Calexico: Even My Sure Things Fall Through

Quarterstick/Touch and Go Records

This EP's finest track, “The Crystal Frontier,” is loosely based on the Carlos Fuentes book about the consequences of crossing borders, both geographic and cultural. For Fuentes' characters, the process would be tragic; for Calexico, it can be brilliant. This EP continues in the tradition of 1998's The Black Light and last year's Hot Rail—blending mariachi, Latin jazz, country, and American roots rock for a sound that's sometimes melancholy, sometimes invigorating, and almost always cinematic in scope.

The band's songwriting improves with every release (the weakest track here is an American Music Club cover), and singer/guitarist Joey Burns' vocals get stronger and more confident with each release. Sure Things contains nearly 40 minutes of music as well as three videos, and features a pair of vastly improved versions of Hot Rail tunes in “Sonic Wind” and a beautiful, ghostly read of the desert epic “Banderilla.” Sure Things is the sound of a great band getting better.

—John Pecorelli

Alternative Press magazine