Carried to Dust | Calexico

Carried to Dust | Calexico | Great songs for listening or singing to.

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Carried to Dust

	Carried to Dust Calexico Quarterstick, 2008 average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

There's always been intrigue and adventure at the heart of Calexico. Joey Burns and John Convertino have constantly imbued their music with an unparalleled sense of drama, calling upon the myths and iconography of the American West and its Spanish speaking neighbor Mexico. "Carried To Dust" represents the pinnacle of their achievement, a thrilling and moving journey through a landscape that draws upon the modern world as much as it does the decayed reminders of times past, stumbling upon unexpected delights whilst always moving forward with a pioneering sense of purpose.

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Their best yet

Calexico = California + Mexico in case you didn't know. So, what is Calexico? I'd call them a roots group, but the duo of Arizonans Joey Burns and John Convertino has been dubbed folk, pop, and country. Their music has a feel of the West, an authentic blend of the Anglo and Hispanic music that formed it.

"Inspiracion" sung in Spanish is a heavy Latino beat with trumpets and drums.

"House of Valpraiso" makes me think of Dire Straits intense grooves with a Mexican trumpet backing.

Just listen to "Two Silver Trees." You'll see the imagery in the sound. "Fractured Air" is another song that conjures up the green skies and sharp winds of a plains cyclone.

If you want 'different', Calexico is definitely a group you are going to want to hear. I'd call them a blend of the best of both worlds and this CD is their finest so far.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2008

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Great songs for listening or singing to.

Listening to these somgs comes as easy as a soft afternoon in the shade of a big maple tree. Never tire of them and hear something new each time. Recommended.

Ignore Leftist Twaddle, Hear Great Music

It took me quite a few listens to get into this album. Maybe I'm just sick of leftist politics in music. Victor Jara's Hands is a beautiful song but it alludes to a guy who was in a position to become Communist Salvador Allende's own Che Guevara had Allende not been overthrown. And Guevara, despite his iconic status on the left, was little more than a mass murderer who cloaked his actions in the language of idealism. I notice there are a lot of people on the activist left who champion political murder as long as its the right people being murdered but howl like banshees when one of their own gets it.
Despite the occasional outbreak of leftist sentiment in Calexico lyrics, there is a lot to like in both the music itself and the way it is interpreted. I have four other Calexico albums and I think Carried To Dust stands tall with the best of them. My favorites here are Two Silver Trees; The News About William; the growling, gritty Man Made Lake; the well-crafted and evocative Inspiracion; and the fast-paced, distinctively Western El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited).
Though Carried To Dust may not have the power of Feast of Wire and Convict Pool, it is certainly a good album in its own right and one that should please Calexico's legions of fans. I am determined to ignore the leftist twaddle and just hear the great music. I'm already looking forward to their next one.

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the border in winter

There are so many intriguing parts constituting the whole of Calexico that make its sound more an experience than a commercial product. John Convertino's drumming, the stormy, border-infused lyrics of Joey Burns, the duality of breezy subtlety and explosive thunder from the brass section of Jacob Valenzuela and Martin Wenk, and Paul Niehaus' dreamy, ultra-slick pedal steel and electric guitar can all have separate and successful solo avenues. Together though, they are Calexico, one of the best under-the-radar southwestern and alternative bands around.

Their previous release, Garden Ruin, was an attempt to consolidate their well-established musical experiment, and though lyrically Calexico continued to push boundaries, the fullness of their sound was stifled. Carried to Dust is a return to form, slightly more sorrowful than The Black Light, Hot Rail or Feast of Wire, but it is incredibly strong nonetheless. It's as if the chilled atmosphere of this album is symbolic of the desert in winter.

Calexico both captures and reinvents the haze and tumble of southwestern border music. Miles upon miles of highway, man-made lakes, illegal ports, migrants avoiding spotlights, living on the wire, and dreams of a new life are the stories and images of Calexico. Stories which often highlight the plight of those overlooked by most citizens, the invisible people quietly struggling to survive.

In addition to Two Silver Trees, standouts of the album include Writer's Minor Holiday, Inspiracion (with guests Amparo Sanchez and Jairo Zavala), El Gatillo, Slowness (with Pieta Brown), and Red Blooms.

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Moodier and not as catchy