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a singsong and a scrap cover


Track Listing:
  1. cruel
  2. yours and mine
  3. bisbee blue
  4. panic open string
  5. letter to bowie knife
  6. roka
  7. lucky dime
  8. smash
  9. deep down
  10. nom de plume
  11. all systems red

Spiral EarthGarden Ruin

Calexico

Their fifth studio album taps into some new veins whilst being built on the shoulders of their previous work. The core members John Convertino and Joey Burns have never been afraid of bringing fresh sounds and influences to the table, with Garden Ruin they have concentrated on their core qualities and built their most focused album to date. The overt latin, mariachi, jazz and Americana influences are absorbed into their sound at a more subtle level than on their superb Feast Of Wire (2003). Convertino says "A band has got to keep changing and moving or it will get boring and break up."

Their previous albums have been self produced, this time they have used producer JD Foster . The result is a more focused album based squarely on songs leaning more towards a lo-fi rock sound, although it's held in check by Joey Burns smooth voice and Convertino's distinctive drumming style. The other musicians that they have gathered round them that have become the bedrock of their live sound get a deeper involvement in the studio this time as well 'Everyone was trying new instruments or techniques. Backup vocals became more a focus than trumpets or strings, I was just concentrating more on the songs and singing - songs that didn't necessarily go back to the same pool of influences as before. There are no instrumentals, and I wound up playing more in major keys, and there are more pop elements. And a bit more rock, too. John kept encouraging us to experiment, or diverge from set lists or musical habits on tour.' says Convertino.

They played with the mythic southwestern American landscape on previous recordings, now the songs have a decidedly contemporary slant Letter to Bowie Knife talks about religious fundamentalism (and rocks out) Cruel reflects on environmental corruption. There is also a scent of West Coast pop wafting across the album, especially in the vocal harmonies. The Spanish and jazz influences that are common to all their work rise up most significantly in Roka featuring a guest vocal from Barcelona based Amparo Sanchez.

This could be their most significant album to date, what Green was to REM. 'This album was a conscious decision to try something new and tap into strains in our musical fabric that haven't been highlighted in the past', Joey Burns says, they have certainly achieved that

Iain Hazlewood