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Amazon.co.uk Review
It's probable that many still think of Tucson, Arizona's Calexico as an indie-rock band dabbling in the fields of country and mariachi music, but so skilfully played and richly textured is Carried to Dust, the sixth album from Joey Burns and John Convertino's long-running collective, that it feels churlish to think of them as anything less than the real deal. Uniting players including Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, Spanish singer-guitarist Amparo Sanchez and Iowa songwriter Pieta Brown, Carried to Dust forsakes the rockier, somewhat conventional tones of previous album Garden Ruin, harking back instead to 2003's career high watermark Feast of Wire. While diverse in genre, crucially it doesn't feel so, Calexico lassoing myriad styles and making them their own. So whether drifting the plains in true mariachi style ("Insparacion"), playing serene lap-steel country ("Hole in Your Hand (Bend in the Road)"), or whipping up a political storm on "Victor Jara's Hand"--tribute to an activist unjustly killed by the Chilean state police in the '70s––Carried to Dust feels both adventurous and comfortable on whatever turf it chooses to walk. ––Louis Pattison
Review
Hands in the air please for the return of Arizona's number one sons. All the tropes are in place... the brushed rattling percusion, the twangero guitar, the open, desert-evoking sound. And yes, the return of the mariachi blare that so suits the writing of Covertino and Burns. After their disappointingly 'rock' album, Garden Ruin, Calexico have returned to the southern states' alt country that's part-western, part-central American folk and all their own. Thank goodness...
In a year that's seen acts as diverse as Fleet Foxes to Conor Oberst stretch and challenge what the term 'Americana' could contain, this return to form-of-sorts is a timely reminder of how influential Calexico have been. The band's turn at last years Womad festival, with guest star Amparo Sanchez (who appears here), shone out even among the mud and rain. And while Calexico's real strength lies in live performance, Carried To Dust is a gem.
The album does have a loose concept around which it hangs: a screenwriter's search for inspiration in the wide open spaces around La La Land (Writer's Minor Holiday). But there's also room for the political poetry of opener Victor Jara's Hands (Jara was an artist/poet tortured by the Chilean dictatorship) and the pure wiggly Mexicali joy of Inspiracion or the Morricone madness of El Gatillo (Trigger Madness). All of these are guaranteed to sound astounding live.
If there's any reservation here it's because a little too often you get the sense of deja vu. The lyrical imagery and the tumbleweed dryness sails a little close to parody. It's almost as if they've had to emulate themselves to find the way forward again, the melodies not leaping out as smartly as they might. And sometimes you long for the more outre weirdness that filled the gaps on earlier classics such as Feast Of Wire. But frankly, something this good shouldn't be sniffed at. Calexico are back on track. Cause for celebration, indeed. --Dennis O'Dell
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's quite astonishing that Calexico's 'Carried To Dust' hasn't made more headlines this year. It is almost as if they are just expected to carry on releasing superb albums and their quality of work is virtually taken for granted these days. Their whole sound on this album is a celebration of the fusion of traditional and contemporary South-Western American music, incorporating a beguiling mixture of styles, such as the Latin rhythms and Mariachi horns on the excellent opener, 'Victor Jara's Hands', a tribute to the Chilean poet & musician who was murdered in the early 70's, 'Bend To The Road', which filters a little jazz into the proceedings, 'Writer's Minor Holiday', a dusty pop-rock song which has echoes of Grant Lee Buffalo and the chilled-out soundscape of the album closer, 'Contention City'. Those songs are only examples of the richness of influence and musical texture you can expect from this release and each wonderful track has something unique to offer to your listening experience.
Apart from those mentioned above, other songs which stand out for me include the dark and beautiful 'Two Silver Trees', the impossibly grand 'The News About William' (which could have easily featured in a John Ford film), the delicious distorted guitar of 'Man Made Lake', the haunting vocals on the laid-back 'House Of Valparaiso', a duet with Sam Beam (Iron and Wine), and the beautiful, almost-soporific 'Red Blooms'. Add to those highlights the romantic Spanish drama of 'Inspiracion', the straight-forward, sweet country duet of 'Slowness', the mesmerising acoustic guitar picking of 'Falling From Sleeves' and what sounds like the theme to a Spaghetti Western in 'El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited)' and you have one of the most remarkable and essential albums of the year. There is everything to like about 'Carried To Dust' and it deserves all of the superlatives you can possibly think of. Highly recommended.
Apart from those mentioned above, other songs which stand out for me include the dark and beautiful 'Two Silver Trees', the impossibly grand 'The News About William' (which could have easily featured in a John Ford film), the delicious distorted guitar of 'Man Made Lake', the haunting vocals on the laid-back 'House Of Valparaiso', a duet with Sam Beam (Iron and Wine), and the beautiful, almost-soporific 'Red Blooms'. Add to those highlights the romantic Spanish drama of 'Inspiracion', the straight-forward, sweet country duet of 'Slowness', the mesmerising acoustic guitar picking of 'Falling From Sleeves' and what sounds like the theme to a Spaghetti Western in 'El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited)' and you have one of the most remarkable and essential albums of the year. There is everything to like about 'Carried To Dust' and it deserves all of the superlatives you can possibly think of. Highly recommended.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
`Carried to Dust` is Calexico's most mature work to date, arguably the best synthesis of their frontier atmospherics and Latin-inflected country songwriting. The follow-up to 2005's much-dismissed `Garden Ruin', `Carried to Dust' makes the `South-Western noir' tag stick better than any other Calexico album. It's a record of great dusky beauty, varied and unusual musicianship and haunting songs. More understated than their aknowledged masterpiece `Feast of Wire`, `Carried to Dust' may pass that benchmark in time with its flickering, insidious quality. Cinematic but subtle, whispery yet substantial, there are fewer straight-out brooding Enio Morricone instrumentals, only one blatant Tex-Mex jam. The album is largely song-orientated but, unlike Garden Ruin, deftly impressionistic, with ghostly electronic touches that recall Wilco's `Ghost is Born`, Bon Iver's `Emma, Forever Ago`, and the work of long-term collaborator Iron & Wine, aka Samuel Beam, who features here on the sublime `House Of Valparaiso'.
Despite working with a number of guest singers and musicians (also including Canadian singer Pieta Brown and Amparanoia's Amparo Sanchez) Joey Burns and John Convertino have been successful in qwelling the magpie-ish tendencies of previous albums, sustaining a coherent mood over a (thankfully) more concise 45 minutes. While it may not have the epic scope and more various thrills of `Feast of Wire', `Carried to Dust' is a more focused album - the sound of a band comfortable with their, um, sound, and the possibilities it presents. As much as I loved the border country schtick that made them famous, I always felt that band were doomed to pigeonholing and it is great to hear them pull off an album of songs without compromising their South-Western soul. Better still, `Carried to Dust''s moods are rarely prosaic - less readily associated with the default American landcapes of earlier albums.
Aside from the wonderful `House of Valparaiso', other album highlights include the glimmering oriental harps of `Two Silver Trees' or the polished, Chris Isaak noir of `Man Made Lake' - fuzzy guitars and minor key glockespiel conspiring towards a blissful dissonance. The seafarer's poem `The News About William' recalls Fleet Foxes' romantic folk, but what Joey Burns lacks as a singer compared to Robin Pecknold, Calexico compensate with a musical tapestry richer than that of their contemporaries. `Writer's Minor Holliday', with its backing vocal sighs from Adrienne DeNIke and swaggering rhythm section, echoes James Jackson Toth's fine solo debut `Waiting In Vain`. While `Slowness' is a hazy country duet between Burns and Pieta - with all the gorgeous steel pedal twang you could ever hope for - `Inspiracion' is skeletal Latin folk, Tom Waits at a Dia De Los Muertos procession. Enjoy!
Despite working with a number of guest singers and musicians (also including Canadian singer Pieta Brown and Amparanoia's Amparo Sanchez) Joey Burns and John Convertino have been successful in qwelling the magpie-ish tendencies of previous albums, sustaining a coherent mood over a (thankfully) more concise 45 minutes. While it may not have the epic scope and more various thrills of `Feast of Wire', `Carried to Dust' is a more focused album - the sound of a band comfortable with their, um, sound, and the possibilities it presents. As much as I loved the border country schtick that made them famous, I always felt that band were doomed to pigeonholing and it is great to hear them pull off an album of songs without compromising their South-Western soul. Better still, `Carried to Dust''s moods are rarely prosaic - less readily associated with the default American landcapes of earlier albums.
Aside from the wonderful `House of Valparaiso', other album highlights include the glimmering oriental harps of `Two Silver Trees' or the polished, Chris Isaak noir of `Man Made Lake' - fuzzy guitars and minor key glockespiel conspiring towards a blissful dissonance. The seafarer's poem `The News About William' recalls Fleet Foxes' romantic folk, but what Joey Burns lacks as a singer compared to Robin Pecknold, Calexico compensate with a musical tapestry richer than that of their contemporaries. `Writer's Minor Holliday', with its backing vocal sighs from Adrienne DeNIke and swaggering rhythm section, echoes James Jackson Toth's fine solo debut `Waiting In Vain`. While `Slowness' is a hazy country duet between Burns and Pieta - with all the gorgeous steel pedal twang you could ever hope for - `Inspiracion' is skeletal Latin folk, Tom Waits at a Dia De Los Muertos procession. Enjoy!
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Vinyl
I have to say that vinyl edition of this Calexico album is of very high quality. I was a little bit sceptic when ordering, considering my previous experience with new vinyl arriving with scratches, dirt, and has audible hiss and pops although arrived new and unpacked. When this one arrives I was very pleased to see that it was clear, no visible dirt or fingertips on vinyl, just as it's suppose to be. Then, after playing it, I could fully enjoy clear vinyl sound at its finest. This prooves to be one of the best buys I have made among new vinyl editions.
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