Spoke
The debut, first issued in Germany under the name Spoke before the band became Calexico.
Calexico, 1996
- Released
- 1996
- Label
- Hausmusik (Germany), reissued by Quarterstick in 1997
Spoke was recorded in 1995 for the German independent label Hausmusik in a limited edition of 2,000 copies. The band was still called Spoke then and the album was technically self-titled. After the band signed to Quarterstick and took the name Calexico, the label reissued it in 1997. PopMatters says it was recorded in homes at varying levels of fidelity, and that the credits thank the Tucson engineers Craig Schumacher and Nick Luca for their help.
AllMusic gave it three stars and called it a Santa Fe rummage sale of sounds. The Patriot Ledger heard a subtly entrancing sound in which the open spaces mean as much as the stark arrangements, and the San Francisco Examiner noted an intoxicating, sometimes moody sound.
Track listing
- Low Expectations2:37
- Mind the Gap0:52
- Mazurra1:46
- Sanchez3:18
- Haul1:21
- Slag2:29
- Paper Route2:01
- Glimpse2:40
- Navy Cut0:29
- Spokes3:38
- Scout2:09
- Point Vicente3:56
- Wash2:35
- Ice Cream Jeep0:31
- Windjammer2:38
- Mazurka1:20
- Removed3:52
- Hitch2:53
- Stinging Nettle3:41
Personnel
- John Convertino drums, vibes, marimba, guitar, accordion
- Joey Burns bass, cello, guitar, mandolin, vocals, accordion
- Tasha Bundy drums
- Bridget Keating violin
- David Coffman guitar
More from Calexico
The Black Light (1998), Hot Rail (2000), Feast of Wire (2003), Convict Pool (2004), In the Reins (2005), Garden Ruin (2006), Carried to Dust (2008), Algiers (2012), Edge of the Sun (2015), The Thread That Keeps Us (2018), Years to Burn (2019), Seasonal Shift (2020), El Mirador (2022)
Sources
- Spoke (album), Wikipedia
- Calexico (band), Wikipedia
- Calexico's Feast of Wire: Mestizaje Was on the Menu as They Evolved, PopMatters (2023-05-12)