Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 02/18/2003
Feast of Wire does indeed offer a tantalizing array of sounds new and old from
Calexico, including more
pop-oriented takes on their already eclectic style as well as some different sonic twists. Though the album features plenty of the atmospheric interludes of their previous work -- such as the squelchy, piano-based
"Stucco" and the cello- and pedal-steel-driven
"Whipping the Horse's Eye" -- the overall feel of
Feast of Wire is one of restraint and refinement. The album's longest song, the gorgeous,
film noir/
spaghetti western fusion
"Black Heart," tops out at just under five minutes, and the vast majority of the tracks barely make it past the three-minute mark -- not enough time for experimentation to turn into self-indulgence. However, it feels like these shorter compositions have more impact:
"Sunken Waltz" sketches a vignette of Southwestern despair with just acoustic guitar, brushed drums, accordion, and
Joey Burns' papery vocals.
Burns' voice plays a larger part on
Feast of Wire than on previous
Calexico albums, adding a humble charm to sweeping songs like
"Quattro (World Drifts In)." Despite its seeming limitations,
Burns' small, parched-sounding instrument is surprisingly versatile, lending a
Dylan-like cast to the aforementioned
"Black Heart" and a
Dean Wareham-like drawl to the lilting
Tex-Mex melody of
"Across the Wire." Burns' vocals also dominate
Feast of Wire's most uniquely accessible moments:
"Stevie Nicks," a surprisingly, sunny bit of
folk-rock, and the quiet,
alt-country-ish "Woven Birds." But despite the steps forward
Calexico makes on this album, the band still has time for their more traditional, instrumental-based music, exemplified here by
"Dub Latina," "Pepita," and
"Guero Canelo." The second half of
Feast of Wire in particular sounds more like what you'd expect from a
Calexico album, and the group touches on the different facets of that style, including the kitschy-cool
"Attack el Robot! Attack," which with its crunchy drums and gurgling synths, does sort of sound like it could be from a Mexican sci-fi movie; the shuffling
Latin beat, pedal steel, and mod horns on
"Close Behind" give it a
Morricone-meets-
mariachi feel that makes it a quintessential
Calexico track; and best of all,
"Crumble" builds on the smoky, jazzy side of their sound that they began developing in earnest on
The Hot Rail. In the hands of a lesser band, all the different sounds
Calexico explore on
Feast of Wire could result in a mish-mash of an album, but fortunately for them and their fans, it's one of their most accomplished and exciting efforts.
~Heather Phares, All Music Guide
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