The Non-Genre of Cactus Rock

Delicious · 09-28-2010, 08:29 PM

Hi people, first post! Seems like a nice place you've all got here.

Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of early Calexico and Friends of Dean Martinez lately, great American Southwest-sounding stuff with a Spaghetti Western tinge most of the time, and I've noticed that it's nearly impossible to find someone else who's heard of, much less likes, this kind of stuff. So I thought I'd post on a forum somewhere to see if I could find someone who did. So! Anybody ever listen to these guys? And if so, can you make some recommendations for similar sounding music?

Thanks for looking, at any rate. I just love this stuff so much, and I want to share. And find more of it. : D

ThePhanastasio · 09-29-2010, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicious

Hi people, first post! Seems like a nice place you've all got here.

Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of early Calexico and Friends of Dean Martinez lately, great American Southwest-sounding stuff with a Spaghetti Western tinge most of the time, and I've noticed that it's nearly impossible to find someone else who's heard of, much less likes, this kind of stuff. So I thought I'd post on a forum somewhere to see if I could find someone who did. So! Anybody ever listen to these guys? And if so, can you make some recommendations for similar sounding music?

Thanks for looking, at any rate. I just love this stuff so much, and I want to share. And find more of it. : D

Calexico is really good stuff - and welcome! I'm not too sure that I know exactly what kind of music you're looking for, but maybe you'd like Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, or Mike Gordon?

Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

And there's not much Mike Gordon on youtube that isn't live, but I'd recommend his song, "Take Me Out Pt. 2" from the album "Inside In".

Also, ironically enough, Mike Gordon's nickname is "Cactus"!

Delicious · 09-29-2010, 03:45 PM

Thank you! And thank you for the recommendations, but I'm sorry to say none of them were really what I was looking for. I'm trying to find something more like this:

Calexico--

Friends of Dean Martinez--

Sorry I couldn't hyperlink, but apparently I have to make 15 posts to do that and it automatically hyperlinks unless I insert a space between Ws. But you see what I mean? Friends of Dean Martinez, at least in their earlier albums, made distinctly (as I said) spaghetti western-sounding stuff, which I really liked a lot. I don't expect to find anyone exactly like them again, but I'm always open to something similar.

And as for Calexico, that song I posted was from their second album ever, The Black Light (1998). They also had FoDM's cinematic sound on that album (see Minas de Cobre, URL below), but there was more focus on what you might call a modern rock-meets-mariachi sound you can hear here pretty clearly in Stray, I think.

But the reason I can't just go and get more Calexico, despite the band's continued existence, is that albums from the last eight years, it seems, have been far too... how to put it? Normal? Take their most recent album, Carried to Dust. It seems like the horns are all but gone from most tracks, and so are the minimal vocals. The singing is a major part of it now, and the unusual southwestern sound seems to have been ditched in favor of something with a broader appeal-- more alternative country than mariachi, maybe?

I hate to be so difficult, I really do. But it just so happens that, apparently, I have really narrow taste in this sort of thing. If you can't think of anything more like what I posted, thanks for trying anyway.

Edit: I was listening to The Black Light again after I made this post, and I thought the final track might help indicate, again, what I'm looking for:

Specifically, the first half. It's not that I only want instrumentals, but it seems like I can more easily find an instrumental that I like than something with words.

**Janszoon** · 09-29-2010, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicious

Sorry I couldn't hyperlink, but apparently I have to make 15 posts to do that and it automatically hyperlinks unless I insert a space between Ws

You can embed the youtube videos. I went ahead and did that for your post. Click "edit" or "quote" on your post above to see how it's done.

Delicious · 10-01-2010, 02:15 PM

Oho! Well thanks a lot there, Janszoon.

333 · 10-01-2010, 11:40 PM

Wow, thanks for this, Delicious. I like them a lot. Also, LoathesomePete might be a good person to talk to about some similar tunes.

Delicious · 10-02-2010, 08:43 AM

Well that's great 333, I'm happy to have brought these guys to someone new. Might just try that LoathesomePete guy, thanks for the heads-up.

09-28-2010, 08:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Delicious Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 6	The Non-Genre of Cactus Rock Hi people, first post! Seems like a nice place you've all got here. Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of early Calexico and Friends of Dean Martinez lately, great American Southwest-sounding stuff with a Spaghetti Western tinge most of the time, and I've noticed that it's nearly impossible to find someone else who's heard of, much less likes, this kind of stuff. So I thought I'd post on a forum somewhere to see if I could find someone who did. So! Anybody ever listen to these guys? And if so, can you make some recommendations for similar sounding music? Thanks for looking, at any rate. I just love this stuff so much, and I want to share. And find more of it. : D

09-29-2010, 03:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Delicious Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 6	Thank you! And thank you for the recommendations, but I'm sorry to say none of them were really what I was looking for. I'm trying to find something more like this: Calexico-- Friends of Dean Martinez-- Sorry I couldn't hyperlink, but apparently I have to make 15 posts to do that and it automatically hyperlinks unless I insert a space between Ws. But you see what I mean? Friends of Dean Martinez, at least in their earlier albums, made distinctly (as I said) spaghetti western-sounding stuff, which I really liked a lot. I don't expect to find anyone exactly like them again, but I'm always open to something similar. And as for Calexico, that song I posted was from their second album ever, The Black Light (1998). They also had FoDM's cinematic sound on that album (see Minas de Cobre, URL below), but there was more focus on what you might call a modern rock-meets-mariachi sound you can hear here pretty clearly in Stray, I think. But the reason I can't just go and get more Calexico, despite the band's continued existence, is that albums from the last eight years, it seems, have been far too... how to put it? Normal? Take their most recent album, Carried to Dust. It seems like the horns are all but gone from most tracks, and so are the minimal vocals. The singing is a major part of it now, and the unusual southwestern sound seems to have been ditched in favor of something with a broader appeal-- more alternative country than mariachi, maybe? I hate to be so difficult, I really do. But it just so happens that, apparently, I have really narrow taste in this sort of thing. If you can't think of anything more like what I posted, thanks for trying anyway. Edit: I was listening to The Black Light again after I made this post, and I thought the final track might help indicate, again, what I'm looking for: Specifically, the first half. It's not that I only want instrumentals, but it seems like I can more easily find an instrumental that I like than something with words. Last edited by Delicious; 09-29-2010 at 04:01 PM. Reason: Found something Delicious

10-01-2010, 02:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
Delicious Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 6	Oho! Well thanks a lot there, Janszoon.

10-01-2010, 11:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
333 Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 965	Wow, thanks for this, Delicious. I like them a lot. Also, LoathesomePete might be a good person to talk to about some similar tunes.

10-02-2010, 08:43 AM	#7 (permalink)
Delicious Groupie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 6	Well that's great 333, I'm happy to have brought these guys to someone new. Might just try that LoathesomePete guy, thanks for the heads-up.