Feast of Wire
Tucson, Arizona\'s Calexico - featuring Giant Sand\'s Joey Burns (bass) and John Convertino (drums) as its core - play an eclectic mix of styles, tipping towards film composer Ennio Morricone\'s spaghetti westerns, \'60s lounge pop, and surf instrumentals with hints of jazz and country sprinkled liberally throughout. *Feast of Wire* is their most disciplined release to date: a relaxed, subdued collection on the surface, it’s highlighted by short instrumental bursts of pedal steel, cello, synthesizers and whatever other instruments they happen to find. Burns takes a few solid turns at the mic, acting as a non-intrusive tour guide to the less-than-perfect world of \"Sunken Waltz.” \"Stevie Nicks\" isn\'t quite the joke its title suggests, but rather a likeable folk song. Yet Calexico’s forte remains the instrumental (\"Pepita,\" \"Guero Canelo\") where they seem to be scoring a soundtrack for a movie following outlaws around a desert where aural hallucinations haunt their dreams.
Calexico have always been restless experimenters, juxtaposers and journeymen, crafting a unique fusion of\n\ bluesy Mariachi, desert-rock and jazz ...
Feast of Wire does indeed offer a tantalizing array of sounds new and old from Calexico, including more pop-oriented takes on their already eclectic style as well as some different sonic twists.