The Wake

Even Calexico’s most loyal fans are likely to be thrown off-guard by the eclectic duo’s latest album Garden Ruin (Quarter Stick). Previously trademarked by an oddly striking blend of folk, mariachi and jazz, Calexico have chipped away at their distinctiveness and emerged with a new sound best described as, well, ‘rock.’ Maybe even ‘watered-down alt-country’ at times.

At first, I desperately wanted to retreat back to the sensual outlaw flamenco that was 2003’s Feast Of Wire. But though their change was initially unsettling, it was still intriguing enough to inspire the second, third and even sixth listen that proved redeemable.

Right away I noticed that Garden Ruin is Calexico’s first album free of their lush instrumental tracks, shifting from a once-familiar delicacy into the sinister minor-key opener “Cruel.” There is also now a bigger emphasis on frontman Joey Burns’ elegant voice, but it is slightly smothered and takes a few songs before he learns to convincingly overpower the empty space left in lieu of these adjustments in instrumentation.

And things certainly do heat up eventually. “Roka (Danza de la Muerte)” has an irresistibly sexy Spanish chorus and that ol’ Calexico feel. “Lucky Dime” is equally catchy and smooth, with addicting chord progressions and beautifully layered call and response vocals.

This time around, however, there is less emphasis on elaborate arrangements and instead an intense focus on underlying themes. Garden Ruin is a very real, emotionally raw record that ultimately impresses if given the chance. When the arrestingly epic final track “All Systems Red” swells from quiet to loud with heavy-hearted lyrics like, “Watching a horse running down its last legs / when you think it couldn’t get much worse / the numbers rise on the death toll,” you’ll trust Calexico to take you anywhere.