The slowburn of Calexico

On Monday afternoon, I called the bowling alley at Moe's BBQ, next door to the Gothic Theatre, to reserve a lane before the concert. "Big show tonight?" the man (sadly not named Moe) asked me. "Yeah, Calexico is playing next door," I replied.

Bowling Man was unfamiliar with their music and asked me to describe it. "Well ... there's a southwestern element in there, but it's not country. There are mariachi horns and steel guitar -- I guess it's indie-minded with kinda a wild desert streak." That's the best I could muster; Calexico is a difficult band to describe to someone who has never heard them because they straddle so many genres and defy easy characterization. This makes their live show stunning, an ever-shifting blend of enormous sounds and complex layers of melody. I'd never seen them live before, and I was riveted.

Here are some pictures from their gorgeous multi-hued set Monday night -- with mp3s from one of my favorite concert collaborations below:

CALEXICO AND IRON & WINE
Live on NPR, November 2005
Yours and Mine - Calexico
Panic Open String - Calexico
Alone Again Or (Love cover) - Calexico
Deep Down - Calexico
Bisbee Blue - Calexico
Crystal Frontier - Calexico
All Systems Go - Calexico

He Lays In The Reins - Iron & Wine/Calexico
Red Dust - Iron & Wine/Calexico
All Tomorrow's Parties (Velvet Underground cover) - Iron & Wine/Calexico
16, Maybe Less - Iron & Wine/Calexico
Prison on Route 41 - Iron & Wine/Calexico
History of Lovers - Iron & Wine/Calexico
Always On My Mind (Willie Nelson cover) - Iron & Wine/Calexico
Burn That Broken Bed - Iron & Wine/Calexico

ENCORE:
Wild Horses (Rolling Stones cover) - Iron & Wine/Calexico
Dead Man's Will - Iron & Wine/Calexico

ZIP IT ALL UP

Calexico's new album Carried To Dust is out now on Touch and Go Records.

[poster img credit, huge thanks to Kevin for the mp3 help]

like the water when the sea got rough, she was bored with the breeze, she was bored of her luck

The view out my window is slick with rain in the moonlight. When I walked outside a few hours ago I was knocked a bit breathless for a moment by the smack of near-icy wind in the face. It seems pretty clear that summer (and any reprieves we may have gotten in the form of some gorgeous indian summer days these past weeks) has moved on to somewhere south of the equator. It was a good run this year, but now I find myself rummaging for suitable autumn songs that linger in the colder air with the crisp smell of smoke from neighbors' fireplaces.

Sam Beam of Iron & Wine released the fiesty and brave album The Shepherd's Dog about a year ago, which took a more multihued approach than the hushed-river ebb of his songs past (gorgeous favorites of mine like "Trapeze Swinger" or "The Sea and The Rhythm"). The third track on the album, "Lovesong of the Buzzard" was released as a limited-run 10" vinyl single in the UK on Transgressive Records (Regina Spektor, Noisettes, Polytechnic) with two excellent b-sides.

I don't have the vinyl yet, but due to the magic of the internets I've been enjoying the two tunes all this quiet evening. Beam's been steadily growing a bit more firey in his music, evoking the darker sides of an uncontrolled wilderness populated with all sorts of questionable characters. Kinda like a strong whiskey, recent Iron & Wine burns a little in the chest -- and there's undercurrent of darkness, even foreboding, in the melody and the illicit storyline of this song.

Arms Of A Thief - Iron & Wine

I cannot overstate my affections for I&W, especially in October. It just feels right, like bringing up that box of sweaters and other warm things from the basement.

Monday Music Roundup

I got to see the fantastic Jesse Malin on Friday night at a criminally under-attended show (perhaps due to the borderline negligent website for the venue/promoter, which didn't even mention the show). After the show I thanked Malin for the sheer joy in the music that comes out through him when he performs. He is a musician full of heart, who knows how to rock. With an engaging stage presence, the new material sounded tight (balanced with his older songs) and he connected well with most of the crowd. The notable exception being the drunkie heckler in the front row with two bendy, feisty, lady-companions who kept interrupting Jesse during a very promising sounding story about moving a bed with a van in NYC and getting a phone call from Barbra Streisand's "people." Jesse utilized his NYC street-skillz with and told 'em to put a cork in it or leave (deservedly), and we never got to hear the rest of the tale.

Jesse hopped off the stage for his campfire moment where we all sat on the ground in a circle and helped him sing "Solitaire" and braid each others hair and make friendship bracelets. Actually, it had the air of effusive spontaneity (even though it was admittedly contrived for the Blender.com cameras that were filming the show) and made me feel happy inside. Especially when he sat down right next to me and we all belted, "I don't need any . . . I don't need any . . . I don't need anyONE!!" Go see him if you can this tour (oh and check the pics here and mini-video I was able to surreptitiously capture here).

Music for this week:

Long Forgotten Song
The Thrills
The two new songs posted on MySpace by Dublin's The Thrills are shimmering and lovely, making me look forward to the new album. Even though they are from Ireland, their songs sound like California. This tune, about "a long-forgotten song but everyone still sings along," sounds somehow like a song you once knew but forgot, and it feels weighty. It'll be on their upcoming album Teenager, due 7/23/07 with great cover art.

Vanilla Sky
Paul McCartney
I finally watched Vanilla Sky this weekend for the first time (thanks Tony!) and shame on me for it taking me so long. I was scared off by the mixed reviews when it first came out (and a general fatigue of Tom Cruise's smile) so I never took the plunge, even though it is a Cameron Crowe film and sweet bejesus I love him. Vanilla Sky blew me away -- it's my favorite kind of intelligent reality-bending/brain-messing movie with a marvelous soundtrack. For those who have seen it all the way through, think about the perfect placement of R.E.M.'s "Sweetness Follows" in light of what happens from that point forward in the film, even though you don't know it at the time. There's also priiiime placement of the eerie, icy, otherworldly sounds of Sigur Ros and some always-appreciated Jeff Buckley. The credits start rolling with this tune, penned by Paul for the film. Thoroughly enjoyable.


Head Like A Hole (NIN cover)
Giant Bear
Not to be confused with either Giant Drag or Grizzly Bear, Giant Bear is a Memphis five-piece that has decided to reinterpret Trent Reznor's seething defining moment as a fiddle-twinged bit of Americana-rock with shared male/female vocals. It's interesting, I'll give them that, and not unlikeable. Off their self-titled debut album due out August 14 on Red Wax music. Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars) and Rick Steff (Lucero) also play on the album.

Collarbone
Fujiya & Miyagi
The first time I heard this song by Fujiya & Miyagi, I pictured it as the perfect soundtrack theme song for the movie of my life when I doll up and head out into the sparkling nighttime streets to wreak some sort of imaginary unspecified havoc. It's a pimp song, sleek and funky and absolutely irresistible. I don't know why three guys from Brighton go by Japanese monikers (other than perhaps a partial tribute to Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid?) but I ain't complainin. From their 2006 album Transparent Things, which I definitely need to investigate further.


The Devil Never Sleeps
Iron & Wine

[let's try this new music stream thing? Let me know if it doesn't work]
There are some songs from Iron & Wine that just devastate me in the best way possible; I think Sam Beam is an amazing songwriter. I thought I knew him, kinda had his sound pegged as the perfect soundtrack to activities like moping, looking out a window at the grey clouds, or falling asleep. So get ready for the sounds on the new album Shepherd's Dog (due Sept 25 on Sub Pop) -- the songs are just as wonderful, but with a heck of a lot more spitfire and pluck. This one sounds like something from another time, floating out the window of a neighbor's house into the humid summer night. The devil never sleeps because he went down to Georgia and is dancing to this.

********
Also, a final P.S. on Father's Day - after an immense father-feteing BBQ at my parents' house, I dozed off on the couch yesterday afternoon while my dad watched sports on TV. The sports channels are rarely on in my house (unless it's the Giants), so I had forgotten how comforting and nice it is to weave in and out of sleep on a full belly listening to my dad comment on the game to no one in particular.

Monday Music Roundup

So, back from a long snow weekend with the gals, I am wishing you all a Happy First Day of Spring! Unfortunately, Colorado did not get the memo, and this is what I awoke to this morning:

As gorgeous as the falling snow is, I think I am ready for the ice to be gone. Over the weekend I was sitting in the hot tub with my friends (looking at the beautiful and dramatic mountains in the moonlight) and as I tried to run back into the lodge barefoot (it was freezing once you get out of the water! and I was wet!) I did an elaborately choreographed (and almost comical) fall down a few steps after I slipped on the copious ice. So I am all scraped and bruised on the skin that was bare. No more ice! Bring on the Spring, says me! Egad, if I keep pulling these slip & fall deals, what will happen to your musical consumption? For the love of all things holy, I think I need to be more careful. Ghastly bruises.

And, sorry, we are temporarily goin' ole school today with uploads to Savefile (right click, open in new window for most links) since EZArchive bastards seem to be taking the morning off. 3pm: It's fixed now, they are direct links.

Crack The Whip
The Spinto Band
Pitchfork's description of this song, by current Arctic Monkeys tour opener The Spinto Band, caught my attention: "Four-on-the-floor 'Crack the Whip' lashes the make-up alternapop zeitgeist, whippin' the Killers at their own neu-dance-wave game before ascending to a gates-of-heaven Beach Boys chorus like this was the Biblical, non-DFA Rapture." That is one of the best-written music review sentences I have read in a while, and I am digging the song in a big way. These guys just rocked SXSW from what I hear. Check out their 2005 release Nice and Nicely Done.


Skinny Boy
Amy Millan
The female-vocals half of fabulously harmonic & smooth Canadian pop band Stars, Amy Millan is releasing a solo album May 30 called Honey From The Tombs. Any album title with the word honey in it is apt for Ms. Millan, since that is usually the word that comes to mind when I hear her lush voice. This song treads familiar Stars ground, with a bit more acoustic touch. I like the way she wraps her voice around the lyric "You've got lips I could spend the day with."


Futures
Zero 7 Featuring José González
The layered electronica sound of Garden-State-darlings Zero 7 ("In The Waiting Line") meet the breathy vocals and gently plucking guitar of Argentinian folkster José González in this pleasing track off the vinyl 7" and 12" limited-run single. The song is from the upcoming Zero 7 release The Garden. Thanks to Connor for tracking this one down, I really like it. Downtime bliss.


The Shining (Capitol K Mix)
Badly Drawn Boy
Funny, I just accidentally typed "Badly Drawn Boi" instead of Boy. No, that would be Avril, who we don't support here (sorry grrrls). I wonder if I hate the word "boi" or "grrrl" more. Tough call. ANYWAY, so this is a sonic assault best listened to on headphones as the remix takes you through dark layers of this song, a thousand miles from the relaxing orchestration of the original. Fascinating. It sounds like the soundtrack to a jerky David Lynch-type film vignette meets Sigur Ros-type atmosphere. From the 2000 remix EP Once Around The Block, Pt. 1.


Always On My Mind
Iron & Wine with Calexico
So, I just "found" this on my iPod, although I've had it for a few months (from their excellent appearance on NPR's All Songs Considered). I somehow hadn't listened to it yet. So I was quite excited to hear this lapping-ocean-tide reinterpretation of the classic made popular by Elvis and Willie Nelson. A touch of slide guitar, Sam Beam's soft and relaxing vocals, and it's an earnestly-sung treat. I think I originally got this off the excellent So Much Silence blog, which, paradoxically, is always giving me good gems to fill the silence.


And you, lucky reader, you get THREE bonuses this morning. First off a kind reader ripped me this mp3 of Brandi Carlile singing Hallelujah from that KCRW stream. So now you can have it on mp3. I got a great response to my posts about her, seems like many of you have been as blown away as I was by this talented gal.

Also, Chad has a simply lovely cover of Norah Jones singing Patsy Cline (with a hot bass line addition), and Aquarium Drunkard has a hilarious post with a little love advice for the non-slick (and a stomach-turning tounge-kiss photo of everyone's favorite ex-VP).

Have fun, champs.