Hot Rail

Today's Music of the Day is Calexico's Hot Rail. Sadly, this is the first Calexico album I have acquired (not counting the collaboration with Iron & Wine, In the Reins, which is excellent), despite having enjoyed their music for some time. I believe I first became acquainted with the band due to their song "Alone Again Or" being included in Wes Anderson's somewhat underappreciated film Bottle Rocket. Now, let's get to the part about Calexico, so I can go find someone to call 'Futureman' for a few days.

Hot Rail has a very rustic, southwestern feel to it. The songs are generally brief, though the sound is more 'country' than anything, if it has to be given a broad classification. Some tracks are more of a hushed, acoustic near-folk, while others are straight brass and string instrumentals. There aren't really any burning athems here; even the instrumentals tend to have a reserved quality to them. The overall sound is something not quite dark but certainly dusty; it's no secret that one of the major influences of Calexico's sound is the music of Ennio Morricone, and this is plain for any listener here. The pacing of the songs here is very deliberate and cautious, as though the band isn't exactly being restrained but has set some firm boundaries with regard to tempo and volume.

The opener, "El Picador", is a lovely mariachi tune, something that sets the tone of the album fairly well; "Muleta" is another standout. Some of the vocal-driven tracks ("Sonic Wind", "Hot Rail") are pretty good, but I think I honestly prefer the instrumentals. Maybe I'm just a sucker for horns, and I appreciate how the guitar is integrated into the sound here. "Service and Repair" is a nice twangy tune, and probably the closest that this album comes to anything with a pop sound.

Overall, this album may be too rustic and mellow for most people who would be musically adventurous enough to find it. However, it's a fine work, something that sounds the way that watching an old, dusty western film feels. It's not exactly relaxed, but decidedly sure of its pace and direction, and the experience is rich if not immediately gratifying.

In Other News:
I had pie and cat time this weekend, and both were glorious.

Don't you hassle me, I'm barely keeping up right now.