Review Summary: Celebrating life
I must admit I haven't listened much to Calexico before the release of
Algiers. However, I was instantly drawn into their multifaceted world and quickly found my way through their catalog to find some lovely music. Besides the straightforward, catchy tunes, that range from alternative rock, country to all sorts of Latin styles, there are many cinematic pieces that share a darker and rather haunting feel. Recorded in New Orleans, that record tends to fall in the latter category, with a more pessimistic approach in the lyrics too, evoking the local history.
Three years later, the band presents us the shiny
Edge Of The Sun that could as well be the aforementioned album's Mexican cousin. As a large part of it was written in Mexico City's historic borough of Coyoacan, the record inevitably retained some of that Latin flavor the band always flirted with. Still, it feels substantially lighter and poppy, becoming one of their most relaxed affairs. Of course, Joey Burns' lyrics discuss all kinds of subjects, good and bad, but overall, he chose to portray a more hopeful fate this time.
Musically, we get a wider array of genres, reminiscing their eclectic classic
Feast Of Wire, released in 2003. Nevertheless,
Edge Of The Sun flows smoothly from start to finish. Opening songs like 'Falling From The Sky' or 'Bullets & Rocks' are gorgeous singalongs enriched by several instruments, based around the acoustic and faint electric guitar touches. Beautiful lap steel licks are found on the country-tinged 'When The Angels Played' and the pastoral album closer, 'Follow The River', where Burns & Co. successfully channel the tame side of Wilco. It's intriguing how the frontman and drummer John Convertino manage to add up to a dozen musicians per tune and still offer that airy vibe their music constantly evokes.
The horns section takes the lead on Latin numbers like 'Cumbia De Donde' or 'Beneath The City Of Dreams'. The former shares a classic salsa sound, complete with trademark percussion, acoustic strumming and authentic vocals, courtesy of Amparo Sanchez, while the latter uses twangy guitars and a more urgent beat. Both manage to capture that lively spirit of the Mexican music. Also, the cinematic instrumental ditty, 'Coyoacan' sums up very well their trip across the border. A jam like this always manages to enlighten the atmosphere on the album (see also 'El Gatillo' on
Carried To Dust or 'Algiers'), as they fuse lighthearted americana with Mariachi music. Meanwhile, the chill 'Moon Never Rises' is a reggae cut with some catchy vintage synths topped by Joey's warm croon. They have rarely covered such grounds and it's nice to see them venturing outside their (large) comfort zone twenty years later.
I'm delighted to see Calexico branching out again after settling onto a more subdued yet intriguing type of alternative rock. Unfortunately, the highlights here don't quite match that emotional value of
Algiers' peak moments. Even so, there's a lot of passion on
Edge Of The Sun as these guys are celebrating life again. This is an excellent place to start listening to the band, whereas old fans should immediately add this to their collection.
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