OK, it's a fair cop, it's really a compilation, but bugger it, you can't really rate GIANT SAND high enough and this sharply-compiled overview of their past decade by the ever-aware Loose makes you gasp at regular intervals, such is frontman HOWE GELB'S penchant for fascinating risk taking.
Having seen his methods at close quarters at a solo Cork gig during the summer when Gelb alternated between piano/guitar/vocals and sampling himself (and a shaker), often during the same song, it's no surprise to find "SELECTIONS 1990 - 2000" is such a veritable (high quality) grab bag.
Kicking off with the cracking "Shiver" from 2000's career-best (to date) "Chore Of Enchantment",Gelb (mostly with regular CALEXICO rhythm section Joey Burns and John Convertino) swings from pillar to post, takin' in out-there desert psych-rock ("Centre Of The Universe"); superior front porch country ("Nowhere" with the late Pappy Allen and "Burning Desire" with Lucinda Williams) and visitin all points between, most notably the sizzling RAINER PTACEK collaboration "The Inner Flame."
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GIANT SAND'S new (covers) album,"Retirement" is due in February. Get those diaries out. That's an order,soldier.
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