Calexico/Iron and Wine - In the Reins

Flight Feathers · Post by **Flight Feathers** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:21 pm

i love this album. sweet, sweet drum sound (brushes!), nice live feel. but how do you get such quiet vocals in a live setting? great songwriting we've come to expect from Iron and Wine, but with a bit more soul/groove than we are used to. great sounding album.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:27 pm

I'll have to check it out. I just mixed a really good record for a guy who's really into Iron and Wine. Is this a record with Calexico backing him? Isn't that guy a film professor at University of Miami, too?

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Post by **TapeOpLarry** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:33 am

Who says the vocals were live?

I was just working at WaveLab, where this was recorded, and there is an iso room where the baby grand sits. I did live tracking (initially three piece) with the singer in there playing guitar and singing, drummer in main room and bass isolated in the lounge, where the amp was pointing at Craig's office door!

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:00 pm

Worst album ever!

Just kidding. I think that EP (it is an EP right?) is about the best thing I've heard from anybody on earth in the last 4 or 5 years.

Soooooo much soul. Nobody is overplaying at any point, and the effect I get is that everybody on the record is the most incredible, soulful musician, even though they seem to be playing pretty simple parts. These guys are the best thing happening right now, with the possible exception of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, which are always the best thing happening so they don't count.

tateeskew · Post by **tateeskew** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:53 pm

honkyjonk wrote:with the possible exception of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, which are always the best thing happening so they don't count.

agreed. let's hope for a bunch of shows at the station inn this winter.

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 12:22 pm

Hope this isn't a silly question like "What's the Grand Ole Opry?" or something but what's the Station Inn?

Some place near you?

tateeskew · Post by **tateeskew** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 1:55 pm

honkyjonk wrote:Hope this isn't a silly question like "What's the Grand Ole Opry?" or something but what's the Station Inn?

Some place near you?

it's a small "club" in nashville that hosts a lot of bluegrass. it's super tiny and it is a great setting to see gillian and david. last winter they played 9 or so shows over the winter there. it's one of their favorite places. seeing them in that environment is pretty great. the amount of sound that comes from those two is just amazing.

http://www.stationinn.com/

Coco · Post by **Coco** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 7:23 am

It's a pretty cool ep. I think the only reason I like it is because Calexico is on it. I have heard some of the other iron and wine stuff and maybe it is not just my bag. I could have been in the mood for rock and roll so maybe I should give it another chance when I am in a more mellow state. Any news on a new Calexico recording?

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 8:56 am

I'm digging it too...the reserved playing reminds of some the better Will Oldham stuff.

nick_a · Post by **nick_a** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 3:06 pm

i think this record sounds incredible. SO thick. the "hit" (track 3, i believe) is really really off the chain. I don't know how those guys get their drum sounds over there, but everything i've heard (steve wynn is no exception) is just so so exactly what i strive for. Live, but not too live, powerful and thundering without being overbearing.

oh yeah. and the songs are great too. heh.

cashed checks · Post by **cashed checks** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:59 pm

what's the running time on this? are the songs pretty stretched out or more short and concise?

Rufer · Post by **Rufer** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 3:00 pm

I'm seeing these mickey-frickies live at the 9:30 club tonight and am thoroughly pumped.

The show is streaming live on NPR.org at 10 if you're interested.

cashed checks · Post by **cashed checks** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:50 pm

i finally got around to picking this up and everyone else should do so as well. after owning it for about a week squeezing in listens between the blur that is 'life' and i got to sit with it. on my first day off in forever i put it on to give a hard listen over breakfast. when i finished up i let it play through again. and again. and again. definately at least 5 times in that one day. kudos to everyone involved, especially the players. thanks to the board for bringing it up as i don't get the record store as often as i'd like to. i would never have heard about it otherwise even though i'm a huge giant sand fan.

mertmo · Post by **mertmo** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:19 pm

Yes, "in the reigns" is wonderful! Great songs and superb recording. The boys at wavelab have the task of recording John Convertino's drums DOWN, now don't they? Maybe someday they'll get bored and close mic his whole kit in a totally dead room...

I am a huge fan of Calexico, especially "feast of wire". Holy shit, what a fantastic record. I think John Convertino is my favorite living drummer. When I see them live, I literally can't tear myself away from watching him play, it's like a trance or something.

I have heard some Iron and Wine before, but I was pretty bored by it. My thought was "this is nice, but it's better on Nick Drake's 'pink moon'..."

But I like "in the reigns" enough that I will check out Iron and Wine again now with (hopefully) an open mind.

junkstar · Post by **junkstar** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 1:08 pm

The first three songs are stunning. The second especially so. Which way do I go in the Iron & Wine vs. Calexico world's to find more of this kind of stuff?

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Calexico/Iron and Wine - In the Reins

Calexico/Iron and Wine - In the Reins

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