Customer Reviews

Hot Rail

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who like Ennio Morricone and western spaghettis, Calexico may be an interesting band worth checking out. Their southern sound is cool, stylish and moody enough to deserve a listen. However, "Hot Rail" isn`t a great record, as it is too long, repetitive and not very diverse. There are some good songs to be found here, like "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" or "Service and Repair", but the album is mostly a collection of instrumental soundscapes and part of them are filler material. As mildly pleasant background music it`s alright, though it doesn`t have much more to offer.

This CD rocks. It opens up with a sweeping, cinematic trumpet that dumps you in the Sonoran Desert where it's 110 degrees and you're thirsty as hell, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and about to go hit the nearest hacienda for some watermelon cooler and tequila. Yeah, it's that vivid. Hot Rail continually pokes and prods the boundaries of indie-rock/alt-country, pulling in a healthy dose of mexican balladry, old-time GitAlong country and even French rap/spoken word to create what could be the perfect soundtrack for a Steven Soderbergh movie yet to be made. Listen to this Cd and see what movie plays in YOUR head!

While many reviewers will give comparisons of surf-music and Morricone influences, Burns and Convertino show greater depth and artistic push than was apparent when in Friends of Dean Martinez. I'm a fan of both and the divergence of style and musicianship is apparent on both bands' later works. The flavoring of the music and its divergent styles reminds me of both Sir Douglas Quintet and that of Los Lobos. Calexico has matured with each record pushing their sound further and defining a distinct sound that no longer relies on a "genre" but pushes instead the boundaries of border music and what it is. FODM have relied more heavily on the electronic influences creating a modern urban soundtrack. Calexico digs deeper and finds the dust on the small towns and back roads. Its like the difference between Santa Fe and Taos, NM. They have similar roots but the modern influences have been absorbed diffently creating unique interpretations of the Southwest and its parched landscapes. Calexico delivers on all fronts and as Burns and Convertino become more comfortable with their songwriting things can only get better.

There are no replacements for solid musicianship, songwriting skill and cross-cultural insight. Calexico (named after a town on the US/Mexican border) possess all three and have honed their craft to provide songs that fuse the drive of Rock with the earthiness of Country with the brazen festivity of the Mexican mariachi band. At its best, this album is a showpiece of manic yet wilful mood shifts, boldly juxtaposing episodes of wide-eyed exhuberance with moments of subdued introspection. Very few albums manage to achieve such contrasts with the consummate ease and grace of "Hot Rail".

This album really takes effect after a few listenings. And once you can distinguish it from The Black Light,it's charm will grow and grow on you, although it is a little more mellowed out than the previous. The tune "Service & Repair" is a legend.It is a majestic track, it really is. A lyrical masterpiece. Then you can have "Tres Avisos"- a force 10 gale of instrumental galore, throwing you across the room. And how about Ballard of Cable Hogue - "I live out yonder" and all that.Smashing stuff. I recently saw this band at the Shepherds Bush ,Empire Theatre,London - with a bit of help from real live Mexicans who wore hats and blew on trumpets ..........& they were great. I like this band a lot. Its not to everyones taste I can just accept, but it is real stuff, and they care too which means a lot. Bye Dan

I've been a longtime fan of the various Giant Sand side projects like Friends of Dean Martinez and Calexico, and this latest release by the latter is a testament as to why. This music is slow, fluid and warm. The Tex-Mex surf guitars, and sweeping melodies are here on 'Hot Rail' in force. From the Mariachi-meets-Surf sounds of the opening 'El Picador', through the slow burners like 'Fade' and 'Muleta', to the indie-rock leanings of 'Sonic Wind' and 'Service and Repair'...this may be the best Calexico disc yet.

I dig these guys, and hope they keep unleashing these musical rattlesnakes our way for years to come.

More than just a side project of Gian Sand's (and Friends of Dean Martinez's) John Convertino and Joey Burns, Calexico is one of the most original bands to emerge of the American alternative scene in a long time. Mixing indie-rock sensibility with the traditional sounds of Southern USA and Mexico, Calexico's dark and moody sound incorporates mariachi (#1, 7), french chanson (#2), jazz (#3!), spaghetti western soundtrack music, post-rock (#14), American folk and old time western into an unique style perfectly fitting to their name. This album is not as multi-layered as their previous 'Black Light'; more of your basic bass-drums-guitar, but still features vibes, organ, accordion, cello, harmonica and mariachi horns. They came to visit Bloomington a couple of years ago, and they rocked! In CD, they are even better, so play this over and over. Tracks 1, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14 are instrumental.

For me, Hot Rail lacks the incredible power of Spoke and The Black Light. It seems too highly produced, too brainy, too mellow, and the lyrics flat. I could itemize a bunch of lame lines like "I live on the outskirts where the snakes and scorpions run" that are vastly inferior to the poetry and narrative force of the first two. It's just not the same. In their first two CD's, we're drawn into their world. Now Calexico is telling us, not showing us.

Calexico is like some half-breed love child of a mariachi band and Morphine. Like a band in a saloon from the good, the bad and the ugly they are both intoxicatingly exotic and mildly menacing.

I have had this CD for over a year, my daughter sent it for Christmas. At first I did think it a little gimmicky. I have listened several times and have changed my opinion. It is well paced and the numbers, while diverse, blend well. It is something I usually play at least twice when in a popular music listening mood. I like this CD well enough to look for more from these guys.