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Jun 18, 2019The songs feel pared back and polished and just about exactly right, whether in the gospel-swelling idiom of Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam or in the jazzier, more experimental haunts of Calexico. There’s nothing extra, nothing silly, nothing distracting, these songs are as streamlined as an otter in water, slipping through in cool, frictionless purity.
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Jun 14, 2019ears to Burn establishes itself as something more than just two different artists working together – neither Iron & Wine nor Calexico needs to win the crown. It’s just a great album of great songs that is bound to bring new fans to the work of both.
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Jun 14, 2019The whole record is a testament to the skills of everyone involved as writers, singers, players, and arrangers, an upgrade on In the Reins, and exactly what fans of both bands would hope for in a collaboration.
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Jun 12, 2019Fans of either Calexico or Iron And Wine should be pleased with this full-length collaboration, which feels very much like a joining of two halves to make a larger, rather special whole.
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Jun 11, 2019Like much of what we’ve come to expect from Calexico there are plenty of textures and colorful layers in these pieces, with the bonus of Beam’s image-rich lyrics and gentle affecting vocals. It’s special.
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Jun 11, 2019Together, they make gorgeously sensual music, with essential contributions from Calexico trumpeter Jacob Valenzuela, pedal steel player Paul Niehaus, keyboardist Rob Burger and bassist Sebastian Steinberg.
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MojoJun 11, 2019This time there's more of an improvised, experimental feel. ... Once again, Beam wrote most of the songs, but the imprint of both acts is pretty equal. [Jul 2019, p.94]
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Jun 12, 2019Years to Burn distills the qualities that distinguish Calexico and Iron & Wine as individual artists. If it’s another 14 until we get to hear them play once more, it’ll be a sin against their talents.
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Jun 17, 2019Comparing the two releases, it’s clear that Calexico and Iron & Wine have found a way over the years to leave a little more mystery in the words and let the music provide more of the clues.
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Jul 10, 2019While these songs drift, smoke-like, through the air with a similar quiet, hushed beauty, there's nothing on that quite matches the majesty of that first collaboration's title-track. ... Nevertheless, there are some moments of sublime and almost magic tenderness here.
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Jun 19, 2019Calexico and Iron & Wine don't just catch either other on falls – they push each other higher, a rewarding experience and hopefully an argument for not waiting another 15 years for a reunion.
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Jun 12, 2019Years to Burn is a beautiful sounding recording and for fans of Calexico and Iron & Wine's initial collaborative release, this is a nice treat after all these years. But ultimately, Years to Burn doesn't have the same spark that In the Reins did.
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UncutJun 11, 2019It's all deftly constructed and beautifully realised. ... Some songs tend to play it safer, lessening their impact in the process. [Jul 2019, p.26]
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Q MagazineJun 11, 2019At times, it's too mellow. [Summer 2019, p.108]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 9
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Mixed: 2 out of 9
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Negative: 2 out of 9
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Jun 14, 2019
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Dec 18, 2019