Carried to Dust

by Calexico

Overview

From its beautiful, spray-painted stencil artwork (courtesy of longtime Calexico cover artist Victor Gastelum) to the sounds within it, Carried to Dust recalls previous Calexico high points like The Black Light and, especially, Feast of Wire. Considering that Joey Burns and John Convertino reunited with many of the Feast of Wire players for these songs, the similarities shouldn't come as a surprise -- nor should Calexico's skill at revisiting older territory and finding new outcroppings in it. "Victor Jara's Hands," a tribute to the Chilean poet/musician/political activist who was murdered in 1973, begins Carried to Dust in quintessential Calexico fashion with intricate rhythms from Convertino and swells of mariachi horns, but the guest vocals by Jairo Zavala of the Spanish band Depedro add an extra, eloquent depth. "El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited)" returns to the rhythms and melody of The Black Light's "Trigger," but transforms them into a tense spaghetti western theme. The thoughtful, whispery pop Calexico dove into on Garden Ruin also gets its due here; unlike that album, which was so gentle that its charms took awhile to unfold, Carried to Dust's quiet moments are often just as vivid as the flamboyant ones. "House of Valparaiso," which features Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, "Writer's Minor Holiday"'s twangy pop, and "Slowness"'s sweetly ambling country duet sound even brighter next to "Inspiracion"'s en Espanol lovelorn drama or "Two Silver Trees"' gorgeously shadowy fusion of Latin and Asian elements -- Calexico is one of a handful of groups that would think of combining Chinese guizeng, Venezuelan cuatro, and omnichord on one song and make all those sounds work together in a completely natural way. Carried to Dust also has subtler moments of innovation, such as "Bend to the Road," which expands on Calexico's southwestern jazz leanings, and "Contention City," a collaboration with Tortoise's Doug McCombs that spins toy piano and electronics into a haunting finale. Carried to Dust isn't just one of Calexico's most expansive albums, it's also their most balanced, channeling their experience and potential into a subtly dramatic, chiaroscuro tour de force. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2008
Label:	Quarterstick
UPC:	0036172010813
Rank:	42411

Tracks

1. Victor Jara's Hands
2. Two Silver Trees
3. The News About William
4. Sarabande In Pencil Form
5. Writer's Minor Holiday
6. Man Made Lake
7. Inspiracion
8. House Of Valparaiso
9. Slowness
10. Bend To The Road
11. El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited)
12. Fractured Air (Tornado Watch)
13. Falling From Sleeves
14. Red Blooms
15. Contention City

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Calexico   Primary Artist
Paul Niehaus   Soloist,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Mickey Raphael   Bass Harmonica
John Convertino   Banjo,Drums,Guiro,Shaker,Cowbell,Marimba,Tambourine
Douglas McCombs   Guest Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Volker Zander   Bass,Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric)
Martin Wenk   Trumpet,Accordion,Omnichord,Vibraphone,French Horn,Glockenspiel,Whistle (Human),Vocals (Background)
Nick Luca   Vibraphone,Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Electric)
Chris Schultz   Drum Machine
Bo Ramsey   Guitar,Guitar (12 String Electric)
Craig Schumacher   Lap Steel Guitar
Sam Beam   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Jacob Valenzuela   Vocals,Trumpet,Vibraphone,Trumpet (Muted)
Pieta Brown   Vocals,Guest Artist
Amparo Sanchez   Vocals
Michael Fan   Violin

Technical Credits

John Convertino   Composer,Producer
Joey Burns   Composer
Nick Luca   Engineer
Chris Schultz   Mixing,Engineer
Craig Schumacher   Mixing,Producer
John Burns   Composer
Jacob Valenzuela   Composer
David Babbitt   Layout Design
Jairo Zavala   Composer
Corey Rusk   Photography
Victor Gastelum   Artwork,Typography