Calexico is one of the few bands still around that writes
“folk music” in its original sense ““ the
Arizona-based group absorbs the character of the culture around it
and, with an eye on both local and national tradition, makes music
that is not intended for commercial success, but is rather a
portrait of a unique place and time. The band’s 2003 LP,
“A Feast of Wire,” saw it finally perfect its unique
blend of atmospheric desert rock, mariachi and ’50s jazz that
could have only come from a town 50 miles north of the Mexican
border.
Calexico’s fifth studio album, “Garden Ruin,”
strays tragically from the unique cultural mix that made the band
so refreshing. Spending the last year with bands like Iron &
Wine and Wilco has taken its toll, pushing Calexico’s
trademark sound into the arena of sterile alt-country.
“Cruel,” the album’s first single, as well as
tracks like “Letter to Bowie Knife” and “Lucky
Dime,” see the band do away with horns and shuffling
percussion and instead embrace contrived vocal harmonies and the
stagnant hum of a pedal steel.
“Nom de Plume” is the album’s most ridiculous
moment, pairing a sparse banjo line with hushed French vocals, bad
accent included. The only track that stays true to Calexico’s
sound, “Roka,” ends up being little more than a
bittersweet reminder at what the rest of the album could have
been.
Joey Burns’ vocals are brought to the forefront of
Calexico’s reinvented style, but rarely succeed in carrying
the sluggish backing band. Only “Deep Down” and the
halfway decent closer, “All Systems Red,” witness him
give any more than a lifeless performance. “Garden
Ruin” is not a bad album, per se, but anyone who has heard
Calexico previously will be disappointed, and anyone who has not
will be unimpressed.
While Iron & Wine successfully traded its southern anthems
for a more mainstream sound, Calexico was not so lucky. But in a
music industry that glorifies the accessibility of music,
it’s easy to see why Calexico’s latest move makes
sense, and why true folk music is all but dead. We can at least be
thankful Sufjan Stevens still has 48 states to go.