A couple months ago on her birthday, Kirstin dragged me (hardly kicking and screaming) to a show for a local band called 3 Leg Torso. I can't exactly tell you what type of music they play; it's heavily tango influenced, but they pull in enough of other styles that it can't simply be called tango. I can tell you that they're absolutely dynamite to watch live. The songs are fun and energetic, immediately pulling you in. Even without lyrics, they manage to have enough whimsy and surprises to be funny along with simply being enjoyable songs. The guys were entertaining to watch too, with all usual clever banter between songs.

I was tempted to buy one of their CD's at the show, but I was budgeting til my first real paycheck from my recent expired contract (due to the three week delay with my agency, it was over a month before I got a paycheck of any worth). Once I had some money, I shelled out the cash for this CD. The name of the album definitely shows they're comfortable with the tango label, and there's plenty of that here. There's also some stuff that would be hilarious to watch someone tango to, if only for the pace. I don't enough music history to point out the influences, but some stuff makes me think of gypsy music and the like. It's just really fun to listen to. It made a great soundtrack to driving around garage sailing last weekend. There are a few songs in the middle that drag a little, but they don't really detract from the album. The only real problem is that it doesn't quite capture the energy of their live performance. It's hard to pinpoint, but something intangible is missing. Oh well, guess I just have to go see them again. Darn.