Calexico - Edge of the Sun

I recently wrote that there were two current albums taking up most of my available listening time. One is 'Darling Arithmetic' by Villagers and the other is 'Edge of the Sun', the eighth album from Tucson based band, Calexico.

In the twenty years since Joey Burns and John Convertino departed from Howe Gelb's Giant Sand, they have been pretty consistent with their brand of dusty, southern alt-country Americana. As the band name suggests, their music is rooted somewhere between California and Mexico and besides great songs, past albums have featured a healthy dose of mariachi trumpets, guitars and percussion. In some respects, 'Edge of the Sun' is no different, yet it also delivers more, taking us farther afield into previously unexplored territory, blurring the lines between the musical genres as they go.

To deliver this they have hooked up with a host of singers to ably support Burns in the performance of these fine songs. Those of you who recall the great EP 'In The Reins' featuring Calexico and Iron & Wine, will love 'Bullets and Rocks' which features the voice and guitar of Sam Beam. Elsewhere Amparo Sánchez shares the vocal spotlight with Burns on 'Cumbia de Donde' and Neko Case harmonises on 'Tapping on the Line'.

For me one of the finest vocal performances on the album comes from Mexican singer Carla Morrison on 'Moon Never Rises' one of a number of really strong songs. Another highlight is the brooding 'Miles From the Sea' in which the central character dreams of swimming in the ocean despite living in the hot desert many miles away from the coast. Another guest vocalist, Guatemalan Gaby Moreno lends her own soulful voice to this particular track.

Some critics may claim that with this record, Calexico have veered too far from their roots but personally I feel that despite the diversity of the songs, the whole thing hangs together remarkably well. It is certainly one of the finest albums I have heard this year and I currently rate it along with the best that Calexico have offered to date. And that's high praise indeed.