I've been living with the latest offering from Joey Burns and John Convertino for the past few weeks now, and even at this point it seems a near impossible task to make an attempt at describing the music contained within. The terms "cinematic" and "widescreen" invariably spring to the mind and pens of most reviewers, along with such luminaries as Ennio Morricone and Gil Evans, all of which suggest that we're dealing with something beyond your standard "alt. country" outfit.
Take for example penultimate track "Crumble", which wouldn't sound out of place next to Charles Mingus on some enlightened cool jazz play list. Or for another wildcard, how about "Black Heart", which mixes new west atmospheres with a string arrangement straight out of Portishead's "Live at Roseland N.Y.C.".
That is not to suggest that the boys have completely abandoned the sort of Tex-Mex (or perhaps more accurately Arizona-Mex) sounds which made previous albums "The Black Light" and "Hot Rail" so distinctive.However both albums -and their wide range of collaborators on other projects ranging from Richard Buckner to Neko Case - display a musical restlessness that is more fully
realised on "Feast of Wire" than any previous work. The instrumental "Close Behind" is certainly reminiscent of pieces such as "Tres Avisos" on predecessor "Hot Rail", but it is hard to see how the percussive electro-doodling which enhances the wonderfully titled "Attack El Robot! Attack!" would have fit in on that album.
Opener "Sunken Waltz" plunges us straight into Calexico's
lyrical and sonic landscape, relating the story of "carpenter Mike" and his flying machine. The line "slept 'neath the stars, wrote down what he dreamt" might provide a clue as to the source of some of Mr. Burns' lyrics. The propulsive Latino beat of following track "Quattro (World Drifts In)" is one of many instances where the rhythmic dexterity of John Convertino can't help but draw attention to itself. Another such moment occurs in the second verse of the beautiful "Woven Birds", when Convertino plays a conventional waltz rhythm for a few bars before complicating matters with all manner of off beats. His playing is never intrusive, but forms an essential, distinctive element of the Calexico sound.
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As I have mentioned Joey Burns' lyrics also mark Calexico apart from the crowd, each song a sort of vignette. Comparisons have even been made with the storytelling style of Raymond Carver. The aforementioned "Sunken Waltz", "Not Even Stevie Nicks" and "Across The Wire" all have narratives of a sort, the latter relating the tale of Alberto and Hermano, refugees looking to cross the border into a new life. The song features more of the Wild West imagery which leapt out at the listener from "Hot Rail" stand out "The Ballad of Cable Hogue", sample line: "spotted an eagle in the middle of a lake/ resting on cactus, feasting on snakes". A close listen to the lyrics reveals that the optimism of the last line of "Sunken Waltz" is tempered by a predominantly downbeat outlook, with only occasional cause for hope, as in the birdsong which concludes "Woven Birds"
Despite the musical diversity of "Feast of Wire", it hangs together very well as an album. On repeated listens, what at first may seem like a mismatch of musical styles makes as much sense as it presumably did to Burns and Convertino when they recorded the album. The music can be said to reflect the combination of tension and downbeat resignation found in the lyrics, interspersed with moments of longing and hope. That this album may be unlikely to introduce Calexico to a whole new audience is perhaps an inevitable result of Calexico's eclectic approach; however those fortunate enough to come along for the ride and spend a little time with the album will find this "widescreen" musical experience to be a rewarding one.
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