The best thing about the indie rock scene is the almost absolute freedom artists have; the ability to make whatever music they want and are capable of. The worst thing is that, barring word-of-mouth from that music know-it-all you avoid like the plague or the infrequent review, you will never know some of these recordings exist. Certainly you will not have heard of Calexico and, forgive me if this sounds heavy-handed, you’re missing out on some of the best modern rock being made.

If you have heard Calexico, you may ask yourself why I’ve categorized it as rock at all. Hard to say, really. There are portions of songs that sound like they’ve come straight from a Western movie, some that are authentic mariachi and others that could have sat side by side with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac in their 1970s heyday. On the latest, “Feast of Wire”, there are added touches of electronic noise, dancehall dub and other incongruous flavors that, shockingly, gel together nicely. Rock was once a melting pot where soul, blues, gospel and a helping of insanity commingled and, in that light, Calexico is closer to that spirit than anything on the charts today.

At the heart of “Feast of Wire” is an alt-country tone supplied by Joey Burns and John Convertino (two thirds of the group Giant Sand, with Howe Gelb). To start listing the contributions of each of these multi-instrumentalists is to invite a nervous breakdown, but this time out they’re ably assisted by Paul Niehaus on pedal steel, Jacob Valenzuela on trumpet, Volker Zander on upright bass, Martin Wenk on trumpet, bowed vibes and accordion and a vast array of ‘special guests’. What comes of it all is a feeling that each musical style represented is done so with great admiration and respect. In lesser hands, the results would probably have strayed into parody.

Starting the disc with an ‘oompah’ beat, “Sunken Waltz” exemplifies Burns and Convertino’s signature writing style, character studies of working people, hard-luck times and the road less traveled but most often regretted. Later on the disc, “Not Even Stevie Nicks…” revels in a sound not unlike America’s “Ventura Highway” but with a driving flip of the backbeat and a dash of black humor at the end. The call and response of “Guelo Canelo” is enough to get a hot summer party started and I suggest it next time you search for something a little different on the play list. The disc closes on “No Doze”, a moody, atmospheric dénouement.

But the absolute, hands down winner of the disc is the film-noir “Black Heart”, both dark and beautiful; Burns’ soft and heartbroken voice backed by accordion and strings would be enough, as would be the reverb-glazed percussion from Convertino, but the last portion of the song is a killer. The string section gangs up with descending notes in an almost harrowing audio decline and shivers to finale, underscored by lonely piano notes. Seldom has gorgeous also been so sad.

You won’t hear Calexico on the radio and you probably won’t hear anything about it from your next-door neighbor, but if you appreciate independent vision in music, you need to take that leap of faith and start digging into the wealth of releases out there. There is no finer place to start than “Feast of Wire”.

Search Tour Database by: Artist City Venue

Calexico
Feast of Wire

Released: March 04, 2003
Origination Year: 2003
Time: 47:29
Tracks: 16
Produced by: Joey Burns, John Convertino, and Craig Schumacher
Engineered by: N/A
Mixed by:Craig Schumacher with Jim Blackwood and Nick Luca
Mastered by: JJ Golden
Style: Studio
Format: CD
Enhancement: None
Label: Quarterstick Records
Website:
www.casadecalexico.com

Sunken Waltz
Quatto (World Drifts In)
Stucco
Black Heart
Pepita
Not Even Stevie Nicks..
Close Behind
Woven Birds
The Book and the Canal
Attack El Robot! Attack!
Across the Wire
Dub Latina
Guero Canelo
Whipping the Horse's Eyes
Crumble
No Doze