Even My Sure Things Fall Through

Calexico | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: May 22, 2001
• Label: Quarterstick Records
• Total Length: 36:59
• Genres: Alternative Rock/Indie & Lo-Fi, Country/Alt-Country & Americana, Latin Music/Latin Pop
• ASIN: B000S57XGG
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,380 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Half a good EP, March 4, 2004

By 

Eric Vondy "Eric Vondy" (Phoenix) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Even My Sure Things Fall Through (Audio CD)

Half the songs on the EP are quite good: Chanel #5, Crystal Frontier (both versions)& Crooked Road and the Briar. The rest are mediocre. None of the songs on this EP stand out like most of Feast of Wire does. They all have a second tier feeling. Nevertheless it is worth owning if you're a Calexico fan.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Painting Themselves Into a Corner?, May 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Even My Sure Things Fall Through (Audio CD)

Joey Burns and John Convertino have created a niche entirely their own and have remained true to their vision of creating dusty, mariachi-tinged soundscapes that capture the mood of the early Southwest with nary a hint of pretention. No musical anachronisms here--everything is true to form.

That said, the only song on this extended play that could be called "essential" is the new single, Crystal Frontier, which is a tad bit livlier than most Calexico songs. The rest is remixes and B-sides, etc. A new version of Sonic Wind is okay, but there is nothing here that really pulls you in (not that any of their songs are truly involving). I suspect this CD was released to promote Crystal Frontier and the band's current U.S. tour, suggesting Calexico may be in need of new directions or new ways to mine <i>oro</i> from the same vein. Not bad, but not likely to win any new fans.

Calexico needs to be seen live to appreciate what they do. They put on a memorable show.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly groovy piece of work., July 18, 2003

By 

GeoX "GeoX" (Men...Of...The...Sea!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Even My Sure Things Fall Through (Audio CD)

If I understand aright, this short album/long ep was released to promote the single 'Crystal Frontier,' and if any song deserves such promotion, it's this one--one of Calexico's all-time best. The moment you hear the opening lines--"Marco's shadow falls on the door/To the seven lost cities of gold"--you know it's gonna be good, and good it is. Awesome, in fact. There are actually two versions, one with a full band (the "main" version, I suppose), and a more minimalistic accoustic take. The former is unquestionably the one to have, but they're both good.

The rest of the album can't help but seem a little anti-climactic by comparison, but 'Crooked Road and the Briar' is also a pretty good song, as is the cover of AMC's 'Chanel No. 5.' The remaining tracks--a few remixes of songs from Hot Rail and a few new ones--are not-hugely-impressive instrumentals--okay background music, but not really anything that's likely to particularly grab you.

And that's that. Except--also included is the promotional video for 'Crystal Frontier,' as well as those for 'The Black Light' and 'Ballad of Cable Hogue,' from the band's second and third albums respectively. The former I can take or leave, but the other two are...really great; the one for 'The Black Light' actually makes me appreciate the song itself more than I had done.

These videos make a very nice bonus, and, in my view, bump the whole affair up a star. No reason I can think of for any Calexico fan not to snap it up.