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When Calexico originally recorded this in 1996 they were calling themselves "Spoke."
Recorded when Burns and Convertino’s collaboration was a Giant Sand side project in the truest sense of the word, this 19-song disc finds the group’s core members offering raw, understated songs as they work to find a sound distinct from Howe Gelb. They do not wander long.

All the later templates are here: the acoustic border ballad (“Point Vicente,” “Sanchez”), the open-road driving song (“Glimpse”), the European polka-hall exercise (“Mazurra”). We also get some of the group’s most heart-wrenching work (the spare “Stinging Nettle,” the cello-assisted “Removed”), as well as odd outtakes like the Friends of Dean Martinez-tinged surf romp “Scout.”

The record can feel casual and slightly off-hand (only four songs break three minutes; three don’t reach 60 seconds) but it’s also amazingly complete. At roughly 44 minutes, Spoke doesn’t waste a moment and few tracks – even interludes – could have been cut from the mix. It’s a record that demonstrates why Calexico deserves the audience it amassed through later successes, and one that still resonates, even as Burns and Convertino continue to evolve.

Tracklist:
Peel Side
Low Expectations 2:36
Mind The Gap 0:52
Mazurra 1:44
Sanchez 3:15
Haul 1:21
Slag 2:26
Paper Route 1:59
Glimpse 2:38
Navy Cut 0:29
Spokes 2:37
Pulp Side
Scout 2:09
Point Vicente 3:53
Wash 2:35
Ice Cream Jeep 0:29
Windjammer 2:36
Mazurka 1:17
Removed 3:52
Stinging Nettle 3:41