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Calexico returns with their strongest effort since "The Black Light." Joey Burns and John Convertino have recruited the same players from that album and the new record is a pleasure to hear. Bravo, Calexico. "Slowness" crosses the border to deliver a country duet.
On the album opener, "Victor Jara's Hands" mariachi horns accompany the tribute to the fallen Chilean activist. "El Gatillo" sounds like it could be an Ennio Morricone outtake from some forgotten western. Exploring musical genres on both sides of the border has always been one of Calexico's strengths.
Mystery plays a key part to several of these tracks including, "Bend To The Road". Calexico also explores different elements of sound throughout the album. "House of Valparaiso" features Iron & Wine's Sam Beam singing backup in a Tex-Mex ballad.
Considering the album's length, there is much to admire here from hushed pop songs to lush instrumentals.
Nothing prepared me for this. But you also don't get lost in a conversation you can't understand, as happens in Feast of Wire. As a fan of Calexico, I have always followed and enjoyed their work. I have been digesting this album for some time, and it has yet to diminish its stature in my eyes. A mountain of delight. You never lose sight of the band, which happened at times with Garden Ruin.
It may seem to have an identity crisis at times as it roams from style to style, but the current is always in the same direction.
The mood of the southwest is pervasive, but does not overpower a set of songs strong from start to finish.
It's got everything you loved about In The Reins, Feast of Wire, and Garden Ruin, and it blends it all together to reveal unexpected pleasures.
It is by far my favorite album of 2008.
It's simply the most mature, enjoyable thing they've produced.
Previous work had struggled with this issue - mood and style vs substance.
This album has both.
I was hooked the moment I heard Slowness and it was over after that.
That slowness has indeed never gone away.
There are of course no 'hits' on here, but plenty of highlights: the opener "Victor Jara's Hands" sets the table; "Man Made Lake" ends in a searing electric guitar solo; "Inspiracion" is a Spanish-song little ditty with great Mexican horns; "House of Valparaiso" features Iron & Wine's Sam Beam on vocals; and so on. Let me state upfront that I am a late-comer to the Calexico fanfest. "Carried To Dust" (15 tracks; 45 min). It all results in a dreamy state of affairs that I just can't put down. Hopefully they'll be either at Coachella or Bonnaroo, both of which I'll be attending this year. brings a mesmerizing mix of indie-folk-electric-country-Latin sounds, and even these descriptions don't do full justice to the band.
In all this is a great album that deserves all the critical acclaim it has gotten. This is the 8th album in the band's rich history since 1997 but it's the first album I've discovered after hearing/reading so much critical acclaim on this that I just had to seek this out, and you can rest assured it won't be the last album I'll be listening to from these guys. There are really no weak tracks on here, period. The album consists of a slew of short (in the 3-4 min. range) songs (with 2 short instrumentals) that make their point, and then the band moves on. I can only hope to see these guys live at some point, what a show that I suspect it would be.
Meanwhile, "Carried To Dust" is highly recommended.
I had always seen the name Calexico while reading No Depression and various web sites, but I had never heard them. I find myself listening to this record over and over again without growing tired of it. Amazon put this download on sale so I bite and I'm so glad that I did. This is a very easy record to listen to with its pop sensibility and musical depth. These guys have their own thing going on which is refreshing in today's musical climate. I just have to figure out which record to get next.
I happened to have seen them, live, in Omaha, NE, and I was unaware of this album. I checked a few clips, and remember some of the songs They are mesmerizing.Their style is what it is. Eclectic for sure, but their own. Not outstanding, but excellent.
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