Sometimes, a band that has been around for a while, putting out solid (yet not amazing) albums, stumbles upon a masterpiece. Okay, the use of the word "stumble" is probably unfair, sounding like I'm implying that the artists have nothing to do with it...but you know what I mean. Calexico's Feast of Wire is just that kind of album.
These boys from Tuscon have been bumpin' around for a while, mostly in collaborative efforts with Giant Sand, Friends of Dean Martinez, etc. They've put out a few albums on their own, and I've had of couple of them and mostly enjoyed them. Their sound is firmly planted south-of-the-border, utilizing a lot of trumpet, as needed, and varies from adding a bit of salsa to slowing it down a notch and sounding like a soundtrack to a western film directed by David Lynch. And, until now, it's been fun and a nice change-of-pace from your everyday indie rock.
But with Feast of Wire, Calexico has not so much abandoned their sound...as they have given it a very welcome facelift. Still using the zesty salsa flavor on some songs, but also foraying into introspective piano solos and just straight-forward jazz piece, Calexico has crafted a mariachi jazz mixed tape.
Every song on Feast of Wire offsets and complements the other songs perfectly, if they don't always follow the same path. Jumping from salsa to ballad to improvisational jazz and back again, Calexico has now shown that 1998's The Black Light and 2000's The Hot Rail was only a sampler of what was to come. Feast of Wire is going to be tough to beat. -Eric Morris
Sometimes, a band that has been around for a while, putting out solid (yet not amazing) albums, stumbles upon a masterpiece. Okay, the use of the word "stumble" is probably unfair, sounding like I'm implying that the artists have nothing to do with it...but you know what I mean. Calexico's Feast of Wire is just that kind of album.
