![]() "Instead ofwriting straight-up protest songs, I want to tell stories," Burns says. But while the album draws a kinetic energy from all thatuncertainty, its lyrics unfold with a literary nuance and sense of setting and character. Like "End of the World with You," much of The Thread That Keeps Us captures the anxieties andunease of living in tumultuous times. "It's been really important to the arc of this band's evolution for us to alwayskeep on trying new things." "Whenever we're writing and we come up with something that feels too familiar,someone will end up saying, 'That feels good, but let's keep going and see what else we canuncover,'" Burns says. Although that chaos has much to dowith "where we're at right now as a planet," it also echoes Calexico's dedication to constantexperimentation. "There's a little more chaos and noise inthe mix than what we've done in the past," Burns points out. Working with their longtime engineer Craig Schumacher, Calexico co-produced The Thread ThatKeeps Us, gathering musicians from across the globe to dream up an earthy yet expansive soundspiked with jagged guitar tones and flashes of distortion. With its lyrics illuminating"Love in the age of the extremes," the track is the perfect intro to an album that endlessly exploresthe contrast between bright and dark, hope and fear. ![]() Driven by sing-song melody and galloping rhythms, "End ofthe World with You" discovers an unlikely romanticism in volatile times. With less polish and more gritthan ever before, The Thread That Keeps Us both honors enduring traditions and reveals Calexico'sconfidence in songwriting, ultimately setting a whole new standard for the band.Īs heard on the album's lead single and opening track, the drama of the landscape directly impactedthe making of The Thread That Keeps Us. The specter ofCalifornia also had a powerful effect: as both dream state and nightmare, its infinite duality ismirrored in the music, giving Calexico a new direction and new edge. Built from debrisand shipyard-salvaged timber-and dubbed "The Phantom Ship" by the band-the grandiose houseand its edge-of-the-world-like ambience soon made their way into the songs. In bringing the album to life, vocalist/guitarist Joey Burns and drummerJohn Convertino found a spiritual home in unusual surroundings-not in Arizona, but on theNorthern California coast in a home-turned-studio called the Panoramic House. ![]() The ninth studio album from Calexico, The Thread That Keeps Us is a timely snapshot of the Arizonabredband: a family portrait capturing their stylistic variety and unpredictability while still findingsolace in limitless creativity.
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