On the Shelf 146: Calexico
Jun. 30th, 2015 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23I don't know that I remember an album in recent history where I have seen more contrasting reviews than Edge of the Sun. Some (most probably) sing its praises, while others have called it the band sleepwalking through material). Some call it a departure, while others call it a return to form.
I will put myself in the camp who think it's among the bands better works. I discovered the band through their 2000 album Hot Rail. 2003s Feast of Wire album generally stands as the band's high point.
Their journey since that album is merely the problem of being prolific. The band has never really sat still, and always have ambition for their music which blends Tex-Mex, noir, and variety of cultural styles from Greek to Saharan.
As I said Edge of the Sun seems to be warmly recieved by most, and I fall into that category. While I never took my eye off the band, this feels like a record of note.
Certainly, most will say it is the variety of guest stars who make the album, and it probably is the assembly of voices that are a point in its favor- Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, Neko Case, and of Horses' Ben Bridwell, Guatemalan blues singer Gaby Moreno, and Manu Chao-collaborator Amparo Sanchez.
Meanwhile, the songs seem to fill an array of space that it probably could be called a departure and a return to form. Funnily and truthfully, before reading Uncut's review which mentions same, I thought of two very 'pop' touchpoints- Neil Finn & Crowded House, and the later REM albums like Around the Sun.
The pop songs work well regardless of context, and the songs that you 'expect' similarly are enjoyable. Fans should check it out, as well as those who are fans but have lost track.
