(2018) Calexico - The Black Light [20th Anniversary Edition]
Review:
For a record to remain interesting 20 years after its release is one thing. For that record to be predominately an instrumental work, from a band entering a ‘real’ studio for the first time, and for it to still take up space in people’s hearts is quite another. But that’s Calexico for you: inspiring devotion whenever they play. Some bands just encourage acolytes – you know the type, fans who insist their band is the best. Calexico inspire such devotion because of the tender and loving care they put into recording albums.
The Black Light, first released in 1998 on Quarterstick Records, was the Arizona-based post-rockers second album, and one that captured hearts and minds immediately. Its wide open spaces and thrift store orchestra sound revealed a group of Tex-Mex melody makers who were in love with Morricone-esque strings, mariachi horns and cheap-sounding rattle’n’roll acoustic instruments. Songs such as Minas De Cobre (For Better Metal) would have made the perfect soundtrack to any Breaking Bad season finale – had it been around back in 1998 – while the likes of Missing and Over Your Shoulder are the perfect scene setters for the books of new wave Americana fiction writers like Willy Vlautin and Nickolas Butler.
Evocative as The Black Light is, it’s a heavy listen and struggles under the familiarity of its own weight sometimes. But, small quibbles aside, it remains a statement-and-a-half from a band who have gone on to make many more since. The Black Light was Calexico’s first big shot across the bow and it connected with everyone listening. That’s all you can ask any record to do.
Tracklist:
01 - Gypsy’s Curse.flac
02 - Fake Fur.flac
03 - The Ride Pt.2.flac
04 - Where Water Flows.flac
05 - The Black Light.flac
06 - Sideshow.flac
07 - Chach.flac
08 - Missing.flac
09 - Minas De Cobre (For Better Metal).flac
10 - Over Your Shoulder.flac
11 - Vinegaroon.flac
12 - Trigger.flac
13 - Sprawl.flac
14 - Stray.flac
15 - Old Man Waltz.flac
16 - Bloodflow.flac
17 - Frontera.flac
18 - El Morro.flac
19 - Man Goes Where Water Flows.flac
20 - Glowing Heart of the World.flac
21 - Too Much Sprawl.flac
22 - Rollbar.flac
23 - Minas De Cobre (Extend-O-Mix).flac
24 - Minas De Cobre (Spatial Mix).flac
25 - Minas De Cobre (Acoustic Mix).flac
26 - Lacquer.flac
27 - Drape.flac
28 - Bag of Death.flac
Summary:
Country: USA
Genre: americana, post-rock
Media Report:
Source : CD
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : ~ 833-1000 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
