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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Garden Ruin
by Calexico
Joey Burns and John Convertino return with an album produced by J.D. Foster (Dwight Yoakam).
| LABEL: |
Quarterstick / City Slang |
| RELEASE DATE: |
11 April 2006 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
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...
90
Amazon.com
It's what Sigur Ros might sound like if they came from Arizona, and it's truly excellent.
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
"Cruel" sounds like a mini-symphony, as do the fragile, faintly psychedelic "Panic Open String" and the post-Beatles singer-songwriter ballad "Lucky Dime."
83
Entertainment Weekly
True, some distinctiveness has been lost along the way, but that is largely recompensed by the quality of such tracks as "Cruel," "All Systems Red," and the quite beautiful "Bisbee Blue." [26 May 2006, p.106]
81
Pitchfork
I'd never wanted Calexico to change, but the new direction suits them well, proving that even in the face of radical metamorphosis, they remain as stunning and distinctive as ever.
80
Uncut
Burns and Convertino prove they can play it relatively straight, without sacrificing Calexico's hard-earned status as a band that matters. [May 2006, p.104]
80
New Musical Express
There's always something heartwarming about a band discovering pop well into their career, especially when it sounds as good as this. [1 Apr 2006, p.43]
80
Mojo
Some of its finest moments are its most intimate and least arranged. [May 2006, p.99]
80
BBC collective
The best thing about Garden Ruin is the way they look beyond country borders to engage with the wider world, both culturally and musically.
80
Observer Music Monthly
There is a new-found ferocity at play.
80
The Guardian
These are the kind of songs that gnaw their way into your consciousness.
80
NOW Magazine
Many of the familiar signifiers are gone, yet their well crafted and characteristically tuneful compostions still have a recognizable Calexico feel.
80
All Music Guide
Ultimately, this album ends up being a more naturalistic take on Calexico's sound; just because it's less stylized doesn't mean it's less interesting -- it just takes a little more time for Garden Ruin's power to reveal itself.
80
Under The Radar
Their most accessible collection of songs to date. [#13, p.83]
75
Spin
Calexico have abandoned much of the jazzy, mariachi-infused Americana pulses that characterized their former sound.
70
Q Magazine
There's still enough trail dust on the seat of their experimental pants to delight country rock eggheads. [May 2006, p.123]
70
Slant Magazine
It's the band's die-hards who will have to put in a good deal more work with Garden Ruin, an album that seems destined to be regarded as a "transitional" record a few years out.
70
Lost At Sea
Garden Ruin is good, but there are a bazillion alt-country Coors rockers who could pull this off, and coming from an outfit with such a remarkable past body of work it is a disappointment.
70
Delusions of Adequacy
The lack of truly classic Calexico moments marks the album as a transitory step: too far for some, not enough for others.
70
Prefix Magazine
Despite the occasional moment when Garden Ruin sounds like a garden-variety alt-country-rock album, its moments of pure Calexico charm outweigh its missteps.
70
Magnet
There are moments when all this earnestness turns sickly and Burns gets too serious about his gifts... but the eclectic moments of bass, banjo and French vocals... manage to jerk things back into focus. [#71, p.88]
68
ShakingThrough.net
Garden Ruin’s arrangements simply don’t arrest the senses as forcefully as its intelligent and aggrieved wordplay merits.
67
Stylus Magazine
At its best, Calexico does expand, opening the range of sounds to provide for new colors of expression; when it doesn't work, that open sound means a turn toward the basic, allowing prettiness to get in the way of sonic content.
65
cokemachineglow
This time, the album’s a one-trick pony.
60
PopMatters
In the end, Garden Ruin feels like a transitional album that will bear greater fruit later on.
50
Urb
Painfully unexciting. [Mar 2006, p.122]
50
Billboard
This new set fills in the spaces with sweeter, fuller arrangements, but the songs are hit and miss.
40
Austin Chronicle
Fans of Calexico's darker, rougher, and more cinematic work will pine for just that, even though the band's clearly evolving on Garden Ruin.
The average user rating for this album is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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