Carried to Dust (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Initially a mostly instrumental side project of Giant Sand’s rhythm section, after nearly two decades Calexico (Joey Burns and John Convertino) are now a full-time musical tour de force, employing guests — from Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam to Tortoise’s Douglas McCombs — as the duo hear fit. Their songs tell tales that reflect the mix of southwestern rock, country, folk, blues, Tejano, and Latin music that first gave them their “border rock” reputation. The opening cut, “Victor Jara’s Hands” speaks of the activist-musician tortured and murdered by Chilean police in 1973, while the fate of families of Chilean exiles is explored with Sam Beam on the horn-fueled “House of Valparaiso.” “Inspiracion,” with Amparo Sanchez of Amparanoia (with whom the duo recently recorded their debut album), enjoys a festive horn-based celebration. Willie Nelson’s harmonica man Mickey Raphael throws a few expert notes into the spare and haunted “Bend to the Road.” Pieta Brown adds her countrified vocal styling to the pedal steel colored “Slowness.” While Burns and Convertino have taken solid control of their destiny and sound, they’ve done so by sharing the spotlight with good friends who make their albums feel like communal efforts.