Listening Post

Halloween's great and all, but the two days that follow actually mark one of my favorite times of the year. Christians call it "All Saints Day" or "All Souls Day," but in Mexico -- and of course here in Los Angeles -- it's known as "El Dia de los Muertos," or "The Day of the Dead." You don't have to be religious to appreciate religious symbolism or iconography -- and you don't have to subscribe to the beliefs behind it to be drawn to the eerie beauty of the Day of the Dead celebration.

You know how I feel about holiday tradition around here, so every year, on this day, one of the most criminally overlooked bits of musical brilliance from the 90s rises from the dead and dances seductively into the light. The song and video are gorgeous and playfully surreal and the band -- well, there's not enough you can say about them.

Here's the great Los Lobos doing Kiko and the Lavender Moon.