Calexico "The Black Light"

Somewhere in between the creepy non-practicing cowboy aesthetic of Palace and the shuffling beats of Latin jazz clubs, Calexico's The Black Light resonates in gloriously cinematic tones. In the hands of less soulful musicians, such combinations would sound more wanky than wonderful. There's a remarkable amount of variety on The Black Light. "Fake Fur" takes a Brazilian rhythm and adds a subdued, shuffling bass that makes the head begin to sway. "Where Water Flows" weaves cello, vibes and expertly plugged guitar to conjure the end of yet another lonely night. The album's title track is a wonderfully reverb- drenched piece that captures the menacing tension of a convict on the loose. "Minas De Cobre (For Better Metal)" bursts into lusty mariachi trumpets that would feel at home in any Sergio Leone soundtrack. Virtually everything about this album bears an obscene attention to detail. Even the record's recording, performed in a seemingly spacious warehouse, is worth spewing oodles of idle, meandering prose. It's enough to make you want to move down South to partake in a life of crime.

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Track Listing:

1) Gypsy's Curse
2) Fake Fur
3) The Ride, Pt. II
4) Where Water Flows
5) The Black Light
6) Sideshow
7) Chach
8) Missing
9) Minas de Cobre (For Better Metal)
10) Over Your Shoulder
11) Vinegaroon
12) Trigger
13) Sprawl
14) Stray
15) Old Man Waltz
16) Bloodflow
17) Frontera