speed of dark

Uncle T gave me Calexico's Garden Ruin for Christmas in 2006, and I tried but I could never get into it. I liked a few of Calexico's songs, but I had only a passing interest up till then. Nonetheless, I took a chance and downloaded Carried To Dust on the basis of the official single, "Two Silver Trees" and found that not only do I keep liking that song better the more I hear it, the fifteen songs on this album are much more what I have wanted to hear.

Musically, Carried To Dust puts the Mexico part back in Calexico, with the return of warm, brassy horns and fluid, Latin-influenced guitars. "Two Silver Trees" shimmers like tinsel. One of the big differences between this album and Garden Ruin was that the whole band was not present the entire time of recording. Instead, founders Joey Burns (vocals, guitar) and John Convertino (drums, percussion) worked by themselves and brought in the other musicians only as they were needed. I think this creates a more focused album as a result.

Thematically, the album embarks on a road trip across southern California, which couldn't please me more, since this is familiar scenery to me. I have not found a source for lyrics yet, so you'll have to put up with what I think the words are. The song "Victor Jara's Hands" refers to the Chilean folkloric artist whose hands were broken when he was tortured after a military coupe overthrew Salvador Allende--way too long a story to tell here--but the Spanish part sets the theme of a journey to the unseen and finding one's destiny in surprising places.

I may be projecting on this, but to me "Two Silver Trees" is about the deep connections between the U.S. and Mexico that cannot be uprooted by conservative elements like Militia. We share history, people, language (yes!), food, and we share water. We must work together to keep our two silver trees from dying. "False sense of warning/no poison cup/Just deception crawlin up like a sneak/Decay of the blossoms in roots well-hacked/Spoil the hidden waters dyin' at the base/Two worlds in need/two silver trees."

"Writer's Minor Holiday" takes its storyline from last fall's writers' strike, as the title character heads up to a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains. "Man-Made Lake" is a plea for the return of communication: And I'll gather the leaves from the cell phone trees/And return them to their place/And pretend someone's calling for me." The gorgeous "Inpiracion" replies with a lament in Spanish about the pain of separation that reminds us of all those who are separated--by an international border, a war, or a destructive hurricane. Jairo Zavala and Amparo Sanchez (of Amparanoia) contribute the vocals on that one.

"Dialing in a forgotten voice"--"House of Valparaiso" is one of my favorites on this album, with its samba beat and vocals like a haunting voice on the wind. Sam Beam appears on it to further their work together that began with Iron and Wine's In the Reins. "Bend in the Road" is another favorite, and it keeps up the road trip theme beautifully. "El Gatillo" is a desert-heat instrumental in the mold of "Tres Avisos" from Hot Rail (2000).

"Fractured Air" begins with spoken word over an ominous, rumbling melody underlined by the lines of the horns. "Red Blooms" brings the traveler to a city (surprise--Moscow!) where "Strangers plant themselves down in the cold hard ground" and there are shadows drinkin' antifreeze beneath the underpass." But hope prevails because "When February thaws, snowdrops will be in bloom again", accompanied by the swell of synths.

Not every song is a complete winner. "Slowness" is...slow...but does have the lovely voice of Canadian singer Pieta Brown to hold the listener's attention. "Contention City" is beautiful but kind of cold. But taken as a whole, the album is vibrant and satisfying and very sweet listening. One drawback to the digital download is that you don't get the Calexico air freshener that comes with the physical CD.

I am extremely sad that I missed Calexico's show at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood Monday night. Uncle T says they are even better in concert than they are on record, and that's saying a lot.

House of Valparaiso from Carried to Dust (2008)
Two Silver Trees from Carried to Dust (2008)
Convict Pool from Convict Pool (2004)
Quattro (World Drifts In) from Feast of Wire (2003)

Calexico also includes:
Paul Niehaus - pedal steel, guitar
Jacob Valenzuela - keys, trumpet, vibes
Martin Wenk - accordion, guitar, synthesizers, trumpet, vibes
Volker Zander - upright + electric bass

MySpace | Casa de Calexico | Label: Touch and Go Records
Buy at Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records