Iron & Wine + Calexico
In The Reins [EP]
Release Date: Sep 13, 2005
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Overcoat
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Album Review: In The Reins [EP] by Iron & Wine + Calexico
Excellent, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Musical collaborations can be a dicey proposition. The blending of two styles and sounds can lead to the cancellation of the aspects of each that make them interesting and unique in the first place, which in turn leads to an inferior record. Iron & Wine and Calexico decided to tempt fate and hook up in 2004 and In the Reins is the result. The record manages to blend the best aspects of the two groups and comes off a winner in all respects.
Opinion: Excellent
God is in the details here. Iron & Wine and Calexico are not dissimilar enough, as purveyors of sad and elegant country ramblings, to make a provocative combination by juxtaposition alone. True enough, Sam Beam's solitary melancholy and Calexico's mariachi-sized melancholy offer some counterpoint, but from a compositional standpoint they're only different means to a similar end.