Opening with a bright acoustic guitar that belies the emotional undertones of Calexico’s first release in four years, it feels like the band has never been away.
Things have changed though. The Arizona band decamped to New Orleans to record this record (Algiers is a district of the city), and with an illustrative seascape on the album cover it feels as if Joey Burns, John Convertino and band are trying to find a destination on the other side of the dusty desert that has dominated their past.
However, opener ‘Epic’ and the following track, ‘Splitter’ and its theme of constant departures, both belt out across the desert – reminding us that the band and the sand are intrinsically linked. The latter sounds like it could have been written by Ryan Adams when he was in his lauded ‘Gold’ period. Like much of Calexico’s output, the pace and rhythm is driven by an acoustic guitar – but ably backed by lead guitar, piano and brass.
The mood darkens on ‘The Sinner and the Sea’ where a Hispanic influence becomes more apparent. Meanwhile, the desert is replaced with the ocean as a metaphor for the barriers that exist between lovers. “Stranded on the rock, stranded on the sea, there’s a wall in the ocean between you and me.” By the end of the track, as Joey Burns’ voice becomes more desperate in its pleas, there’s even a hint of The Bad Seeds here.
If we really have left the desert behind, we finally arrive at our new destination on ‘Puerto’ when gentle maracas and a Spanish guitar melody mark the transition as clearly as a customs officer on the Mexican border. As the Spanish sung bridge climaxes, rich, swelling brass emerges, though the melody ensures this intrusion is more heartbreaking than uplifting. “If everything stays, it’s ever the same; with nothing to lose and nothing to change,” sings Burns. ‘No Te Vaya’ takes the Hispanic influence further, with horns dominating this burning ballad.
Despite the impact of New Orleans, the release remains rooted in Americana. In fact, there are similarities with Midlake throughout ‘Algiers’ – both musically (lush production, strings, minor chord progressions) and the way the album seems to have been constructed as a single piece of music. Within that however, many of these tracks stand on their own. That it can do both is one of the real strengths of a record that can sit proudly in Calexico’s canon. It’s poetic and poignant and a reminder of how much Americana can stir up memories that leave the listener melancholic, yet smiling and ready to listen all over again.
Released September 10th through City Slang.
Posted by Kev Scott.
