The Light we Carry

Inspired by Yes as their name suggests but sonically modern, and featuring Brand X associate Mark Murdock on drums, this band may harbor grand ideas yet, as epic as those are, there’s always a song to hide a quirky passage behind a sweet facade. With “Learning To Fly” and “Sail Against The Wind” conveying the ensemble’s intrepid spirit with the eye-of-the-storm kind of cool, their intricate interplay doesn’t get in the way of melody, and when intense electric charge boils down to acoustic strains which carry Mutsumi Tanamura’s voice upstream, towards celestial choruses, one can only embrace MM’s method…

This 1987 album followed in the footsteps of Los Lobos' two stunning predecessors (And A Time To Dance and How Will the Wolf Survive). One of the band's many strengths is the contrast between the formidable songwriting of David Hidalgo/Louie Perez and Cesar Rosas, with the former exploring stories of sadness and hope while the latter rocks like a barn on fire. This is an album of incredibly natural songs; they roll out like long lost classics, but that's simply another testament to the prowess of this band as players and writers. In a way, this was the band's last offering before they were forced to take stock of themselves and their goals in the wake of the surprise million-selling La Bamba soundtrack. That they were able to carry themselves forward from that point with grace and aplomb is foreshadowed in the utter honesty of this and all of their music.