[.ca] Black Light

From Amazon.com:
The perfect soundtrack for a summer roadtrip in an old car across Death Valley. Calexico's musical textures are woven out of a dazzling array of instruments and styles, including mariachi trumpets, countrified pedal steel, Latin jazz percussion, and carnival organ, just to name a few. The songs move at siesta speed, casually looping and loping along, never getting overheated. Bandmates Joey Burns and John Convertino have their hands in so many musical pies--including projects with OP8, Giant Sand, Victoria Williams, Giant Sand, and Richard Buckner--one wonders how they find the time to create the sun-soaked music of Calexico. But thank God they have. --Tod Nelson

Don't Stop Now:
Congratulations. You've come this far. You should be proud. You're one of the few, the elite, that has now associated themselves with Calexico. Don't be frightened. That's it. Everything's going to be ok. There, there. Let Calexico take care of you. There's no need to worry. Everything's going to be alright. Go ahead, buy the album. Reading about it isn't going to do you any good. It's been long overdue, and now it's time to listen. Put everything down. Forget your worries. Love Calexico. It's that good.

The best album I've heard for a long time:
Alternative country in its best! Calexico made a damn good album. The music includes western, Mexican and gipsy themes, and combines them well with humor and grace. A "must have" for every music lover.

Great introspective Tex-Mex inspired Americana:
...and the vocals are a perfect fit with the mood and approach of the music.

Great instrumentals, poor vocals:
Almost made it on this one, but someone decided to add vocals. Be aware that the samples provided on Amazon do NOT include any of the vocals in the songs; I was misled to thinking that Calexico did only instrumentals. Great music -- an excellent mix of styles, notably border music, folk, blues, jazz, and rock. The instrumentals are inspiring, creative, and well executed, but the vocals... Well, they just don't cut it. Joey Burns treads a tentative line between spoken word and singing, and does neither well at all. The mood is shattered, if not violated, on each vocal addition to what could have been sublime instrumental tracks. Joey, stick to your strings and keyboards and keep your pie hole shut for the next one. You offer a lot, but you can't do it all, and this album proves it. As Zappa once said, "Shut up and play yer guitar."

Emotionally expressive Americana.....:
A huge surprise this one...having never heard their songs before, I was excepting something along the lines of an accomplished Alternative Country act, but I was seriously impressed by how much more versatile they are. More of an 'Americana' band that mix the more subtle delicate side of indie rock, borne out with acoustic guitar, Piano, accordion, Percussion and a healthy dose of Trumpet & Violin....they consist around mostly harmonious instrumental tracks, with several vocals tracks "The Ride Pt II / Missing / Trigger" after every 3-4 instrumental tracks. But focusing on their instrumental tracks "Gypsy's Curse" is a lap steel pedal driven spaghetti western composition, to rank amongst the finest in the field. And as if they wasn't enough, they firmly encroach on "The Gotan Project" territory will their beautifully elegant "Minas de Cobre (For Better Metal)" elevating them to proprietors of wonderfully emotional music.

• Gypsy's Curse
• Fake Fur
• Ride, Pt. II
• Where Water Flows
• Black Light
• Sideshow
• Chach
• Missing
• Minas de Cobre (For Better Metal)
• Over Your Shoulder
• Vinegaroon
• Trigger
• Sprawl
• Stray
• Old Man Waltz
• Bloodflow
• Frontera