Calexico - "The Thread That Keeps Us”

Calexico is an Indie Folk and Rock band from way out West that I've actually really admired for years.  Their music has just covered so much ground from Latin Rock to Folk, to Americana, all wrapped up wonderfully with Tex-Mex flair.  Now, obviously, their early days showed them being a little shaky, as the duo of Joey Burns and John Convertino were still getting down what they really wanted to do with their sound.  Their 1997 debut "Spoke" is solid at best, with tracks like "Wash", "Scout", and "Sanchez" being serious flashes of brilliance.  But like I said, Calexico still seemed to be planning out their sound.   A good portion of this album sort of ended up being bland Indie Folk, with a lot of these short interludes being unnecessary.  Now, from the opening notes of 1998's "The Black Light", it was obvious that Calexico in a very short period of time got a real grip on the sound they were going for.   This album still was a hefty 55 minutes, but it was filled with so much more personality.  All of the influences that came with the band's debut were still present, but with much more flair and clearer thoughts.  The short interludes this time around had enough personality to carry the band's thoughts.  And for the most part, Calexico dropped some of the more Singer/Songwriter tracks that made their first album less interesting.  For a bearded gent like myself who digs the winter, this album had me wanting to sit outside and have a BBQ.   Calexico made their sound bigger and stronger than ever on their 2000 album "Hot Rail".  This album just seemed so deep with culture, as Calexico were writing songs that were a whole lot more than just tribute songs to the Tex-Mex sound.  No, these were rich tunes filled with emotion.  While a lot of Calexico's easier tunes remained to have vocals and lyrics, to me it was their more instrumental moments where they really painted portraits of towns and people that really just took me away.  This was an incredible album, from the drawn-out and Jazzy "Fade" to some of the later more straightforward "Tres Avisos".  Now, with Calexico's next album, 2003's "Feast of Wire", they decided to go down a route fueled by more lyric-based songs.  Which isn't necessarily bad, a lot of these tunes still retained their lasting power.  But for me, it had to too many hiccups overall.  Tracks like "Not Even Stevie Nicks..." were awkward, and it just seemed like a lot of the more instrumental tunes were the band's real strength.   Overall, "Feast of Wire" was still a very solid album, but easily my least favorite Calexico project in a while.  I really wasn't that fond of Calexico's 2006 album "Garden Ruin" either.  This album showed Calexico drifting away from the Tex-Mex sound, with almost no outside influences, and making some pretty bland Folk and Folk Rock.  Thankfully, Calexico bounced back strong with 2008's "Carried To Dust".  Calexico here were incorporating more Southern Rock and Country than ever, as well as all the usual genres they toyed with.  It was just such a nice return to form for Calexico, even though tracks like "Slowness" and "Inspiracion" seemed to show them reaching a little too far for a sound that at one point came so easily to them.  But Calexico was really starting to just sort of seem like they were biting off more than they could chew.  Once again in 2012 on their "Algiers" album, I found myself really underwhelmed with most of the material.  Some tunes like "Splitter" and "Fortune Teller" came off decent at best, but a lot of the other tunes here lacked the real heart and emotion of the band's earlier material.  Calexico took a big gamble with their 2015 release "Edge Of The Sun" however.  They invited TONS of guest singers to sing on each track, such as Neko Case, Ben Bridwell, and Sam Beam.  Now since the vocals in the past have been issues of mine occasionally, I didn't know if I was going to be into this album.  Shockingly, it was a damn near masterpiece, with easily some of Calexico's most ambitious and emotional tunes in years. So it's been a few years since we've heard from Calexico, and so far these singles have been decent for the most part.  Shall we chat about the rest of this album?

This album starts off with “End of the World With You”.  Its a nice, smooth, Folky intro with some real Heartland feel that goes over very nice.  While these vocals aren’t nearly as triumphant as some of the ones we’ve gotten in the past, they’re still passable.  And while there really isn’t as much Tex-Mex flair to this as I would have liked to have heard, it’s certainly an above average Folk tune.  Plus, all of the playing here is just so emotional.  But I do have to say, while I’m totally digging this and I’m very much enjoying it, this track sounds like it could have been out of the books of any Folk band.  “Voices in the Field” on the other hand is the speed I was hoping we would hear from Calexico.  I love just how breezy this one is, and all of the Latin elements to this one, while they aren’t nearly as upfront as they once were, and seriously charming at that.  The vocals on “Voices in the Field” are so much more distinct and don’t sound nearly as faceless.  Not to mention, there’s some pretty fantastic buildup throughout, with just how intense these verses are leading up to this absolute explosion of a chorus.  It’s the sort of passionate tune I desperately needed to hear.  Up next, “Bridge to Nowhere” has a seriously fiery opening which I’m totally interested in, it’s something we really don’t hear too often from Calexico.  But that sadly really leads to this tracks downfall.  While this one is upbeat and passionate, nothing about this tells me that Calexico is behind it.  None of their usual elements are here, and the vocals on this one are incredibly flimsy and not nearly as passionate.  This could have been a really interesting change of pace for Calexico, but sadly this just comes off as an incredibly safe Folk Tune.  Now, I do sort of like just how dense and ominous “Spinball” is.  But Calexico has made a career out of very interesting, intricate interludes that tie their albums together seamlessly.  But this, while ominous and cool at the start, just really isn’t them.  “Under the Wheels” however, is a blast from the past that I really needed.  I love the much more Electronic Funk of this tune, and these vocals from Joey Burns honest to God end up coming off like some of Beck’s late 90’s rap tunes, in the best way.  It’s got some serious grooves to this track, and I love just how punchy this instrumental is.  I feel like while “Under The Wheels” while this obviously is a sound that to Calexico have worked with for years, is still fresh and interesting.  It’s emotional and passionate, so if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. 

    The boy continues to stick with what they know with “The Town & Miss Lorraine”, at least with as far as bringing together these genres go.  It’s a smooth, delicate sound that’s seriously pretty.  But I have to say, this track is incredibly disappointing.  It has such a nice atmosphere and a great bast to it.  But, I was expecting them to stick with some of their classic sounds, and they keep resorting to Folk Rock tunes that could have been recorded by anyone.  And the worst part is, it’s seriously beautiful, with some Joey’s vocals being his best in years.  But at the end of the day, there’s no wild instrumentation or blending of truly interesting genres, making it so safe.  However, Calexico does have some tricks up their sleeves as they show on “Flores Y Tamales”.  While the funk here is certainly not nearly as crisp as it once was from this duo, I’m eating it all up.  Listening to this, I actually get that feeling that I used to get from Calexico, that they were giving a voice to these genres that just didn’t get the airtime they deserve.  It’s a hypnotic and fun tune, but most of all, it’s absolutely passionate and true to these genres.   “Another Space” is a really interesting rick, which I sort of wish we got more of here.  I love the jittery keyboards and the very groovy delivery of Joey.  Like, there is some serious funk in his vocals here.  Calexico is obviously working a lot with some seriously hypnotic elements here, which is interesting.  And while I do wish they took this further and this maybe branched out a little bit more, I don’t mind it.  I do get the feeling that this could have still been more adventurous, but “Another Space” is something different, and I commend that. On the other hand, “Unconditional Waltz” is once again much more stripped down and quite frankly and full-on Folk Ballad. But the absolute sheer beauty of this one is something I didn’t expect.  The horns are so delicate and every instrumental seems so passionate.  It’s times like this that remind me of how great of a band we once had with Calexico.  Not to mention, they reclaim their throne as one of the best bands in the world for a nice short interlude.  But then we get “Girl In The Forest” which is easily the exact opposite in every way.  Once again, this is a much more Folky tune, which I’m fine with as long as they can handle it.  But this track is one of the most boring folk songs I’ve heard in ages.  There’s no passion for Joey’s performance at all, and while I do enjoy the storytelling aspect to this, it’s a chore to listen to ton.  The instrumentals are lifeless, and everything about “Girl In The Forest” drags on seemingly forever, even being only 3 minutes. 

    The final leg of this album starts off with “Eyes Wide Awake”, and despite the fact that this intro sounds exactly like “Where Is My Mind”, I absolutely am 100% into this much slower, more patient sound from Calexico.  The vocals during the verses are just so passionate and heartfelt, and they’re all just one big buildup to this explosive chorus.  Interestingly enough, I feel like this one isn’t in their style at all, with no Jazz or Tex-Mex in sight.  However, it works for them, to the point where I’m never really sure where “Eyes Wide Awake” is going.  Not to mention, when the horns DO pop in towards the end, I’m thrilled to hear them.  Then we have “Dead In The Water” which I have no idea where the hell this is coming from.  There were a lot of sounds I knew I was going to hear on this album, from Latin Jazz to Folk Rock.  But this heavy and grimy electric blues is something I wasn’t expecting at all.  Not to mention, Joey’s vocals here really come off gritty, and practically dangerous.  It’s one of the darkest tunes I’ve ever heard Calexico pus out, but I’m totally interested in it.  But sadly, I feel like they’ve given up on making nearly as interesting transitional tunes as they once have.  “Shortboard” is the track in question.  There are some nice licks here and there on this one, but the atmosphere here is just so flimsy and the production is so off.  I just feel like this track accomplished nothing, and easily could have been left out.  Then we get another slow one with “Thrown to the Wild”.  I just feel like these slow burners are like pulling teeth from Calexico.  There isn’t anything interesting as far as atmosphere goes, and Joey doesn’t sound nearly as filled with emotion as usual.  On the contrary, he just sounds really bored.  Then we have the instrumentals, which really aren’t helping anything.  Sure, the very breezy atmosphere is something they’ve worked with in the past.  But if this is supposed to be some Folk epic, it missed the mark.  And this may not come as a shock, but the finale “Music Box” isn’t much better.  Once again, I can’t remember Calexico ever coming off so faceless.  It’s smooth and all, and certainly well written.  But nothing about this to me comes off as the Calexico that I was once so interested in.  

Rating: 6.9/10

Give A Listen To: “End of the World With You”, “Under The Wheels”, “Flores y Tamales”, “Dead in the Water”

Genre: Folk / Folk Rock / Americana / Alternative Country

Overall Thoughts: This is easily the Safest and most forgettable album that Calexico has put out recently.  It saddens me to say that there are seriously a handful of really great tunes on here that act as the gateway to all of these great Genres that Calexico have worked with for years.  It’s all here, the Latin Rock, the Alternative Country, the Tex-Mex.  But Calexico seems to just be so uninspired here, making for a small handful of very impassioned Folk gems.  But too much of this album is made up of faceless Folk tunes and desperate attempts at still trying to sound revolutionary.  The songs on this album, for the most part, are well written and have wonderful ideas.  But Calexico really fail at putting these ideas together, making for a Folk album that quite frankly is like pulling teeth.