Calexico El Mirador LP

Calexico occupy their signature sound on their 12th studio album, El Mirador; riding the continental divide between dream pop, Mexican folk and Americana. If any band understands how to expand their sound without losing the brilliant essence of the band, it's Calexico.

Their songs run the gamut from retro-tinged alt-rock, to sentimental folk to southwestern tracks with an impressive display of vision and expertly honed skills. With vocals that intertwine English and Spanish, El Mirador embraces the musical heritage of the southwest, and features guest artists from all musical genres: Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) drops backing vocals on "Harness The Wind"; Jairo Zavala of Depedro is the featured vocalist on "Cumbia Peninsula"; and Gaby Moreno and Mexican Institute Of Sound are featured on "Cumbia Del Polvo".

Calexico is still breaking new ground. 'El Mirador' showcases a sunnier side of the band, cutting through two years of pandemic fog with a blast of danceable optimism.

Frequently, El Mirador feels like a summary of Calexico's core strengths: The slow cumbia of the title track begins the album with a spooky and playful search for 'that buzzing in your corazon' that calls to mind the more fantastical style of the band's early days, a feeling cemented by the warm vocals of longtime friend and collaborator Gaby Moreno. 'Turquoise,' a noir-ish interlude with a fabulous trumpet solo, is a welcome reminder that an instrumental from a band with this much musical firepower could never be filler. They lend some of this drama to the smoldering finale 'Caldera,' which along with 'Rancho Azul' delivers the kind of character sketch that Calexico does so well.