Boxing Mirror

Alejandro Escovedo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Back Porch
• ASIN: B000F2CAME
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,641 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Alejandro Agonistes may yet have a happy ending, but you wouldn't guess it from this torrent of surrealism and gothic textures. Escovedo's first album since nearly succumbing to hepatitis C and crushing debt in 2003 is the darkest, most mysterious album of his career--a harrowing, poetic soundscape partly the result of producer John Cale's industrial-noir sensibilities, but also Escovedo's own avant-garde punk roots. The difficult trilogy which opens the album moves from arid Arizona (a wasteland where the soul finds nary a drop to drink) to a conversation with a "dear head on the wall" that becomes a negative Zen poem ("The sadness will come / When there is no one") to a cryptic vision of a buck trampling a wandering doe. Writing with his wife, poet Kim Christoff, as well as Chris Stamey and guitarist Jon Dee Graham, Escovedo isn't just confronting his own mortality and the mistakes which plunged him into a nightmare. He's courting a danse macabre for the sounds and poetry he finds there. On "Sacramento and Polk" he surveys a bohemian hell through a "Thorazine haze," while the Princely groove of "Take Your Place" only seems like a discordant funk party until the lyrics sink in: "I'm going down, down, down / There's nothing here." Escovedo's voice has weathered the physical ravages, caressing all the Mexican nuances out of the synth- and cello-sweetened "Evita's Lullaby" and breaking beautifully on the country ballad "Died a Little Today," which, like each of these emotionally concentrated tracks, is as literal as it is elusive. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the sound of an artist expanding his range, May 22, 2006

By 

punkviper (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Boxing Mirror (Audio CD)

Whether you'll enjoy this album really depends on how much of Al's previous work you're familiar with. I say this because if you're expecting Man Under The Influence Pt.II you will be disappointed. It's clear that Escovedo is no longer content making rote "alt-country" records, and has decided to expand his sound. This will inevitably lead to above-average reviews from newcomers who weren't on board for any of the past half-dozen albums, but might leave established fans a bit disconcerted. Truth is, first time i heard this album in its entirety i was severely nonplussed. Personally, i don't look to Al for avant-garde production theatrics, or overblown triple-tracked string sections. I thought the work he did up until the illness was the best he'd ever done, and i have to give him full credit for coming back and making a statement, i'm just not 100% sure i'm on board for it. He's reaching, and i completely understand why, but the pursnickety sonic experimentations often leave me yearning for a simple song like Rhapsody again. Though to be fair, a lot of these songs sounded better live during his last tour with the "orchestra." Maybe Cale is who i should blame here.

So that's my take: older fans approach with caution, but keep an open mind. You might agree with the current critics who seem to think this is some sort of watershed moment for the man. It certainly is a change.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant Rock Hybrid, January 20, 2007

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Boxing Mirror (Audio CD)

Alejandro Escovedo who is related to Sheila E & has been in rock bands Rank & File, the Nuns, & True Believers has produced an excellent CD. Escovedo's "Pyramid of Tears" from his "Gravity" CD remains one of my favorite classic album cuts of all time. On this CD we have a number of excellent tracks. "Break This Time" rocks with roaring electric guitar and strings to great a vibrant rock hybrid, "Whoever told you there'd be no danger, nothing to fear here in this house of pain; So speak to me softly & tell me you love me & we'll join together in the refrain." It's a breathtaking stew that climaxes with the closing bars. "Take Your Place" places a complicated lyric on a driving rock beat, "I'm going down, down, down, even deeper still, 'cause this world has gotten so f***ed up." "One True Love" written with Chris Stamey is a wild rocking track, "I'm all messed up; I got nothing to take your place." The opening cut "Arizona" is a haunting melody that snakes eerily through self-exploration, "I turned my back on me & I faced the face of who I thought I was." Mark Andes who was in the bands Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne & Firefall plays the bass on the set. This is a dark album. Escovedo explores themes of loss, regret and sorrow in an original blend of musical styles. Enjoy!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait, May 13, 2006

By 

James Reckling (Roanoke, Va USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Boxing Mirror (Audio CD)

It's been 6 years since "A Man Under The Influence" as Alejandro battled (and still does I am sure) Hepatitis C. The production on this album is different than his others, there is less space and Alejandro's voice is up front. I think it works to the music's benefit as Alejandro's great songs sound terrific. Worth picking up for sure.