In The Hills Where The Tall Weed Grows: A Calexico Thread

[Anders]

In this thread we discuss the greatest export from Arizona since John Ford discovered Monument Valley.

I can start by saying that The Black Light is one of my top albums of all time. Hope to see them live one day.

[Kevin Davis]

One of my favorite bands of the last 15-20 years. "Feast of Wire" and "Carried to Dust" are my favorite albums.

[Strat]

Saw them open for the Frames and was pretty blown away though their studio stuff never really attached to me the way that live show did.

Ill try again.

[guestT]

Love this band. Feast of Wire and Garden Ruin are my two favs.

[run2death]

My favorite is the ever-controversial Garden Ruin.

[Anders]

The Black Light (20th Anniversary Edition):
https://open.spotify.com/album/5hV01pfi ... v-b11SURNQ

[guestT]

[Anders]

That was excellent. Thank you.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

My favorite is the ever-controversial Garden Ruin.

stories break like branches in the cold

[run2death]

I saw them play Bisbee Blue in Bisbee!

[Kevin Davis]

I like "Garden Ruin" a lot. The outro to "Cruel" is probably my favorite thing in their catalog. "Weather flees underground" -- what a great line.

[run2death]

Saw them open for the Frames and was pretty blown away though their studio stuff never really attached to me the way that live show did.

Ill try again.

I've heard this a lot.

I think the horns and jangly rhythms tend to be really impressive live, but lose something (for some people) on the albums.

There were a bunch of songs on Edge of the Sun that were waaaaay better live.

[Kevin Davis]

Having never seen them live, the horns are kind of a peripheral element of their music to me, honestly -- the things that really draw me to them are the songwriting, Joey Burns's voice, and John Convertino's drumming (he's one of my favorites in the business -- he has done some session work I really enjoy as well). But I can see where if you saw them live and got swept away by that massive energy of a big band, then the records wouldn't replicate that -- the albums have different strengths, not to mention lo-fi elements that are not conducive to capturing bombast.

Top ten?

Sunken Waltz
Quattro
Woven Birds
Convict Pool
Cruel
Bisbee Blue
House of Valparaiso
Slowness
Two Silver Trees
Tapping on the Line

I couldn't really get into their newest one. I should try again.

[guestT]

Sunken Waltz
Not Even Stevie Nicks
Yours and Mine
Letter to Bowie Knife
Deep Down
All Systems Red
Victor Jara's Hands
Two Silver Trees
Tapping on the Line
Lost in Space

[run2death]

All Systems Red
Black Heart
Falling from the Sky
Not Even Stevie Nicks
Bisbee Blue
Two Silver Trees
Bloodflow
Crystal Frontier
Splinter
Sunken Waltz

[Kevin Davis]

Really dig their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or" too:


I remember buying that EP at some music store in the Mall of America on our last family vacation (I was 20 -- my dad really wanted to get one last one in for old time's sake). I listened to this EP on repeat in the hotel probably 15-20 times. Whenever I hear it I can almost smell the chlorine and over-laundered bedsheets.

[run2death]

Having never seen them live, the horns are kind of a peripheral element of their music to me, honestly -- the things that really draw me to them are the songwriting, Joey Burns's voice, and John Convertino's drumming (he's one of my favorites in the business -- he has done some session work I really enjoy as well). But I can see where if you saw them live and got swept away by that massive energy of a big band, then the records wouldn't replicate that -- the albums have different strengths, not to mention lo-fi elements that are not conducive to capturing bombast.

I've seen them 3 times and they've had at least 2 horns every time. The Feast of Wire tour was 3, I believe.

They usually stand right next to Joey, so they are prominently featured at their live shows for sure.

[guestT]

Having never seen them live, the horns are kind of a peripheral element of their music to me, honestly -- the things that really draw me to them are the songwriting, Joey Burns's voice, and John Convertino's drumming (he's one of my favorites in the business -- he has done some session work I really enjoy as well). But I can see where if you saw them live and got swept away by that massive energy of a big band, then the records wouldn't replicate that -- the albums have different strengths, not to mention lo-fi elements that are not conducive to capturing bombast.

Top ten?

Sunken Waltz
Quattro
Woven Birds
Convict Pool
Cruel
Bisbee Blue
House of Valparaiso
Slowness
Two Silver Trees
Tapping on the Line

I couldn't really get into their newest one. I should try again.

Are you talking about his drumming with Neko Case or has he done other stuff too?

[Kevin Davis]

The album I'm thinking of is "Traveling Alone" by Tift Merritt. They were also the house band on some of the Dylan covers from the "I'm Not There" soundtrack.

[guestT]

Oh yeah. Wasn't aware of the Tift connection and forgot they played on I'm Not There. Nels Cline was involved in that too, wasn't he?