Calexico
Carried to Dust
Just like the very landscapes from which they arise, Arizona’s Calexico have always wandered some beautiful, vast sonic terrain. The fluidness of the collective has made a name for themselves blending a unique mix of rock, jazz, country, and Latin tones-and nowhere is this more apparent than upon the recently released Carried to Dust. Whether the Tucson-based ensemble is lavishly exploring their compositions (“El Gatillo”), or laying them completely bare (“Sarabande in Pencil Form”), the songs (not the players) seem to dictate the orchestration. “Inspiracion” sounds like something you’d hear in a Southwestern border town, while the reflective “Slowness” plays out like sonic comfort food. Calexico have always been at their best when allowed to meander. And Carried to Dust sees the band doing just that-leading us on a sprawling lyrical journey that is as inflicting as it is enchanting.
