Calexico
(Quarterstick)
On 2006's Garden Ruin, Calexico shifted gears: they downplayed their widescreen Southwestern sound in favor of more traditional alt-country arrangements and song structures. Carried To Dust suggests that that move was a diversion rather than a development, and that's just fine.
Over the course of their career Joey Burns and John Convertino have created a readily identifiable blend of mariachi, spaghetti western, ambling country and desert blues, and Dust is another version of its perfection. And because the songwriting is so tight and focused, it may even be its apotheosis. Dust doesn't play as a concept record, but hints of a narrative about a writer on a journey link the songs. Burns and Convertino relish collaboration, and in addition to their regular bandmates, they bring in friends to supplement and enlarge the songs, among them Iron & Wine's Sam Beam and Spanish singer Amparo Sanchez. Dust is a return but it's no regression.
Standout Tracks: "House of Valparaiso," "Victor Jara's Hands" STEVE KLINGE
