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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Carried To Dust
by Calexico
The sixth album for the duo from Arizona features Iron & Wine, Douglas McCombs, Amparo Sanchez, and Pieta Brown as guest musicians.
| LABEL: |
Quarterstick |
| RELEASE DATE: |
09 September 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rock, Alternative |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
90
All Music Guide
Carried to Dust isn't just one of Calexico's most expansive albums, it's also their most balanced, channeling their experience and potential into a subtly dramatic, chiaroscuro tour de force.
84
Paste Magazine
It’s tempting to think of Carried to Dust as a companion piece to "Feast of Wire."...And, like that distinguished predecessor, this one is a beauty from start to finish.
83
Pitchfork
Ultimately, this is the type of record this band is suited to making, and it richly rewards repeat listening--details and melodies that seem buried or understated eventually come to fore, slowly revealed in a mixture of organic warmth, welcome variety, and subtle complexity.
83
Almost Cool
It's a great return to form from the group, and easily their best full length since they've started incorporating vocals on nearly every song.
80
Slant Magazine
While most groups lasting over 10 years tend to run on artistic fumes, Joey Burns and John Convertino gush with unbridled creative enthusiasm here.
80
Alternative Press
Calexico is back in the desert with Carried To Dust. Which is not to say it feels like a retreat, Dust is far too confident. [Oct 2008, p.152]
80
Magnet
Carried To Dust is definitely Calexico’s best-sounding record: Each voice and instrument has its place, wheeling around Convertino’s graceful drumming like dancers going around the maypole.
80
Village Voice
The group never abandoned its orquestra live, and that may be why this return to form sounds so welcoming.
80
PopMatters
With some diversions, things stay pretty riveting across the whole album.
80
Dusted Magazine
Carried to Dust represents a refreshing return to eccentricity.
80
Observer Music Monthly
Calexico's dusty vistas make a welcome comeback.
80
Uncut
Calexico are back, but this time they’re travelling all over the map. Carried to Dust is a quietly persuasive record.
80
Billboard
Special guest vocalists, plus a turn at bat from longtime member Jacob Valenzuela on 'Inspiracion,' add intriguing textures to the 15-song set.
80
musicOMH.com
It seems a return to first principles has done Calexico good, and returned their music to a raw emotional state.
80
Hartford Courant
It's a gorgeous, low-key album, full of musical nuance that unfolds with slow grace and exerts an irresistible pull back to the start after the last note has sounded.
78
Austin Chronicle
Carried to Dust feels like a precise parsing of Calexico's best elements, a lingering, understated beauty.
75
Prefix Magazine
While the return to straighter Old West soundscapes is welcome after Garden Ruin, Carried to Dust is really just another solid album from a band that’s made a career out of mining the genres of the Southwest.
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Carried To Dust finds strength in eccentricity and simple melodies.
75
The Phoenix
The band bring the tang of that elsewhere pop back to Carried to Dust, however, planting big-hook sensibility and the willingness to evolve within its Southwestern mood pieces.
70
Spin
Carried To Dust's songs travel a trail that seems carved out of ancient echoes. [Sep 2008, p.114]
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
Carried to Dust is a fine entry Calexico’s discography that both evokes a much-loved sound from the past and yet looks at the sun fading into the west, turns its horse towards the dying light, and carries on into the future.
70
Blender
From the way gently twanging guitar builds to toxic fuzz on 'Man Made Lake' to the whistling in 'El Gatillo' that nails the stranger-in-town vibe, the band’s best stories are in their music.
70
Delusions of Adequacy
Its occasional awkwardness and complex narrative arc may deter true devotion. However, there are still many miraculous highpoints within, which should give Joey Burns and John Convertino a sturdier and braver platform for Calexico to step-up from next time around.
70
The New York Times
Sometimes Calexico is a Southwestern Dire Straits, with Joey Burns whispering over loping, subdued guitar vamps as John Convertino plays his drums with brushes. Or it’s a band looking toward Mexico...Or it’s a spaghetti-western soundtrack orchestra with guitar reverb....At its best, in songs like 'Victor Jara’s Hands,' it’s all of them at once.
70
Under The Radar
A record that finds Calexico firmly in their element and back on the road less traveled. [Fall 2008, p.80]
60
Q Magazine
Mariachi horns and guitar twang still form the backbone of a striking return to what they do best. [Oct 2008, p.141]
60
Mojo
With 15 tracks, there a good deal to like. [Oct 2008, p.112]
60
The Guardian
Their music can sound both wonderfully evocative or occasionally faux--as authentic as a Mexican restaurant located in Milton Keynes--and lacks a dominant vocal like former bandmate Howe Gelb, of Giant Sand.
40
NOW Magazine
Nothing terribly new or unexpected to report, just a more direct way of expressing not so adventurous ideas.
The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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