Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust

By J Howell

It speaks volumes about a band when, after 30 years and 19 albums, they remain vital. Los Lobos is just that, as Tin Can Trust demonstrates. For listeners who’ve slept on this institution of American music, or only know the cover of “La Bamba” from the 1987 movie of the same title, you’re missing out on one of the most consistently great bands, well, ever.

Don’t think you like Latin music? The cumbia “Yo Canto,” with its Marc Ribot-esque guitars, is brilliant. The norteno-flavored “Mujer Ingrata” bounces with such a joyous spirit that’s impossible to dislike. While the band does good by its Mexican-American roots, Los Lobos have always been masterful at incorporating all manner of American roots music into their work; Tin Can Trust is no exception.

Songs like “On Main Street” and “All My Bridges Burning” are as informed by classic blues and rock as anything else, and Los Lobos, as always, blends all of these influences with a sonically adventurous approach that, summed up, equals something altogether unique to the band.

While there’s nothing earth-shakingly unusual about Tin Can Trust in comparison to the band’s prior releases of the last 20–plus years, the record offers an especially good sampling of the band doing all the things it does best.

There are plenty of the experimental tendencies that date back to the Kiko record (and David Hidalgo and Louis Perez’s brilliant side project, Latin Playboys), but here those textures take a back seat to strong, straightforward songwriting and irresistible grooves, such as “Jupiter Or The Moon,” which features a guitar sound that suggests a swarm of metal bees, just low enough in the mix to add texture and not overwhelm the beauty of the song.

Despite several lyrical nods to tough times, overall the record maintains a preternatural balance of a laid-back feel delivered ferociously. That is to say, the songs all groove easily, but the band’s performances are exceptional and energetic, as always. The amount of musicianship in Los Lobos is phenomenal in and of itself: these guys are, to a man, the kind of players who can blow minds but always know when to keep it in their back pockets, and the layered guitars of Hidalgo, Perez, and Cesar Rosas are especially amazing.

While on the subject of amazement, one thing that might strike listeners who aren’t fans of the Grateful Dead is the album’s cover of “West L.A. Fadeaway.” I’ve never had much use for the Dead, but in the capable hands of Los Lobos, I was singing along by the end of the first listen.

Combined with an as-always remarkable ear for tone, Tin Can Trust may not offer much surprise from “just another band from East L.A.,” but that’s fine: Los Lobos have covered so much ground so well in their work thus far that anything shocking at this point may be ill-advised. What Tin Can Trust does offer is another installment in a brilliantly varied body of work from one of the best bands America has ever offered, and it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience.

Tin Can Trust was released today on Shout! Factory. Be sure to check out the Los Lobos website or MySpace page.

The record release party for Tin Can Trust is at New York’s Bowery Ballroom at 8:00 p.m. tonight. Catch the band on their upcoming tour beginning now through the beginning of November.