I drive aimlessly and stoned through the night-time Hollywood in a stolen Cadillac. Willy Deville blares from the speakers. I sink into a smoky dive bar, where I dance with a mysterious beauty (Lupita? Meche? Damn.). I become one with the universe. The music of the Mariachis blends with the zigzag course of the Cucaracha on the wall. Was there mescaline in the tequila? Everything makes sense.
I awaken completely naked in the desert next to a cattle skull.
Such images and more are conjured in my mind by the new album from TITO & TARANTULA. Like most, I have known the band since their legendary appearance in the film “From Dusk Til Dawn.” I even got to dance live at a concert to the particularly beautiful song “After Dark” from the same film with a mysterious stranger who would drive me crazy for years to come. Worth it. Where were we? Oh yes, music.
What we have here is a pretty unique variation of psychedelic blues-rock with a Tex-Mex twist, perfected by Tito Larriva and his band TARANTULA since the 90s. You can tell he has a punk background because, like with his former band THE PLUGZ, he really lets loose when it’s time to rock. And yet, an extremely haunting sound prevails, allowing the spirit to wander, whether into strange dreams in the ballads or wild fiestas in the live songs. The songs are cinematic and narrative. Sometimes I feel like Tito is sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear.
I know few bands that manage to sound both so restrained and intense at the same time. There are no bad tracks here. Perhaps only a few songs are too long, as almost all of them exceed the 4-minute mark, triggering the neurotic punk in me. Since some songs also bear a certain resemblance to the band’s classics, maybe one or two could have been left out, and it would have become the perfect distillation with little worms.
This is complaining at a high level. !Brincamos! offers an entertaining ride on the burrito, with plenty of dynamics, goosebumps, and variety. It also serves as a great entry point if you only knew that one hit from this band.
