In The Reins, a new CD that is a collaboration between two of Alt-Country’s
most popular acts, IRON AND WINE from FLORIDA, and CALEXICO of CALIFORNIA,
at first glance might be viewed by their ‘purist’ fans as a mismatch.
But after a few listens to one of the best songs, ‘Sixteen, Maybe Less’,
the sceptics will certainly be converted. The song underlines the gifted
songwriting talents of SAM BEAM (who is Iron and Wine) and the tight
“drop dead on a dime” musicality of our Tex-Mex instrumentalist heros
from Calexico. Since this CD is a vocal enterprise, Sam Beam is in charge,
while Calexico seamlessly provides the horsepower, brass and tender care.
Country Musak – at its best.
CALEXICO/IRON AND WINE In The Reins, 2005 OVERCOAT RECORDINGS
(group photo: CALEXICO – scanned from a poster from 2000)
~Calexico/Iron and Wine |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews | By Simon Cerigo | October 24th, 2005, 9:37am
AFTER 24 years, here I am listening to a compilation of ORANGE JUICE singles
from the Postcard label out of Scotland. I had owned two of the singles in the early 80’s
and I spent the rest of the 80’s trying to find the rest. I couldn’t get them because
the ‘buzz’ surrounding the group at that time was so frenetic, it drove the price for
a single up to $125. Today the price is higher. So it was great to be able to get all
the singles on one CD. The CD captures the youthful exuberance that this group was all
about. The lead singer, EDWYN COLLINS, went on to have a solo career and released a
few well respected albums, but they did not compare favourably to these influential early Orange Juice singles. What Orange Juice did, was to turn punk on its head. The songs still
had the punk attitude, but with melodies and harmonies, instead of thrash. The only other groups during the early 80’s that effectively mined this approach were the YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS, the GO-BETWEENS, and another Postcard band, AZTEC CAMERA. For anyone interested in a part of the REAL history of rock & pop, not the MTV version,
this is the CD to get.
ORANGE JUICE, The Glasgow School, compilation 2005 – Domino Recording Co Ltd
~Orange Juice |
Posted in Indie Music Reviews | By Simon Cerigo | October 13th, 2005, 4:57pm
