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The Black Light

I'm still getting to know Calexico's second full-length release The Black Light. It's a relatively recent acquisition, and, while I enjoy it when I play it, I haven't played it that often. I listened anew last night, taking some notes as it went on: once again the music was good - but no fresh insights were forthcoming, and the notes are mostly useless. It didn't help that I was also drinking a large glass of cheap Sicilian wine. I found my way to Calexico's work around the time their fourth album Feast of Wire came out; then lost interest again after Carried to Dust (album number six). Only in recent years have I sought out their earlier stuff.

Among the tracks here are a few akin to rough sketches; while others are more fully fleshed-out artworks - but in combination they make for a pleasingly varied exhibition. What seldom fails to impress is the warmth and living presence of their sound, and of the distinctive atmosphere it conjures up. A chilly January evening in old South Wales may not have been the most propitious time & place to attempt such a conjuration, but the magic did work to a certain extent.

One reviewer described Joey Burns' voice as papery, which I thought an apt turn of phrase - it tends to be somewhat dry; somewhat thin, but then sometimes he'll surprise you by opening it up & increasing the volume, such as at the end of 'Bloodflow', the penultimate track, and it sounds wonderful. Other highlights for me include the wonky circus music of 'Sideshow' and the track 'Minas de Cobre' after the strings & horns kick in. The closing number 'Frontera' is a beauty too.

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