Feast of Wire

8/10. Great album. Loved the instrumental songs. Attack El Robot! Attack! one of my favorites I’ve heard I think.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to listen to this band. I know they are frequent collaborators with Iron and Wine - one of my favorites. I can hear they go hand in glove. So glad to have had the opportunity to listen. Will definitely be playing this band regularly from now on.

Never thought I’d find an Indie band that wasn’t complete crap, but the mix of Latin music, and a vocalist that doesn’t sound like he’s a boy or suicidal makes for some fine listening

Feast of Wire? I left hungry.

Hard to find this album... make a deal with Spotify or GTFO...

Room for more of this!

What a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this album—my favourites include 'Black heart', 'Not even Stevie Nicks..', 'The Book and the Canal' and 'No Doze'. Some of the instrumentals went on for too long but other than that, this was a really nice listen. 4 stars

chillinkin ja waibailun min-maksimointia... east of ire..., hei olen alexi äxällä.... omankaltaisuuutta löyttyy jonkin verran tosiaan ihan kiinnostavaa kuunneltavaa tossaja hyvältonkin verran tosiaan ihan kiinnostavaa kuunneltavaa tossaja hyvältonkin verran tosiaan ihan kiinnostavaa kuunneltavaa tossaja hyvältonkin verran tosiaan ihan kiinnostavaa kuunneltavaa tossaja hyvältä kuulostaa jäpikät pojat. silti tarpeeksi poppipaskaa että porukka fiilaa... iilimatoi pilis... suhun ihastuin... pörriäisii korvis... kikkeleit... pippeleit... kullei... kyrpii... syylii jortikas.... crumble

Meh

Decently surprised! 4/5

Good stuff!

Quite an enjoyable listen, and a band I wasn't previously familiar with. A little esoteric at times though.

Sekoitus jotain meksikolaista, jazzia ja lastenlauluja

Beautiful flowing melodies and hypnotic harmonies. Instant fan!

i’ve actually already heard this one 1. nice start, nothing too special 2. *oh* 3. literally 20 seconds of pianos 4. oh… 5. nice instrumental 6. more standard calexico but rip guy i guess 7. i like the cinematics on this one 8. i like the chill vibe on this one 9. nothing wrong with classical music 10. j a z z 11. lil story about the frontman crossing the border between america and mexico 12. groovy lil instrumental 13. the classic 14. track 5 but different, really cool concept 15. more jazz 16. endoftheworld outro to an underrated 8/10 album that is their best

Jäin odottamaan huippukohtaa, en saanut sitä. Pidän laulajan äänestä ja instrumentaalinumeroista. Miten voi tuntua siltä, että yritetään liikaa (tavoitella jotain elokuvallista kokonaisuutta) muttei kuitenkaan yritetä tarpeeksi (ei ole selvää draaman kaarta, biisit eivät pääse täysin nousemaan).

Alkuun vaikuttaa, että yhtyeen mietteliäs (ja ihmeen tehokas) folk on heidän ainoa ideansa. Sitten levy tekee metamorfoosin löyhästi lattariteemaisten bileiden taustamusiikiksi. Sympaattinen 2+.

Pues me ha encantau.

Not at all what I expected, but was a pleasant album.

Solid music that was enjoyable to listen to. It did fade into the background at times and wasn't the most engaging at times. Not something I will be coming back to much but enjoyable enough to not want to avoid.

Not my thing. Album suffers from loudness wars. Everything sounds too loud and also too polished. It’s like a slightly more interesting version of Mumford and Sons except Mumford has better dynamics. A lot of music in the past 15-20 years has suffered from too much polish. Everything is maxed out and clipped and the highs and lows are missing for me.

Nice. I liked the instrumental songs most. The vocals sound pretty classic indie-rock (which I don't really like), but the instrumental parts are more latin-indie-rock, which is cool.

Creates a nice atmosphere.

Thoroughly enjoyed this alternative esque voyage into Southwestern America and Mexican music. So diverse and rich with a lot of exciting parts. Perfect soundscapes at times for a film score as well. I like the social imagery with the chola skater on the cover coimbedded with classic mariachi instrumentation, and light jazz fusion elements. Its kinda like I always said, nerdy old white guys know how to make incredible music.

Refreshing album in this sea of British nonsense. I liked the mix of musical styles and even the odd lyrics but the instrumentals are always a minus for me. Overall a decent album, probably deserves a second listen.

This album should be left alone unless you are intending to use the vinyl version to play Ultimate Frisbee or use it in hand to hand combat. My over all impression was that it would be a great album to poke your eyes out with a sharp stick. I’m sure his mother loves him though.

This sounds like the soundtrack to someone struggling to pick which color Patagonia puffy vest to buy

This sucks. Writing anything more will just piss me off entirely.

This was different in a good way

This was nice. My mind was a little distracted with other things at the time, but this wasn't bad.

I expected some generic early-2000s indie from the cover, but this ended up being pretty middle-of-the-road. Mixing pedal steel, mariachi horns, and spaghetti western vibes sounds cool on paper, and tracks like "Black Heart" have some nice textures, but the whole thing just lands as overly polished and competent at best.

a lot of this was just there to zone out to. probably closer to 3 could i write poetry to this?

Some parts were kinda cool, like a Southwestern version of Wilco. As a whole, it didn't really ever take off.

Indie rock, country alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

Pues me ha encantau.

More detached indie rock, I can dig it

Quite enjoyed this

I quite enjoyed, didn't finish it because of how long it was but I did finish disk 1 which was pretty good

This was nice enough, not something I’m likely to return to though.

That was surprisingly good

It's a nice sound but fades into nothingness after a while. Would like in smaller doses

The sort of thing you would hope the album generator would highlight. A mix of country/alt rock/ jazz and everything else. It's well put together. Horrendous album cover but not that it matters... 4*

i'm actually mad i loved this album

I Liked the variety of beats and instrumental arrangements.

Really good and chill

Nice surprise! There are a lot of good songs on here, and it flows well as an album. After just one listen it's hard to say how good it really is and whether I'll revisit it often.

Ok. Not a fan of the last bit of this album, but the first part had a few good songs. 2.5/5

Interesting and surprising, i like it. It is variated, with different Styles of musics and rythyms.

I think I've heard of this band but never listened to them. That was a mistake on my part. I really enjoyed this album. The horns, the Latin influences, all of it. I spent most of the day listening to this and a lot of their other catalog. The generator gave me a solid today.

A little different, but actually quite good.

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.

Some moments I liked, but was definitely a bit of a chore to get through. Favorites were mostly the instrumental tracks. Will I listen to again: 2%

This was absolutely nothing special, can’t understand why it made the list. 2.5/5

Decent and surprising

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.

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.

This is such a funky album so far. I really love it. I feel like most of the albums that have been generated for me recently have songs that all sound the same, but this is not the case with this album so far. 10 songs in. 5/5! That doesn't happen too often.

A cross between Neil young and tom waits can't be bad

Album that I’ve listened to a couple times over the years but never got deep into it.

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.

I loved this.

Interesting as background music

I have to admit that I had never heard of this band before. Are they a band? I think they’re a band. Hard to tell sometimes with an artist name whether it’s an individual or a band. But I’m pretty sure. I have to admit that I had never heard of this band before. Are they a band? I think they’re a band. Hard to tell sometimes with a artist name whether it’s an individual or a band. But I’m pretty sure. No, I never heard of them before, so of course I had no idea what to expect. What I got was this really amazing mixture of genres. At least it felt that way. Jazz, Latin Jazz, Spanish Guitar, Funk, rock. Was a really interesting lesson that always kept me on my toes. And I love what an album does that. One thing I think that works against this album is that it’s so easy to put on the background and Not really actively listen to it the instrumental tracks, especially contribute to this, as they’re just so chill most of the time that it almost feels like Lofi before Lofi was a thing. I know that this can happen because it happened to me. While listening to this album, I was doing some work and I admit that I probably didn’t listen as close to this as I should’ve. And despite that, it’s gonna get four stars. But it also demands another listen. Throw this on the pile of albums that fits that category. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Quattro - Worlds Drift In, Pepita, Not Even Stevie Nicks…, Close Behind, Attack El Robot! Attack!, Dub Latina, Crumble

Completely surprised with how good this album was compared to what I expected it was going to be. This was a fantastic listen. Wonderfully seamless blends of alternative, alt-country, Latin and mariachi vibes, and even jazz.

Pretty wide ranging blend of musical genres on this album and it was more enjoyable than expected.

Enjoyed this, something a bit different than normal.

It was okay but couldn't be bothered with the whole double disc album

Never heard of Calexico, and ended up loving this album. It's laid back, some songs have the gentle tension building that I really enjoy, and the instrumentals are great (e.g., Close Behind). The album is tentative and exploratory in a way that is fun for the listener as well. Sort of like they are trying to find their own sound.

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.

Love this album, love its predecessor a tiny bit more. Still... As the predecessor isn't on this list, this gets the 5/5 from me that Hot Rail should get. Not to belittle this one at, all, it's a very solid 4.5 in any case for me. Both are outstanding albums that whenever I listen to them make me wonder why there isn't more music out there in a similar style.

This is a decent album, well produced, easy listening, and nothing outstanding bad. I've seen their name before, but as they have a connection to Germany, that is no real surprise. But, alas, not really the music I fancy.

Star-crossed relationship with this band ever since their EP w/ Iron+Wine slid behind my built in record cabinet, sending it to the depths of Mordor before I even got to listen to it five times. They do a really good job of evoking the American southwest, from their name to the instrumentation to the lonesome sounds that remind me of epic drives across a desert landscape. I prefer their instrumentals to the vocal tunes as to me this is essentially mood music and the words get in the way, as Gloria Estefan once sang.

I've never heard of Calexico, and I don't think I've ever heard anything by them, which is always a fun/uncertain aspect of this collection. It's definitely on the fun side, and I was really impressed with the band and album's range of sounds and the atmosphere of the album. (And very bummed that I couldn't figure out how to access/play the pregap instrumental before "Sunken Waltz".) I liked nearly all of their songs, but if I had to pick favorites, I particularly enjoyed "Quattro (World Drifts In)", "Pepita", "Woven birds" (plus its companion "The book and the canal"), and "Guero Canelo"; I'd also request perhaps two or three fewer instrumentals. They have their own distinctive sound, of course, but I was reminded of a curious combination of Daniel Lanois and Alejandro Escovedo, with a touch of Los Lobos. I'm disappointed that this is our only sampling of the band in this collection, as it sounds (from Wikipedia at least) like they continued to evolve and develop in interesting ways after this breakthrough album. Not that it should stop me from seeking them out, as I'd definitely be willing to hear more from them, and I'm curious to see what their former band Giant Sand has in store in this collection.

I thought this was fine but not particularly striking.

Newest fan right here

Normale I dig that kind of style but between circussy folk and pseudo depth I am rather not invested.

Good album, kind of see-sawed between being kind of basic and uninteresting, to being experimental and engaging. I liked the songs that were more unconventionally structured, not so much the more straightforward songs.

I felt like I was listening to the score for a Robert Rodriguez movie for most of this, though this gets long in the tooth sooner than any of his movies do

A truly fascinating blend of jazz, rock, and country from this and the other side of the border. I found the instrumental pieces most fascinating, highlighting a band that goes from wistful to energetic at the drop of a hat.

not a bad lil indie record

The instrumental tracks on this album are outstanding, especially Pepita. What a surprise this was, as I’d never heard it before. The whole album is excellent 4/5

This sounds like a radio station with a mix of melancholic indie pop-rock, latin sounds and a breath of jazz.

Was actually not bad, a bit repetitive though. So won't be listening to this again in the future and also won't be looking out for any other albums by Calexico.

Woah, how have I not heard of this band until today? They've got a nice Mariachi folk bluesy rock thing going on, and I'm here for it - color me impressed. As a Mexican-American from Texas, I'm used to hearing blends of tejano, conjunto, and country in these parts, but I've never heard anything quite like this. Well done, amigos. You've gained a new fan.

Boring and possibly to blame for that folk revival that came later. Felt like it had no real substance, just vibe.

Fav: Black Heart Least Fav: Pepita

Good album! International world sound with roots rough voice. Heard of this band but never really explored, glad I did!

OK, but not fantastic

Too folky for me. Gimme Violent Femmes any day.

This started strong, and then slipped into a dream like mode. It faded fast, and so did my interest. There's no way I'm making it to Disc 2.

Nice, I liked it. Not sure why, but this western/mariachi style is really scratching an itch lately.

4/5

It was alright. Far too Americana for my tastes, but the instrumentals were nice and had real soul.

Surprise, never heard before. Really good indie mariachi.

I enjoy the instrumentals, but my first impression of the vocals is that they leave something to be desired. Not Even Stevie Nicks... has my favorite vocals so far. "Close behind" is very theatrical. It could be playing during a dance scene or action scene in a movie. "Woven birds" has nice vocals and slow instrumentals. Melody on "The Book and the Canal" is very nice - soft, sweet, and inspiring. "Across the wire" reminds me of a Bright Eyes song. The singing almost sounds like spoken word, and the lyrics tell a story from a misanthropic POV. "Crumble" has a jazzy feel. Overall, this album has such a diverse array of sounds and feelings. I feel like these songs are definitely in the soundtracks of many films!

Pues me ha encantau.

Some amazing almost ambient string parts and sense of space you associate with the desert. Some kind of naff 2000s indie pop. Black heart is great.

not a bad listen

A very, very, very subdued record. Even with active listening, it kind of avoids fully "getting it". It's a little Texan, a little indie... I find myself even finding it difficult to feel all that strongly, negatively or positively, about it. Favorite tracks: "Sunken Waltz"

Wasn’t liking it much the first half but really started to get I. The groove over the second half. Indie mariachi is such a good niche genre. Rating: 3.7

good

Average, album was a bit too long, songs were ok but nothing outstanding.

I have never heard of these guys, but they are good. An interesting take on the indie scene with some Latin influences and style thrown in. I think if it was a hair more upbeat it might have gotten full marks from me.

Magnificent.

*sigh*. Give me punch brothers or their solo stuff. Bela fleck. Billy strings. Sierra Hull. Not this warmed over stuff the Band did better. Or eagles. Or the birds. Or the allman bros or lynyrd skynMusic must develop or die. To be fair, this is competent. It has some nice parts. But give me Chris Thile or Chris Eldridge. Or bela fleck. Or anything that doesn’t fit a predictable pattern.

Allow me to jump on the metaphorical BANDWAGON here, and agree this is exactly why I came to this list - to discover and hopefully enjoy NEW music and unexplored styles. and sure, also be reminded the music I love but forgot to listen to because the CD case isn't sitting in front of me .... I read a few other reviews is which helped me grasp this is a mix of Mariachi (?) and post something. Ok. But I still like it for what it is. Interesting interstitial atmospheric - and it's music: I would paint to or write to... Feast on

I’d never heard Calexico before, but I really enjoyed this. Just about half of the trax are instrumentals. Some have a mariachi or even a tex-mex feel about them. The acoustic guitar at the beginning of Pepita almost sounds like the beginning of some ancient Robert Johnson song. Close Behind sounds like it’s been lifted from an epic Hollywood soundtrack. Crumble, on the other hand, sounds like a 70’s jazz cut & is unlike anything else on the album. The variety is broad & very infectious. Four Stars

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.

Again a new band for me. Loved this album.

un buon sottofondo

It's not bad. I like the laid back Mexican feel. It's good background music.

Decent listen.

Really fantastic, unique indie album. Great acoustic tracks too.

wasnt bad. But nothing was that memorable from a first listen. No standout songs for me. Its ok for background music maybe.

Very cool fusion of early 2000s indie rock and mariachi.

This is a great find. I have a new artist to follow!

This passed the high/sober listening test largely because of a strong first half but then it became a lot more instrumental and less fun but still quality. Had quite a variety of genres which was also pretty well done but overall I’m just glad I’m out of the rut of lame 60s music. Quattro and woven birds are my favs.

Fun mix of genres but at the end of the day, not super my jam. Still it sounded unique which is so much better as I reach the end of this thing. 3.5/5

Was okay, nice mood but didn't do much for me.

I want to like this more than I did but the tracklist is bogged down by instrumental songs that can’t really stand on their own.

Really great!

Wilco makes a western movie soundtrack.

That wasn’t what I was expecting. It was alright though, 3*

Wasn't keen first time around but it did grow on me. Probably just a 2 for now but with a few more listens - who knows?

I like the, it's like a taste of everything

I enjoyed! Production is amazing.

I underestimated it so much knowing it's a country album with an ugly cover art. It's just so surprisingly good.

Some acoustic folk, some rock, songs songs with a Sergio Leone influence and some Latin songs including one with mariachi horns. The jazzy funk of “Attack El Robot! Attack!” was the first track I genuinely vibed with rather than passively listening. Cool groove. “Dub Latina” and “Güero Canelo” were cool too. I like these instrumental grooves. And the jazz of “Crumble” is excellent! This album is full of surprises.

Strikingly bad album art, like so bad that I hope it is intentionally this bad. Two very different fonts with weird placements, the way that "Calexico" is stretched vertically and disproportionately, the little VG logo on bottom left, the weird gold/brown haze, that terrible grey skin? Wow. This album cover would appear on "1001 bad album artworks". It feels like someone's first draft image description for what they want for a tattoo before a tattoo artist has to decipher a bad idea and turn it into something that will look good. "Give me a girl with grey skin smirking and sitting on a skateboard with a golden brown hazy texture behind her, and terrible fonts." It took me a while to get that it's "Feast of Wire" and not "Feast of Wine". The font really hurts the legibility here. The music is cool. I actually would say that I really enjoy the music. It's kind of indie rock western folky country slight Mexican noir and makes for a great platform for a listening experience. Unfortunately, the vocalist does nothing for me. His vocal sound is too straightforward and borders on bland and uninteresting. I don't feel excited to try to feel what he is feeling, I don't feel enthused to check out the lyrics. Much like the font hurting the album art text legibility, the mix hurts his voice here because his voice is just a bit too low and doesn't have any interesting production choices- no playing with reverb, delay, saturation. "Not Even Stevie Nicks" is a standout song and sounds different than the rest both compositionally and instrumentally. Unfortunately when its playing just the acoustic guitar and vocals, the second guitar chord in the progression is hard for the player to play; I suspect it's like an awkward capo placement that isn't giving 100% pressure to the frets as it sounds like several notes aren't ringing out and get this tentative sound. Easy to ignore but for me it sounds I don't know, lazy? Like the guitar was recorded in one take and they were like "yea it's fine". Overall I would give this another listen, and I want to give it a 3 because it felt like a middling album on this list. But I'm going to give it a 2 because this list really should be 1001 truly standout amazing records.

It wasn't bad, just that I didn't quite resonate with it at first listen. Maybe I will come back to it and I will like it more in the future, but nonetheless it is interesting.

Wonderful alt country indie with echoes of Wilco. Pretty fabulous and the band is completely new to me. Nice

I think this one will grow on me. I can't say I love it, but it's got some uniqueness. Favorite track: "Black Heart."

Not for me

I really like this. Reminds me of Santana

Not bad

This was really good! I've tried listening to Calexico a few times in the past and they've never really hooked me, but I liked this album a lot. Good mix of Americana, Latin, and jazz; an album with lap steel guitar AND vibraphone is one after my heart.

Was a fun album. I enjoyed it. It has some variance across the tracks and I like that. 3.5/5

This is the kind of 00’s indie I can get behind, reminds me of Of Montreal before they got a little too whimsical for my tastes. Pretty decently paced throughout, and being only a little over 45 minutes is a plus. C+

Good band, interesting album with lot of Mexican influences. I liked the second half better, which was more experimental, the first half was less memorable. A strong 3 from me.

Good Band. Unremarkable Album.

This album was fine. No real flow to the album. Lots of instrumental passages that were kinda cool but didn't really reinforce each other. Interesting blend of stuff but ultimately kinda boring

4.5/5

Good album that I liked

Something new to listen to. I had not heard of this band before the recommendation. I really enjoy this album and look forward to listening to more from Calexice

This is what I’m here for. A band I’ve never heard of with an album that’s so easy to spin over and over again. I’ll grab a Sonora dog next time I listen to this one

This is not my vibe Sunken Waltz - 3.5/5 Quattro - World Drifts in - 2.9/5 Stucco - 2.5/5 Black Heart- 3.8/5 Pepita - 3.4/5 Not Even Stevie Nicks... - 3.6/5 Close Behind - 3/5 Woven Birds - 3.1/5 The Book and the Canal - 2/5 Attack El Robot! Attack! - 1.5/5 Across the Wire - 3.8/5 Dub Latina - 2.5/5 Güero Canelo - 3.6/5 Whipping the Horse's Eyes - 1/5 Crumble - 2.5/5 No Doze - 3/5 Total - 2.9/5

I liked the instrumental tracks more than the vocals, which were giving Radiohead-lite. Sort of boring but not overly long.

Zydeco, bluesy, folksy, with a dash of Ennio Morricone thrown in for good measure. I loved the hell out of this album.

Finally country music, this is what I've been waiting for. So many country artists are so content to play a couple of chords and drone on about their truck, a pair of boots, Jesus, or some heartbroken whiny BS and never really try to innovate on the genre. This album keeps very country roots while masterfully introducing elements of folk, indie, jazz, and Latin music. It's so refreshing to hear a country album not made by people trying to do the bear minimum to string songs together - easily the class of the genre for me.

Första skivan asbra, andra lite för experimentell för mig

A fun at times country infused indie album with Standouts in Sunken Waltz, Quattro, and Black Heart.

This was great.

Nothing for me on this album. Esta fue una escucha dificil. But we haven't had Mexican food in a while, so maybe this weekend?

3 Indie folk with some south of the border flavor. I was hoping for skate punk based on the album cover, but I probably should've known better coming from a group named Calexico. Anyway, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this one. I feel like there’s a subtle charm to be found here, and in some ways, it even kind of reminded me of my favorite group, Bright Eyes (Not Even Stevie Nicks in particular reminded me of Poison Oak), but at the same time, it’s really not overly interesting music - some might even say it’s borderline boring. Despite the unique, genre-fusing sound, a lot of this ended up sounding kind of the same. I saw a few people write off the instrumental tracks in particular, but I actually found those to be some of the more interesting and diverse tracks here, and I think the album actually largely benefitted from their inclusion. I went back and forth a few times with my rating on this one. At the end of the day, I think I would say I think I liked this more than I disliked it, so we’ll go with a 3, but I also wouldn’t call it particularly memorable or revisitable.

I LIKE this! Pepita is where it really grabbed me attention after listening off and on and letting myself get distracted and whatnot. I would like to listen more intentionally. Especially after the transition from Pepita into the next track.. And the"heart full of hornets" line.

Quite good music, as mentioned in other reviews: sometimes it sounds like the title theme of as moderen western ;-) 4 stare for the good mix!

cool southwestern influenced rock album. Good indie aesthetic like wilco, DevotchKa and arcade fire with the grand instrumentation but distinctly in the flavor of a band like the Eagles or Love.

An unexpected treat!

Great instrumental songs mixed with ok lyrics songs.

interesting indie/country/jazz/americana

Cinematic. Southwestern. 4/5

Pues me ha encantau.

The latin inspired folk tunes works really well together. The songs feel... fresh!

Album bem normal. Nada demais para estar nessa lista. Não acrescenta.

Some interesting sounds and influences in there but I don’t know if I’ll revisit. Güero Canelo was a standout.

I like this band a lot! Love the gentle fusion and the instrumentation blend with experimental. Wish I'd thought of it.

As always; pleasant indie desert rock from Calexico.

Calexico are masters of blending their indie rock with a wide array of Latin sounds and genres. It’s always an enjoyable ride exploring the desert landscape with these guys.

Really dug this! Would love to hear more from this artist.

I really enjoyed this one. Never heard of them before but it's a huge eclectic mix of music genres. American indie, Prog, Latin American, blues, jazz, electronic. It's a brilliant album and I'll be listening to more of them

It’s okay. I can understand a certain audience that would have ate this up - my biggest gripe it that I loved all the songs w/o lyrics far more than the ones that did and I’m fairly certain they were interludes.

Funky, latin

Mince.

viel besser als ich dachte!

Great Variety, 2nd half bangs

Untitled (pregap hidden instrumental track) n/a Sunken Waltz 3 Quattro (World Drifts In) 3 Stucco 3 Black Heart 2.8 Pepita 2.5 Not Even Stevie Nicks.. 2.6 Close Behind 2.8 Woven Birds 2.8 The Book and the Canal 2.8 Attack el Robot! Attack! 3 Across the Wire 3.2 Dub Latina 3 Guero Canelo 3.3 Whipping the Horse's Eyes 2.9 Crumble 3.4 No Doze 3 Score: 2.94375

I have avoided these guys for a long time, fearing some dull, twee, Tejano-y, pastiche-y nonsense. Turns out happily that I was wrong! The songs themselves, not the style, are the star of the show: tuneful, intelligent, owing every bit as much to art pop as to Southwestern folk. And with only a few exceptions (“Across The Wire”), the Tejano trappings don’t overwhelm, but provide a lovely, creative complement. The instrumental tracks are particularly tasty.

Never heard of these buys before but I really liked this one. Will definitely be checking out more albums from them.

Not memorable for me

#234. Never heard of this band and have no idea what you would even call this genre of music. It was certainly interesting though. It definitely has a cool vibe. 3/5: decent Song added to playlist: Across the Wire I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

5/27/24. Really liked the Southwestern sound of this one! I was traveling while listenining to this, so perhaps I didn't give a fair listen, but rating is based on initial impression.

Mexican waltz-influenced desert blues rock reaches American singer songwriter pop stylings to brilliant effect. I love this album. Has one of my all time favorite songs, Across the Wire. Mixing musical borders infuses the sound along with the physical border. Calexico uncovers the riches to be found there.

I remember, it must’ve been at least 20 years ago, I saw a band on one of those live concerts on telly. It was one of those where each band plays two or three numbers and it’s in aid of either a charity or a jubilee or something similar. This band came on and I'd never heard of them but the song that they were playing was amazing. I think that song must’ve been Black Heart because it still blows me away. I think I managed to find the segment on a repeat and found out the name of the band. I’m not sure how much I followed up on them but I remember thinking they were great and periodically listening to a tune and enjoying it. Listening to this full album today has reminded me how good they are. I still love Black Heart!!!

Engaging and dynamic. The instrumentals felt like TV/movie scores. The jazziness of The Crumble was unexpected.

This was really good. I was working while it played, so I wasn't giving it 100% of my attention, but this was the type of album where I might have found the compositions didn't quite warrant the listen, even if the production and playing were pretty decent, but the songs themselves were interesting and engaging and eclectic. Bonus!

Yeah, this was solid. Better than that, even, though it felt a little disjointed to me, keeping it from a 5. But I dug the vibe and atmosphere.

A real treat I did not know I wanted.

This was fine. Had it on in the background while sanding our front porch. It was music.

I only listened one time through. I think I should go back to this one to give it another try. The sound was intriguing -- some latino sounds, various strings, etc.

Not sure what I expected, but this was probably better than I expected. I like that they alternated between songs with vocals and just instrumentals. I appreciated the vibe of the instrumentals, but breaking them up kept it interesting.

While it doesn't always feel like each song comes from the same album (huge mariachi vibes on some songs, pure instrumental melancholy on others), it's all so good that it's ultimately fine that it might not completely hang together.

B- Sunken Waltz 3 Quattro (World Drifts In) 4 Stucco 3 Black Heart 4 Pepita 3 Not Even Stevie Nicks... 3 Close Behind 3 Woven Birds 3 The Book And The Canal 3 Attack El Robot! Attack! 3 Across The Wire 3 Dub Latina 3 Güero Canelo 3 Whipping The Horse's Eyes 3 Crumble 3 No Doze 3 ARGH maties...

This is pleasant enough. Americana Folk Indie with some Western twang and some cinematic bits. The mellower parts of Neil Young and Thin White Rope come to mind. 3.5/5 5/27/24

Albúm muy muy tranqui. Se hace largo y monótono, nunca se la termina de jugar un poco.

Bien serio 7/10

Increíbles instrumentales

Very interesting music, really into the instrumental stuff.

Não achei graça nenhuma.

Liked. Will revisit.

was skeptical when i started this album but it ended up pretty cool! jazzier than i was expecting which was nice

Never heard of this band before, but Morricone-meets-mariachi-indie-rock sounds about right. Cool stuff!

You know, sometimes I come across albums on this list that really have no reason to be on the list. Some of them back this up by being garbage. Other lesser-known albums manage to be unique in some way and also not be terrible. Fortunately, Feast of Wire by Calexico is much closer to the latter than the former. While I have never heard of this and don't really think it needs to be on the list, I do respect this album for trying something kind of new. This album is a blend between indie rock and alternative country. While I have gotten plenty of albums that fit the former, I really can't say I've gotten to listen to much alternative country at all. I think it's a lot better than mainstream country, at least in the present day. I think modern country is terrible, but this is alright. The singing is solid and the writing fits the vibe. The sound is enjoyable. The instrumentals that are dispersed throughout really showcase this. Overall, I'm happy to say that this relatively unknown band has made a bit more money thanks to me, but I still don't really feel all that impressed and wouldn't really listen to this again any time soon. High 3/5.

greit

This was a wild ride. It seemed like they changed genre every song, even sometimes mid song. I’ll never listen to them again, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the experience. Crumble was the standout track for me.

Not my type of music. I’m going to steal what Uncle Lucky said and say it changed genres a lot. Can’t deal with that. Already have enough uncertainty and instability in my life.

This was better than expected. Especially enjoyed the tracks when the horns came. Had a mariachi type style in some songs. Lyrically I may have been lost or not paying attention but the instrumentals on some of these tracks are really good ear food. Feeling generous today and rounding up with love.

Just great, excellently lyrical in a range of tones – hauntingly sad, mellowly picking and eerie-weird. First several songs fully engage and then "Not Even Stevie Kicks" goes in a very different, but also most pleasing direction. Rest of the record feels moodier and not quite as finished-polished, but sill quality listening. Seems needles to say that it outdistances Giant Sand's best by some margin.

Es ist einfach schön richtige Gitarren zu hören. Bläsersatz und alles, und dann noch interessante Rhythmen. Gefällt mir gut.

great album, such a wide variety of music. Songs feel like they should be in different genres of movies. great bit of jazz at the end, wondeful journey

The start of every song sounded like it was from another band. Good stuff altogether

This was kind of all over the place. Not necessarily in a bad way, but a lot of different sounds. Parts I liked but probably won’t revisit

I really liked this one! Unexpected considering the genre but just a really cool vibe

Loved the indie western mariachi etc blend. A unique find that I'll be listening to again.

Dull. Labelled as indie but more like folk or country really.

Bluesy and Latin combination of sound. Rich in musicality starting out with 3/4 time AND accordion? Yes, please. Horns in the second! Diverse and not predictable, exactly what makes an intriguing listen.

Great album.

Brilliant. Interesting. Creative. First listen was a total joy. Pleased to learn of this work.

I notice this one is no longer on the list, as per the 2021 edition… makes sense as this is really not very good

Good album :) solid

A brilliant, brilliant album. I am sad to say I had never heard of this album or even the band Calexico before, but I've seen and heard of them now. And I can't wait to hear more from them. Music like this can only be made by a group from the American southwest, and sure enough Calexico took their name from a town on the Mexican-American border. Just listening to these songs can transport you to the desert. I can almost hear the crinkle of cowboy boots against sand. My mind continuously conjured images of tumbleweed rolling across a vast landscape. That vastness contains a unique solitude which in my view can also be found in the music. Clearly, this record was heavily influenced by Mexican artists, which greatly enhances the music. The album is consistent, both in content and quality, but never feels repetitive. It is difficult to isolate any particular highlights or lowlights because there really aren't dips in quality. Overall, this is probably my favorite album I've heard so far from this list.

9/10

The soundtrack to a movie based on a Steinbeck novel adopted to the new millennium.

Was cool, had never heard of this band before. Kinda folksy kinda Spanish, nice guitar playing.

pretty diverse record. also not super consistent. low 7/10

I knew very little about this one. I like that they call their music "Desert Noir." (BTW, if you are going to listen to this album, try to hear the 20th anniversary edition, it has a good cover of "Alone Again Or" stuck in the middle of the album. Why it's not at the end of the album I do not know.) I did like the instrumentals more than some of the vocal pieces, but the range of all of the songs was all over the place (sometimes that's a bad thing, this time it was a good thing). A band I may explore more of. Top tracks: "Crumble," "Sunken Waltz," "Dub Latina," "Not Even Stevie Nicks..."

It's a decent album, but I'm not quite sure I'll go back for more. It's not just alt-country, it has some eclectic elements blended in that give it its own spin on that Arizona alt-country sound - some horns (Close Behind and Across the Wire), some strings (mando on Pepita), some accordion (Sunken Waltz), some different steel guitar (Quattro), some trip hop sounds (Black Heart), some other stuff I can't place. I didn't love it all but I didn't mind it. And if this is part of a unique genre (I certainly haven't heard much like it) I don't mind having been introduced to it.

This was very impressive and enjoyable for the first 3/4s, country-rock with a latino influence. The slower songs at the end were not that good, and the variety was slightly over-ambitious. Stand-out: Across the Wire, Quattro - World Drifts In

Some cool stuff here. I dont really care for all of it, but some moments are really cool.

She feastin on my wire till I pepita

The singing parts were so good

Acoustic Queens of the Stone Age

Really loving the vibes on this one. Reminds me a bit of the Decemberists in the best way. This is the kind of music I was hoping to discover through this project.

New album to me. Couple of listens and it’s quite creative and has a nice overall vibe but nothing really stood out to me and I wont be adding it to my collection

It's an alright album

Interesting mix of styles and genres. I didn’t dig the slower numbers much. This is one of the rare occasions I prefer the instrumentals, especially the jazz track, Crumble. Also Attack El Robot! Attack!

Довольно приятная музыка, такая, испанская, с некоторыми грустными нотками, но в остальном не запоминается.

I tend to dislike most indie music past the 2000s. However, I enjoyed this album quite a bit. I think the horns and strings really add a lot to my overall enjoyment. The instrumental songs are also really good and add a nice flow to the album. My favorite song is easily Black Heart because it just sounds like a Placebo song and I love Placebo. Also this album cover is butt ugly

Indie folk with Latin vibes

Yawn. Quiet, slow, indie ish country…? Interesting, some songs seemed ok but not gonna check em out more.

Cool fusion album

Great mix of styles running through this album but it still manages to feels cohesive. 'Sunken Waltz' is the best offering but nothing really blows me away. 2+ stars.

Calexico’s music always feels pleasant but it’s a little more mellow than I like. I think there are some other indie folk-rock acts like The Decemberists which are more interesting, while there’s also Iron & Wine and Bon Iver who are even more mellow but I think do a little better with remaining interesting. Calexico is probably at their best when they really lean into the southwest/Tejano style like on “Close Behind” or “Güero Canelo”. The former is by far my favorite song on the album.

Absolutely okay.

Not much my style but not bad.

Laid back rock from the high desert, Calexico has a ecclectic relation to genre, incorporating accordian waltzes, mariachi choruses, atmospheric post-rock psychadelia, jazz drumming and horns, emo melodies, dub melodica, trip hop ambience, some cumbia rhythms, folksy alt-country acoustic and high-lonesome slide guitars to create a sound that encapsulates the borderlands. It coheres perflectly into a spacious cinematic album that winds its way slowly around, settling into the songs gently, quickening the pulse with new instrumental layers, and calming back down with its whispered lullaby vocals. Without being a concept album, it takes you on a journey, like driving through the sprawling outskirts of South Western city, cruising through the strip malls feeling a saturday afternoon evolve into saturday night evolve, catching snippets of what's playing out the car windows, the weddings and bbqs and parties, the bars filling up and spilling out - there's a bit of filler in the in-between moments, but they're taking you to the next place.

Tiene mejores en mi opinion

This album really surprised me. Judging the cover alone, this is an album I'd pass on 10 out of 10 times. I expected either a female singer or something more latino, if not both. What I got was something that blends of many bands I like such as Death Cab, Flaming Lips, and Beck. Where the postal service went more electronic in 2003, here was this band pulling out cellos, accordians, and an array of other horns. Had I known about this band back 20 years ago I think this would have been right up there with Give Up for my tops. The volume of tracks and variety also make this album special. It's a mix tape of so many different styles, going from a dramatic bond-theme type song, to Mexican, and instrumentals, and then some alternative/indie tracks and more. All are solid tracks and may not be the best individually, but this is an album that is made better because of the collection of tracks here. Favorite track "Black Heart" 5/5

8/10 This was a pleasent surprise. 4-30-2024

Cool fucking jazz with some latin

This was a very interesting listen. I enjoyed it. And I liked the folky jazzy stuff but wasn’t vibing the latin vibes. Also I want to give it a 4 but I need to take a star off because of the album cover. If I saw this for the first time I would have never listened which is a shame

In doing this 1001 exercise, I'm finding that I'm a harsher critic of music more similar to stuff I already like. Maybe because I wish any number of albums by Lambchop, Califone, Woods, or others might have shown up here in place of Calexico's "Feast of Wire"—an album I might have liked more if it was the first of its kind I had heard. But it is not. And there is not a lot here to help it rise above the rest. Although, I must say, the more instrumental and border-line jazzier numbers I found tasteful and easy to swallow. I quite liked the Love cover and the track "Not Even Stevie Nicks..." The rest I found aimless and meandering, even though and as it made the walk directly up my alley. I just have music like this already. Is this album more significant than what I've been introduced to in my life naturally? Possibly. Is it more enjoyable? Not today. But a solid effort. I find the album art this band used in its early days bewildering. A low 3/high 2.

first half, really enjoyed! But I'm right there with Charlie on this one: an overwhelming feeling of "I already have that." There wasn't anything too special to hang my hat on and go "wow, that was pretty unique." And I thought the second half of the album was less great and harder to get through. Could have pulled through with a 3 for this one, but I'm not feeling a strong pull to return. 2/5

Really cool and cinematic and western-y

Nice songs good sound

I actually did not know what to expect especially because I wasn’t feeling the album cover and wasn’t sure what kind of sound they were. Their sound was pleasantly surprising and I’m wondering why I hadn’t heard more from them before or why I was ignoring it. The sound reminds me of albums to come in the 2010s while this was released in 2003. The Latin influence is very clear and makes it sound like it has a point of view without making it a caricature. Overall solid album but not blown away.

Enjoyed the Latin inspiration but not something I'd come back to

Their first song is a lot like bob dylan if he were modern. Not bad!. solid 4. especially for some of the music it played afterwards.

not sure what genre this would even fall under, there’s such a great blend of everything. a very solid album, but not a lot stood out to me individually.

Interesting blend of Latin and art rock sounds

Listened Before? N Cool album. It feels like something much older than it is. Very unique fusion of Latin and Euro-American styles. I enjoyed this one. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Sunken Waltz

Didn't know this album by Calexico but have listened to other albums. I find this very similar to the other. There are a few magnificent songs (e.g. Across the wire) and then some songs which sound like a "filling" for the rest. For the best songs it would be a 5, for the filling it would be a 1 or 2.

This is exactly what I signed up for. A band that I've never heard of, with album art that I wouldn't look at twice, yet it's an amazing listen. I'm not even sure how to describe this - western indie folk? The songs are given space to breathe and grow. It's atmospheric and even cinematic. You can't help envisioning scenarios while listening. I love this.

This is a wonderful album. Now I need to go look at the rest of their catalog... 4 stars Funny thing ; after my review I always go look at other reviews. Overall it was rated an average of 3.3...but looking at the reviews, almost all recent reviews are 4 or 5. This service needs a .5 increment rating.

as soon as the beat dropped, my heart and face sank it got better but not by much tbh NNN

a pleasant surprise! a chill experience and the best out of the albums on the list so far. I would actually play this for enjoyment, not just because of the list

Folky, indie rock with Mexican flavor. Arrangements and added strings almost give it a cinematic feel at times, somewhat reminiscent of music from a Spaghetti Western. Has some good moments but overall not findings songs that I find very memorable or impactful.

Favourite song crumble.

7/10

I’m really enjoying this. Maybe 70’s Neil Young meets Uncle Tupelo? With some Mariachi feel thrown in. Whatever, I dig it. This is the kind of album I came to this project to discover. I’m going to need to take some time to live with this before I can make a final judgement, but it is at least a 4/5

one of the most unique albums so far, very nice to listen to, lot of instrumental songs. absolutely worth a listen but not a lot that's particularly catchy

arvoisa neitos ruovas ja herraväki... näin tehdään albumi..

I've heard the name for years but never actually listened. Over all pretty boring

It's been a while since I gave a 5 and I really like this music. Not going to look up why the bands name and cover is terrible just going to be in a good mood today.

This was different in a good way. Glad I got to discover it here. 4.

I thought the sound of this was pretty neat.

Smacks to me of hipsters re-appropriating country

I didn’t Crumble when this came Across the Wire.

1. zunken uualtz - 0 2. quatro - 0 3. black heart - 0 4. pepita - 0 5. ztevie nickz - 0 6. cloze behind - 1 7. birdz - 0 8. the book - 1 9. attack - 1 10. the uuire - 0 11. dub latina - 0 12. canelo - 0 13. horzez eye - 0 14. crumble - 1.5 15. doze - 1.5

This album is all over the place and doesn’t know what it wants to be. Good musicians - but uneven.

Flat

2 - It's been a couple days since I listened to this album and I don't really remember my thoughts. It didn't interest me too much.

A beautiful and sumptuous album that follows many musical threads and weaves them together masterfully. Areas rarely explored in Indie popular music. It feels cinematic and gritty at times. I can’t think of many other albums like it.

Is it OBJECTIVELY good? yes. Did I get bored? also yes. favourite: "Black Heart"

This is totally different from what I was expecting, and I honestly don't know if I liked it.

Wow....this is exactly why I started this journey. The genre blending and instrumentation are very interesting and refreshing. Excellent album all the way through.

Interesting

Bit instrumental, first few tracks good. Back end felt like a jazz album

This felt like a Tex-Mex album with an emphasis on the Tex. It was listenable but I think it would have been better if it had leaned more into the rhythms of its Mex.

Thrilled to see something that isn't britpop i

Saw them perform the anniversary tour last year. Slam dunk.

Background vibes For my film

I liked this album. Upbeat and fun

I’ve always been aware of their existence but wasn’t aware of how good they’re. This was excellent.

A nice surprise album.

This album is far too hot and cold for me to really get into it. Its got a lot of neat moments that I quite enjoy, but its bogged down by instrumental tracks that not only pad out the run time, but bog down the theming of the album by dragging it into genres it really has little business attempting, even if said attempts are inoffensive. It does have stuff to enjoy, however, as I'd say some of the vocal tracks are pretty enough, and put a different enough spin on the alt-country tone for it to stand out in a crowd. It just feels very self-indulgent, as if at no point no one told the band "no." I could see another project by this band being better, but as it stands this one is an extremely mixed bag of good and "Eh? Eh..." to just be alright on a good day, with a tad nudge upwards for the originality.

Funny, the cover art suggests that this album would be different than it is - I was totally not expecting this sound but I loved it. Perfect album for the mood I’m in today.

Alright.

What the fuck did I just listen to? That was unexpectedly really good. The album cover does not do it justice.

J'ai bien aimé l'album au début, mais plus il avançait et plus j'avais l'impression que ça s'étirait. À aucun moment c'était particulièrement mauvais, mais très peu de pièces se sont démarquées. 5/10

Ugh I love aughts indie so much! I somehow never listened to these guys but they're fantastic. I really enjoy when indie bands infuse a bit of alt-country into their sound like this. I will definitely have to listen to them more.