Album Of The Day

Feb 28 2024 Author

5

Now THIS is why I signed up for this. Music I've never heard from a band I was only vaguely aware of, and I'm absolutely loving it.

Mar 15 2023 Author

4

Somewhere between Wilco, a Mariachi Band, and a soundtrack to a western. I. Was. Here. For. It.

Feb 07 2024 Author

5

Bluesy, folksy, country, latin infused indie rock. This shit rocks. Its just exactly what i needed. Its not a 5 as in its perfect but its a 5 as in where has this been all my life

Mar 18 2023 Author

4

Calexico always made me wonder why there wasn't more mariachi-infused indie rock. But then if that were a subgenre, none of the other bands would have been as great as Calexico.

Jul 15 2024 Author

2

Tasteful dinner music for white hipsters obsessed with notions of authenticity, but who find Los Lobos (let alone actual Mexican music) too spicy for their beige tastes. This is well played and arranged with exquisite production (reminiscent of the work of Daniel Lanois in its sheen and spaciousness), but the songs are not really there. It never works up much energy. I had high hopes for a song titled Attack El Robot! Attack!, but it sounds like a watered down Tom Waits track that ended up on the cutting room floor. These guys have collaborated with everyone from that southern California / Texas semi-country scene, but really this album sounds like a calling card for session musos on the make. It never gets above "ho hum" for me.

Jun 06 2023 Author

5

Wow this is fun and unique! I think my lips began to chap halfway through this album from the desert heat. I love the vivid landscapes this album paints in my mind. I love it!

Apr 15 2023 Author

4

This album is a very consistent and engaging mix of indie rock, mariachi, jazz, alt county, and just about everything else. The guitar work in particular stood out to me, especially the jazz guitar in the penultimate track. The album feels spacious and has enough room to let melodies linger and for musical ideas to slowly and fully develop. This music truly inhabits the feel of the southwest in a way that captures the expansiveness and occasional tumultuousness of that region.

Mar 25 2023 Author

4

This is really good. I'd not even heard of the band and expected to dislike but the variety and catchiness of the songs are undeniable. I found myself playing this through 3 times. There are a number of styles here but it's assured and professional. Impressive.

May 18 2023 Author

5

What is this? Post-alt-country!? It's wonderful, I love it! 😻 I'm a huge fan of albums that go out of their way to be cinematic, or dabble with multiple genres, and this album does both of those things well. I haven't really listened to Calexico before so this is a great discovery for me - that's what this project is all about! Fave track - "Black Heart" - those strings are positively trip-hop! "Close Behind" sounds like a spaghetti western soundtrack, "The Book and the Canal" sounds like a revisionist western soundtrack, "Attack el Robot! Attack" sounds like Tom Waits, and let's say "Corona" for that mariachi feel....

Mar 29 2023 Author

5

Me listening to Feast of Wire for the 5th time in a row: "God damn that is good. Shit, that's fresh." But in all seriousness, hadn't listened to this in many years and I'd forgotten how freaking good it is. Glad it made it onto the list too, most of the stuff I was obsessed with in 2005 did not lol. It has "filler", but even those are hella good tbh. A jewel of the 00s, straight back into the rotation. 5/5

Mar 14 2023 Author

4

I love the mood this album sets, like an indie mariachi road trip.

Mar 07 2024 Author

5

Goddam, I love this album. Bought it the day it came out after a rave Guardian review, then moved to Tucson 2 weeks later (Hume might object to the structure of that sentence). What an incredible, atmospheric soundtrack to a pivotal time in my life. Even used to eat at El Guero Canelo on occasion! Their best individual album by far, so dramatic and tuneful, vocal and instumental alike. Mariachi-indie rules.

Sep 20 2023 Author

4

Calexico was a group I was only slightly familiar with and was not expecting what I ended up hearing. I really enjoyed how varied this is and was struck by how well written and recorded each song was with each track offering something special. I was also surprised by the amount of instrumentals ranging from really fun to really weird. I wouldn't mind going back to their previous albums to capture a bigger picture of this one.

Feb 27 2024 Author

5

Brilliant.

Sep 22 2023 Author

5

An unexpected treat. I was unfamiliar with Calexico and went into the album pretty blind. What a delight it turned out to be! The mariachi infused indie/jazz/folk offerings here are splendid. I found myself listening to not only this, but a whole number of Calexico albums as I got lost in their pretty unique sound. This album was awesome and has turned me onto a band that I apparently really love.

Aug 17 2024 Author

4

I had never heard of this album before this, and while the vocals were just really standard early 2000’s indie vocals, the album absolutely nailed it in the instrumentals.

Apr 05 2023 Author

4

8/10 dang that was so cool and creative! super neat!

Aug 10 2024 Author

3

Interesting album to say the least. A much different take on indie rock, with country, Tejano, and jazz thrown in. It definitely SOUNDS southwestern and desert-y, which makes sense considering that this group was apparently formed in Tuscon, Arizona. There seems to be an even mix of vocal and instrumental tunes as well, really bringing the spotlight to this interesting fusion of western genres. Just shy of a 3.5/5 for creativity, as there weren't really any specific tracks that I was pining to go back and listen to, but the body of work was certainly interesting.

Mar 14 2023 Author

3

Nice surprise. Very diverse and has some original sounds.

Aug 19 2025 Author

2

I did not like this, and I don't think I needed to hear this before I die. While I appreciated the Mexican inspiration in many of the songs, I didn't care for it from some random white dudes. Could we not have more Mexican/Latin bands on this list instead of white people inspired by them? We can't even throw some Mana on here? But I digress. In general this had that really boring 2000s indie sound, and I had to stop listening in the middle and didn't pick it up again for days because I didn't care. And sometimes that's worse than outright bad music. I believe this was removed from later editions of the book, and I understand why. I'll pass.

May 12 2025 Author

1

"i wish this list had more music incorporating rhythms and sounds you don't hear in typical anglosphere pop music" the monkey's paw's finger curls

Mar 18 2024 Author

5

Maybe it’s the horns or maybe it’s the damaged woman on the cover I want to make my wife but I loved this album

Jan 11 2024 Author

5

I enjoyed this album enough to listen to it all afternoon! I’d describe it as breezy, sometimes haunting, sometimes sexy, sometimes sweeping, and sometimes… mariachi? It made for an interesting listen by mixing indie rock with such a Latin flavor, and, well… I LOVED it.

Oct 08 2023 Author

5

Went into this blind, and wasn’t too sold on seeing the album art. Boy, was I wrong. I loved the sad, solemn feel; western noir was a good way of putting it. Really wish I would have found this band when I was going through my angsty indie teens. Reminds me a lot of Bright Eyes, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc. Very cool lesson about not judging a book by its cover.

Sep 02 2023 Author

5

First track had me thinking, another dang country album, which really didn't fit the cover art. As the tracks progressed I was hooked. What is this album? I had no idea Indy rock Mariachi was a thing. I listened thrice and told a few people about the discovery. By my well defined scoring system, that's a five. Great find.

Jun 27 2023 Author

5

Really didn't know what to expect but enjoyed this a lot. Kind of a west coast Iron and Wine with some Latin flair in the instrumentation. Would absolutely put this on again and hope to see more from these guys.

Jun 06 2023 Author

5

Well, okay, that was pretty great.

Jun 06 2023 Author

5

Outstanding! Eclectic mix of great songs. I am quite well-taken with this one.

Jun 02 2023 Author

5

Never heard of Calexico before and was very impressed by this. Lots of fun, a great blend of genres that kept things interesting without seeming too scattered, and a well-paced mix of songs and instrumentals. Will definitely be revisiting this and checking out some of their other records. I feel like after a couple of listens this would probably drop to a 4 but just from a first impression I’m going high

May 27 2023 Author

5

Never heard of them before. Will really enjoy listening to this multiple times I think, was just a very pleasant experience!

Apr 29 2023 Author

5

Highly surprised by this. Loved the Latino feel to it. Super interesting and unique!

Apr 08 2023 Author

5

Wow what an interesting album this was. Had a bit of everything! Felt like an indie rock band with a lot of mariachi flavour mixed in. Wikipedia has it listed under the genre "Tex-mex" and yeah, couldn't put it better myself. A bit of folk and country, a bit of mariachi, a bit of jazz - A highly interesting album. Some of the songs here were a little too slow for me to really get into, but I liked this album a lot regardless. Favourite: Quattro - World Drifts In

Oct 02 2025 Author

4

Feast of Wire I absolutely LOVED this album when it came out, but I’m not sure I’ve really revisited it that much over the last 22 or so years. Listening now it very specifically takes me back to 2003, and I’m also glad to say, nostalgia aside, that I think it still holds up as a very fine album of Western-Americana-Indie-Folk-Rock-Pop. The country twangs, Tex Mex horns and overall deserty feel are all deployed skillfully, never feeling gimmicky and giving the whole thing a lovely, dusty, lived in ambience. The songs I remember most clearly are Sunken Waltz, Quattro, Black Heart and Not Even Stevie Nicks, and those still remain the stand outs, bearing lovely melodies and atmospherics, but there are other great tracks too, Across the Wire is lovely and of the many instrumentals Pepita and Close Behind are nicely evocative and Attack! El Robot! Attack! And Crumble add a great bit of jazziness. I’m glad I still liked this, and happy to give it a high 4. 🤠🤠🤠🤠 Playlist submission: Not Even Stevie Nicks

Aug 16 2024 Author

4

Really enjoyed this one. Some mariachi, county and folk influences. Indie folk was in a good place here, before it evolved into the stomp clap of 2010s. Enjoyed the mixing, the horns are great. It hits the spot and changes itself up so it never really gets boring. Strong album through and through. Favourite song is maybe "Quattro" but many are good.

Apr 11 2025 Author

3

Kinda groovy, kinda fun. I had no expectations and I found this to be an enjoyable (though forgetable) listen.

Aug 16 2024 Author

3

Initially a quite interesting album, but it felt like it diverged a bit from its own formula after a while and got a bit too incoherent for my taste. Don’t remember any particularly song that stood out, though most were decent, mixed with a handful ones as well that didn’t work for me.

Aug 14 2024 Author

3

This was on the border between a 3 and 4. I hadn't listened to them, but I enjoyed. I don't know how often I would return to this one.

Nov 20 2025 Author

5

This is my shit.

Nov 19 2025 Author

5

They are awesome.

Nov 13 2025 Author

5

Already got

Nov 05 2025 Author

5

5/5

Nov 04 2025 Author

5

Such a varied album with many different genres from Latin to psychedelic to rock. Upbeat, soft , slow and everything in between . Mostly instrumentals but with beautiful apt vocals.

Oct 31 2025 Author

5

Incrrrrr

Oct 19 2025 Author

5

Never heard more about these guys than the name. Pleasantly surprised by the myriad influences on their sound. The wiki described it as "desert noir"? I guess so? Great music for a dusty cantina or a late night car ride in the middle of nowhere. Eminently listenable.

Oct 10 2025 Author

5

Mexican inflected indie. Good shit.

Oct 07 2025 Author

5

Nice guitars.

Oct 03 2025 Author

5

Blew my expectations out of the water. I kinda wish there were more tracks with vocals on it though. Apart from that, no complaints.

Oct 02 2025 Author

5

I actually saw these cats in Shoreditch about ten years ago. Mainly on the strength of the Love cover which they do jolly well - wish I'd appreciated them more then. A slow-burn album, but one that envelopes the listener in a sound that could only emanate from the southern lands of the US. Cowboy acoustic instrumentals, slide guitars and reverb create the desert heat of Arizona. 'Borderlands' folk, mixes TexMex mariachi horns and Latin rhythms. The seed of the brilliant Other Lives, War on Drugs, Phospherescence is all here. This is the band Gomez could've been. Grizzly Bear was outstanding and this almost puts it in the shade. A true masterpiece.

Sep 30 2025 Author

5

Yeah man, that hit the spot. Some great songs full of atmosphere, some nifty precise acoustic based arrangements, a touch of the exotic and likeable understated vocals. Now and again a superb album like this comes along and reminds me why I am doing this project.

Sep 30 2025 Author

5

I was unfamiliar with Calexico, was pleasantly surprised with the album, enjoyed it very much. There are parts where I thought I was listening to Neil Finn/Crowded House, (which I love). Great blend of melancholy for a fine an autumn day.

Sep 26 2025 Author

5

wasn't expecting to like this as much as i did

Sep 23 2025 Author

5

This is a vibe, and a fun discovery. Western vibes, indie, very enjoyable and entirely new to me (both the band and album). What a solid addition, very atmospheric. Feels like the best album you've never heard of. 5* Highlights: pepita, the book and the canal (lovely instrumentals), across the wire (the mariachi influence)

Sep 22 2025 Author

5

surprising

Sep 20 2025 Author

5

A diverse southwestern delight marvelously executed and humanizing

Sep 15 2025 Author

5

A masterpiece that shifts moods, rhythms and worlds.

Sep 04 2025 Author

5

Really enjoyed this album and the band Calexico in general. They blend such a wide range of music in a way that doesn't feel forced. Their music feels like the score to a daydream or a movie playing in my head. This is the first time I've listened to this album in its entirety and I will definitely go back to it again.

Aug 29 2025 Author

5

This is right up my alley. As someone from southwest USA, I loved the Latin flair to alt rock. This kind of stuff is what I’m looking for on this list.

Aug 24 2025 Author

5

Liked this a lot. Lots of variety. One of my favorite discoveries from this list.

Aug 14 2025 Author

5

The album art really threw me off, this is not the Latin Hip-Hop I was expecting. Sunken Waltz was a good opener but Quattro slides in and is an immediate hit. Black Heart keeps it that same level. Man I've been listening to so much Modest Mouse this is just like so tangentially great to that. Pepita is SO GOOD. This is a 5 already. Love everything through to Across the Wire which slips down in quality for me. Dub latina picks it back up thank god. It rides through. I love this album this is not at all what I expected when we rolled this. The instrumental tracks alone are a 5/5 but there's some good vocals on this thing. The only song that sticks out to me as not as strong as the rest is Across the Wire and even that is a good song, I just wish they had done something more interesting with the vocals. Again, I have been exclusively listening to Modest Mouse other than this list for like a week and this fits right in. You get Isaac Brock yelling over these it's a 6/5. Great job Calexico.

Aug 14 2025 Author

5

Great mix of different styles

Aug 10 2025 Author

5

Now I know the CD I’m popping into the player on my next camping trip to the deeert. Very evocative and incredibly well produced. I need to get deeper into their catalog

Aug 06 2025 Author

5

Shockingly good

Aug 06 2025 Author

5

not at all familiar w/them but this was the type of surprise I want by going thru this list. really enjoyed entire listen-suited to the gloomy, damp day. great variety on sounds, instruments, and vocals. the piano on Book & Canal is excellent.

Aug 01 2025 Author

5

This album sounds like the soundtrack to the coolest film ever. Like if Firefly got more continuation. Really interesting and thrilling melodies and sound palates. Really engaging and great track-to-track flow. Love love LOVE this album.

Jul 28 2025 Author

5

Eclectic. Sounds like a western movie soundtrack. Would love to listen to this in a bar with a cocktail. Transported to another world with this one. Really enjoyed!

Jul 27 2025 Author

5

Calexico are still mostly unheard of and underrated here. Great songs, great production, great ideas, great execution.

Jul 22 2025 Author

5

Very much my thing. Reminded me of Wilco, but with a Latin twist. I greatly enjoyed the mix of jams (mood music) with the actual songs. Felt like I was in a border town. Sunken Waltz was probably my favourite track though, the jaunty intro and riffs were great. Close Behind, Attack! El Robot! Attack!, Dub Latina, and Guero Canelo were also brilliant.

Jul 21 2025 Author

5

So, so impressed with this album!! From the first few notes on the opening track, I knew I’d like this album and it did not disappoint!! The Mexicana vibes, but with a bit of rock and funk combined, the every song has me liking it more than the last. Each song is so unique and interesting. Added it to my lineup! Listen again: absolutely Purchase for my collection: yes! Favourite Song: too hard to choose

Jun 30 2025 Author

5

I honestly didn't think Mariachi would blend with anything, but this was a lovely combination of indie, horns and bits of jazz. Left me feeling joyous, and with such a variety of songs all centred around a core idea. Absolutely revisiting this

Jun 30 2025 Author

5

Just an overall amazing record. Off the charts musicianship, great songwriting.

Jun 26 2025 Author

5

Incredible

Jun 26 2025 Author

5

Felt unctuous. Dark maybe? Like a really good ramen broth.

Jun 19 2025 Author

5

I love the hell out of this record. The production is crystalline and perfect, like the glass in a window of an abandoned house, letting the melancholy of the songs shine though like the morning sun. While it's not the strongest track on the album, their performance of "Not Even Stevie Nicks" at JazzFest one year made me a die-hard fan.

May 30 2025 Author

5

So Good! Weirdly reminded me of the Beatles but not really, I seriously love this.

May 29 2025 Author

5

Veldig spennende album. Stor variasjon, flotte lydbilder, mye krydder og velspilt.

May 26 2025 Author

5

Really really ended up liking this.

May 23 2025 Author

5

Loved all of it. Great album with variety and keeps you listening. Love the ones that sound like the opening to a spaghetti western. That’s all I have time to write.

May 21 2025 Author

5

I was torn between a 4 and 5 but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. One of the few PLEASANT surprises on this list. Mostly I've been surprised at how bad some of these entries are.

Mar 31 2025 Author

5

It's excellent. A very rich mix of Latin vibes, Americana, country and cool jazz. Complex and accomplished.

May 16 2025 Author

5

vier bis fünf

May 16 2025 Author

5

I now know not to judge an album by its cover! I loved the variety between tracks, how could I get bored with trip-hop, country, jazz and dub all on one album? I also love their version of Alone Again Or in the deluxe edition, a cover of my favourite band Love.

May 15 2025 Author

5

A little bit "Something's Rattling (Cowpoke)" by Ben Gibbard, a little bit Wilco, a lotta bit fantastic. Right up my alley so far. Also partly River Whyless and maybe some LCD Soundsystem? I don't know exactly, but boy am I LOVING this. Feels like visiting Grandfather from New Mexico. Oh wow, I swear it just keeps getting better and better. I'm almost bitter at how long the album is, because it's so so many new fantastic songs that it's a lot to stomach all at once!! 5 stars for sure!! Not a single doubt in my mind.

May 05 2025 Author

5

I was broke. Like 'broke.' Tho I had no money in 1998, these guys had a date at The Troubadour in West Hollywood and somehow, I went to see them. It was right after Black Light was released. I'd been in LA for a few years, but still hadn't found my groove, or my place. That night is memorable because I find a lot of loneliness in Calexico. The twang-y, western-y, voice heavy songs are slow, melodic and relaxing. It's not music that I naturally gravitate to. Instead, I think of Calexico as a suitable alternative to the world I inhabited. It's no worse than this one and might even be better... like, what if everything we know is wrong? This album has the same southwestern vibe, dripping with thoughts of independent film in a close but foreign world. One that I'll visit again.

Apr 26 2025 Author

5

Really lovely strings and acoustic guitar to start off. Not always the biggest fan of the quite whiny sounding singer but this works on here. Quattro is a very good song that I will have to revisit. The instrumentals on this are incredibly well done. I love me some strings and horns combo. String n' Horn > Drum n' Bass. That was such a cool album with all of the different instruments and Latin American influenced sounding songs. Had me jamming the whole time and will want to be listening to this again in the future. It also gets bonus points for being a refreshingly unique album which is always great to have come up on this list.

Apr 19 2025 Author

5

This album feels like a desert road trip with the radio picking up ghost signals from every direction. It fuses alt-country, mariachi, jazz, and indie rock into something that’s cinematic without being showy. Two favourites are “Sunken Waltz” ; a dusty, accordion-laced opener that hits with quiet poetry, and “Black Heart” which crawls under your skin like a slow-burning western noir. The album is a slow-grower due to the blend of styles, but once it clicked, it’s marvellous.

Apr 14 2025 Author

5

I always liked Calexico for their atmospheric songs. But I never listened to this album - it's great. One could say an eclectic mix of tex/mex/country/rock but it really works for me. The music is very filmic which I love, perfect for relaxing and dreaming away.

Apr 10 2025 Author

5

I loved the mix of Spanish music and rock. It was something different to hear and enjoyable. I never heard of anything like it.

Apr 10 2025 Author

5

I had never even heard of this group before today, but I've listened to the album 3 times now and it's a masterpiece. Feast of Wire is a gorgeous fusion of latin instruments (classical guitar, trumpet, accordion) and musical figures with a variety of genres--indie rock ("Not Even Stevie Nicks"), jazz ("Crumble"), and country ("Sunken Waltz") to name a few. Each song on the album feels different, but they all come together to form a cohesive whole. Several instrumentals and short interludes break up the vocal tracks, giving the album a sense of different acts or chapters. I wholeheartedly recommend this album and I'm only sad that I didn't discover it sooner. Favorite track: Quattro - World Drifts In

Apr 09 2025 Author

5

I really enjoyed this album, it reminded me of home and drinking tequila outside.

Apr 09 2025 Author

5

This is why I’m doing this list. I had never heard of Calexico, but this was a great listen. I was engaged the whole time, and I was a little sad when it was over. It might have four stars, but I’m giving it an extra star for being new and reinforcing why I am doing this.

Apr 03 2025 Author

5

Wasn't sure what to expect but really enjoyed this album. Sometimes creepy vibes, sometimes jazzy - I added Crumble to my Liked Songs playlist.

Apr 02 2025 Author

5

A really great album, just a unique sound mixing different styles and genres perfectly.

Mar 21 2025 Author

5

Really, really cool sounds. Feels like the desert. Completely new to me, but love it. I really like the format of a bunch of short songs with varied sounds, it was an exciting listen. Honestly think I prefer the songs without vocals. Might be the worst album cover I've ever seen though

Mar 14 2025 Author

5

Daydreaming about the family meeting up at Sunday dinner in grandma and grandpa's backyard -- Marty Robbins is the grandpa and Calexico is the dad (I guess I'm the kid? lol) but Calexico is on the grill, Marty is in his chair next to the picnic table, they're both enjoying Pacificos just shootin the breeze. The lineage feels so obvious and so right. Also I can't help but feel bad for bands like Lord Huron and Django Django. I don't mean to throw shade, no one asked, haha, but just by comparison Calexico just pulls it off. I guess when I say "it", it almost feels like this fiction, like a Cohen brothers movie about the grandson of a cowboy who lives in the desert. Or a white kid who grew up with Mexican ranch hands in arid south south California or Arizona. The same way Marty Robbins was a fiction about a gunslinger, the culture of Calexico feels like a caricature. In a great way. The way I used to daydream about train jumping.

Mar 05 2025 Author

5

A fun mix of a variety of styles, but with a consistent theme and feeling throughout. It is an album that gets deeper and better with more listens.

Feb 26 2025 Author

5

Nice

Feb 25 2025 Author

5

This album is an experience, an adventure. It's jazz, it's mariachi, it's Spanish style guitar, and it's fantastic. I can literally see myself one a journey and each song is another stop on the itinerary. It is so different and exactly the kind of thing I hoped to find!

Feb 20 2025 Author

5

564 albums and finally, FINALLY one that I'd never heard of and absolutely love. The latin influence, the country undertones, the surprising burst of Cumbia like the quenceñera you didn't know you were invited to?!?! 437 more like this, please!

Jan 30 2025 Author

5

I'm honestly not sure if I've ever heard more range on a single album in my life

Jan 29 2025 Author

5

Entre 1998 y 2003 Calexico publicaron 3 discos extraordinarios. The Black Light (1998) Hot Rail (2000) Feast of Wire (2003 No es que lo que hicieran después tuviera menor calidad, pero es que esta trilogía tuvo un impacto inigualable. Sonaban diferentes, con referencias a muchas cosas, todas buenas, y sobre todo sonaban fenomenal. El adjetivo fronterizo o mestizaje son los mejores calificativos. Una obra imprescindible. A mi me gusta más Hot rail, pero es cuestión de matices, cualquiera de estos 3 justifica una trayectoria. Y no hemos mencionado a Giant Sand o Friends of Dean Martinez...

Feast of Wire

Calexico

Album Summary

Keywords from Reviews

Reviews