Calexico Video: Part Three

by Robin Hilton

Calexico is marking the release of its new album, Carried to Dust, with a series of videos that include some nice, live performances of their new songs. We began last month with the first and second installments of the videos. We've just gotten the third part:

Part Two:

Part One:

I've been spending time with Carried to Dust, and think it may be the band's best album. It's an elegantly produced collection of songs, with some wonderfully haunting moments. Joey Burns and John Convertino, the duo behind Calexico's music, draw heavily on their favorite sounds: Portuguese fado, spaghetti westerns, Mexican mariachi, folk and rock. It all comes together on Carried to Dust as a richly seasoned and mature mix.

Burns and Convertino have long been taken by what they see as the majesty and mystery of the American Southwest, particularly their hometown of Tucson, Ariz. (They talk a lot about this in the videos). The sprawling city, where they've lived since the mid-'90s, has been the subject and inspiration for much of their music over the years, and Carried to Dust continues to drink from that well with ghostly narratives about the "strange people" they've encountered. Calexico colors the scorched landscapes with enough romance and strange curiosities to make you want to linger.

3:49 PM ET | 10-14-2008 | permalink

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