks up on you. All of the sudden the song is going full-bore and, as a listener, you’re like, “what the fuck just happened? How did we jump right in so fast?”
“I’m Goat” is kind of similar. Before you know it, the song is on you and in you and around you. Just as you feel the need for a breath, it drops out and then comes back in a way that few bands could pull off. Lenguas Largas has a wonderful flair for building tension in their music and coming up with these crazy, noisy parts that make my toes curl in the good way.
“I’m Goat” gives way to the epic “Yardsale Heart.” I remember seeing the video for this one and just being melted by it. I happen to think that “Yardsale Heart” is one of the best songs by an Arizona artist ever. Isaac is such a good songwriter and the combination of he and Ricky Shimo is just fucking magic.
You really should listen to “Yardsale Heart” right now.
“Pinturas Negras” is up next and that one has never really grabbed me in a way that most of the other songs have. Perhaps it is the high of “Yardsale Heart” and the song that comes after it, “Cobra Command Me.” I really like the latter one a lot. It’s got a sort of drunken, sideways kind of feel to it, but the bassline keeps coming and coming.
“Endless Sands” is also another huge, sweeping, anthemic kind of song. It’s the kind of song where you go, “That effect on the guitar is killer and I don’t care what it is.” “Endless Sands” has a little bit of Cure feel to it, but it’s also just so Lenguas Largas that it breathes a new life into the record even as side one is coming to an end. The whole band really shines on this one.
Side two starts off with some redemptive beauty. I am not quite sure why “I Feel” comes off as a slice of redemption, but it does. It’s a bit of a march on one hand and an invitation on the other. The hands are out, and the band is waiting.
“How A Man Should Live” is deceptive to a degree. At first it doesn’t seem like it is going to be much, but it blooms. “Lonely Summertime” is similar in how it unfurls itself to reveal a soft underbelly. It’s short and sweet, too.
“No Me Gusta La Pepsi” is one that I would have hated back in the early 90s for the title alone. As a reformed Pepsi addict, I can say that I like it a lot now. It’s got a really nice little nod to punk rock in it. “Entity Me” finishes things off in a very satisfying way.
Lenguas Largas leaves you wanting more, but it is still utterly satisfying. That’s the way the first album should be. I could just have easily written about Come On In, which is their second record. Maybe I still will.
*****
See you there.
I like this, AI.
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