There's
not a lot of concert performances that I make a point of
owning; however this one is an exception. A few months prior to
releasing their 2003 Feast of Wire disc, Calexico took to the road with
their augmented touring group, captured brilliantly in performance on
this DVD. World Drifts In: Live at the Barbican London
is an extra special evening as they'd brought along the wonderful group
Mariachi Luz de Luna from their home town of Tucson, AZ to add an
authentic flavor to their sound. Shot on video, which for this occasion
looks better than film would, this exciting performance from November
27, 2002 is nicely edited together from several angles, including one
of my favorites: right beside drummer John Convertino. Anyone that's
seen the band live can attest to his mastery of the trapkit, which is a
joy to watch. The crystal clear sound appears to be a direct line from
the soundboard, with some room mikes capturing the ambience. There are
a few moments when Joey Burns' splendid vocal performances on the newer
tunes sound better than on what would be their new disc, which seems
hard to believe. At 90 minutes, the material performed spans their
short yet rich career, including a few traditional Mexicali numbers
which highlight the Mariachi Luz de Luna's members as well as a
traditional-sounding French number featuring chanteuse, Françoiz Breut.
In addition to the performance, the DVD includes an additional hour's
worth of extras which include homestyle/silent movies (set to Calexico
tunes) of the band's 2003 European tour, interviews from the road with
various members of the touring posse and excerpts from the making of
Feast of Wire.
Of course, videos for "The Black Light," "Ballad of Cable Hogue," and
"Crystal Frontier" are included, which up to now I'd only seen as
Quicktime files on various EPs. Also included is a humorous two-minute
cartoon featuring the group's music and a brief documentary (shot by
Señor Burns) which covers the origins of Mariachi through interviews
with members of Mariachi Luz de Luna. I understand that this DVD has
been available in the UK and Europe for a number of months now, as if
to mock those of us in Region 1. Calexico put on one of the best
performances I've seen in recent years, though in a club exceptionally
smaller than the Barbican. Not surprisingly, although the performance
on this DVD is nothing but stellar, it still doesn't top being
there—but it comes awfully close.
