EXECUTIVE BRIEFCASE
FEAST OF WIRE
Album by Calexico. Quarterstick Records (Chicago).
Odds are you haven’t heard anything like Tucson’s Calexico. Sure, you’ll make out heavy doses of mariachi and Spanish bolero in the band’s music, as well as traces of jazz, country, folk and alternative rock. But chances are you haven’t heard them served up like this before. Calexico’s latest, “Feast of Wire,” due in stores next week, features the band’s trademark mix of styles. New are touches of electronic music on the jazzy, improvisational “Attack El Robot! Attack!” and the Latin-tinged “G & #252;ero Canelo.” “Feast of Wire” isn’t Calexico’s best work,1998’s “Black Light” and 2000’s “Hot Rail” are better samples of the band’s mix of moody Southwestern rock and fiery Latin music. Folk influences are more dominant here, with songs such as “Not Even Stevie Nicks ” and “Sunken Waltz.” The most telling Calexico song on the latest offering is “Across the Wire,” which could pass for a Mexican corrido, or story song, complete with peppy accordion. It tells the story of two border-crossing brothers whose dreams of a new life are dashed by the harshness of their desert journey: “Alberto y hermano on the coyote’s trail, dodging the border patrol. Out in the wastelands wandering for days, the future looks bleak with no sign of change.” Other highlights include the instrumentals “Close Behind” with its Spanish and pedal steel guitars and Henry Mancini-style horns, and “Crumble,” a bit of skillful jazz recalling Miles Davis. The caveats: “Feast of Wire” is dark at times and self-indulgent at others. Calexico’s sound blending takes some getting used to. Overall, though, the record’s rich variety works. (One local note: “Feast of Wire” was mixed at The Distillery in Costa Mesa.) Even better is seeing Calexico live,the band plays Hollywood’s The Knitting Factory on Feb. 28. Live shows are like a cabaret, complete with a French chanteuse and Tucson’s Mariachi Luz de Luna in tow.
,Michael Lyster
RATING: THREE BRIEFCASES (out of four).
