CALEXICO
Feast of Wire
Touch and Go
· Two parts Americana, one part Mexicali and 100 per cent epic grandeur.
Despite their incredible talents, Joey Burns and John Convertino’s tenure in the mighty Giant Sand was forever eclipsed by the hypnotic rambles of their mad genius frontman, Howe Gelb. Moving out from under Gelb’s shadow, Burns and Convertino aimed their sights southward with Calexico, creating their own unique blend of old-school country and Tropicala samba – veritable cowboy hombres with bejewelled sombreros and dirty Pumas. With their fourth full-length release, Feast of Wire, they’ve made the transition final.
With the sparsest of gestures, Calexico are master storytellers who have chosen to focus on the lost lives of the inhabitants of U.S.-Mexico border towns and barrios. Were Feast of Wire an automobile, it would be a 1969 Parisienne – a massive gas-guzzler in awe of the sound of its own motor. Somehow, despite all its dour thunderstorms, the disc delivers a decidedly hopeful ride – when there’s nothing left, one can always just get lost inside the mariachi music.
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