Calexico: Carried To Dust

On 2006's Garden Ruin, Calexico wasn't above

trying out an accessible alt-country formula: It was still the only notable

indie-mariachi band out there, but that didn't mean that poppy numbers couldn't

work. The conventional wisdom on that record unfairly painted the band as

trying too hard for accessibility, which is perhaps why Carried To Dust makes little effort toward

mainstream appeal. But the middle ground suits Calexico well, and Carried To

Dust

finds strength in eccentricity and simple melodies. Supposedly telling the

story of a writer exploring and being inspired by the Southwest—the band

plays a variety of Southwest styles, so it isn't exactly a challenging

theme—Carried To Dust hits all the sounds and moods Calexico is known

for, painting sweeping scenes of lonely towns and the open expanses around

them. Jazzy bits, slide guitar, country tunes, and mariachi blend in the hazy

distance of the desert horizon, and collaborators such as Iron And Wine's Sam

Beam (on the quietly rolling "House Of Valparaiso") add to the seamless

diversity. But Calexico hasn't lost its flair for the dramatic, and tracks such

as "Two Silver Trees" soar without disrupting the atmosphere. Like much of Carried

To Dust,

it finds the right mix of freedom and focus.