All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Mojo

Seductive, stirring songs about crushed hope and the corruption of beauty and some of their most ambitious arrangements make this their most fully-realised and accomplished album yet. [Mar 2003, p.98]

100

Alternative Press

This is Calexico at their finest. [March 2003, p.86]

Magnet

It's all drunkenly cinematic, as prickly as a cactus and smart as hell. [#58, p.85]

Delusions of Adequacy

The best complete work the band has offered to date.

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Uncut

Their music is an intoxicatingly vivid evocation of the mythology of the American west and its Hispanic heritage, and Feast Of Wire lays down an optimistically early marker as one of the albums of the year. [Mar 2003, p.98]

Pitchfork

Calexico have created their first genuinely masterful full-length, crammed with immediate songcraft, shifting moods and open-ended exploration.

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Stylus Magazine

Feast of Wire is a startlingly diverse album.

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Entertainment Weekly

Songs full of Sergio Leone set pieces and Mexicali blues. [14 Mar 2003, p.66]

Amazon.com

This album solidifies their standing as one of the most endearingly idiosyncratic bands on the American scene.

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Splendid

Although not every track here is of the highest quality, all sixteen tracks are woven together expertly.

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Junkmedia

Sure, with so much to hear and such a range of styles, the album can take a couple of listens before it starts to bloom. That said, after these requisite spins, one can't help but admire how smoothly Feast of Wire glides from track to track, style to style.

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Dusted Magazine

An intriguing and often lovely album.

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Playlouder

Calexico provide drama, atmosphere, tension and tenderness in the 16 tracks here, not only because they have soul but because they're so good at their craft.

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Planet

It's like drinking a cold one with Willie Nelson down Mexico way. [#3, p.87]

Q Magazine

It's some indication of Feast of Wire's accomplished evocation of Arizona's old weirdness that it makes you want to go to Tucson. [Mar 2003, p.104]

All Music Guide

In the hands of a lesser band, all the different sounds Calexico explores on Feast of Wire could result in a mish-mash of an album, but fortunately for them and their fans, it's one of their most accomplished and exciting efforts.

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Dot Music

A mighty fine album which neatly sidesteps the tired alt.country tag, 'Feast Of Wire' is an engaging musical road trip that you wish would never end.

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Austin Chronicle

Feast of Wire is even more intricately arranged than The Black Light, though the sheer diversity of this album prevents it from approaching the grand gestalt of Black Light.

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E! Online

Conjures up an exotic, enchanting world populated with slide guitars, maracas, accordions, brass bands and late-night country crooning.

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The Wire

Combining tight dynamics with the blurred intent of an impressionistic backwsh, some tracks rush by like vast landscapes, with individual features suddenly highlighted in freeze-frames. [#228, p.59]

Almost Cool

If you're a fan of their more experimental instrumental work, you'll find plenty to be interested in here, as the album as a whole feels a bit scattered.

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PopMatters

Calexico has crafted an album that's rich in variety, yet still manages to maintain a cohesive sound throughout.

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Blender

The songs aren't strong enough to hold the disparate influences together. [#13, p.91]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David B. gave it a10:
In my all time top 10 of albums.

Bibi2315 gave it a9:
Really one of the best Calexico works. Still entertaining after 3 years of repetitive audiences. Love it!

Hamish McP gave it an8:
An evocative and textured album, still intriguing after 2 years.

Jill H gave it a9:
Is it possible that the best mariachi-fueled rock album to date could come from somewhere other than Texas? I think it may be...

Spencer T gave it a9:
Sometimes the songs are a bit less genuinely emotional than they're intended to be. But for the large part, a very good album with well written songs.

Tim S gave it a 9:
Brilliant and wonderful. This is one of the best from 2003.

Mark G gave it a 10:
A great album from this important band.

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