or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
41 used & new from $4.25

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
Available to Download Now
 
Buy the MP3 album for $9.99
 
 
 
 
Garden Ruin
 
See larger image
 

Garden Ruin

Calexico
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews) More about this product

Price: $15.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 10? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
29 new from $6.68 11 used from $4.25 1 collectible from $16.00
Buy the MP3 album for $9.99 at the Amazon MP3 Downloads store.


Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. Cruel 3:59$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Yours And Mine 2:30$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Bisbee Blue 2:48$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. Panic Open String 4:09$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. Letter To Bowie Knife 3:06$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. Roka 3:42$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. Lucky Dime 2:33$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Smash 3:45$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. Deep Down 4:31$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. Nom De Plume 3:19$0.99 Buy Track
listen11. All Systems Red 6:09$0.99 Buy Track


Amazon's Calexico Store

Calexico
Find all the CDs, MP3s, and vinyl, plus photos, videos, biographies, discussions, and more.

Visit Amazon's Calexico Store

Frequently Bought Together

Garden Ruin + Carried to Dust + Feast of Wire
Price For All Three: $45.95

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Garden Ruin ~ Calexico

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Carried to Dust ~ Calexico

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Feast of Wire ~ Calexico

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Get $1 worth of MP3 downloads from Amazon MP3 after you order your item. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Feast of Wire

Feast of Wire

~ Calexico
4.3 out of 5 stars (36)  $15.98
The Black Light

The Black Light

~ Calexico
4.4 out of 5 stars (29)  $13.99
Hot Rail

Hot Rail

~ Calexico
4.3 out of 5 stars (24)  $14.98
In the Reins

In the Reins

~ Calexico and Iron & Wine
4.3 out of 5 stars (28)  $8.99
Convict Pool

Convict Pool

~ Calexico
4.1 out of 5 stars (7)  $9.98
Explore similar items

Product Details

  • Audio CD (April 11, 2006)
  • Original Release Date: April 11, 2006
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Quarter Stick
  • ASIN: B000EOTUY4
  • In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,528 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #98 in  Music > Miscellaneous > Experimental Music

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is be very consistently great with your art. Calexico's failure to rise beyond cult status can perhaps be attributed to the fact that their albums are such subtle Whitman Samplers of Tex-Mex-and-kitchen-sink tastefulness. Garden Ruin, the group's poppiest album to date, just might change their socio-economic standing for the better. It's produced by JD Foster, but none of the things you love about Calexico--the sun-baked guitar, smoky vocals, mariachi horns, woozy lyrics--have left. Those elements are just grafted to crispier, more carefully delineated harmonies and multi-tracked backing vocals higher in the mix. By the album's end, on the slow-burning anthem "All Systems Red," Joey Burns buzzes and howls with a force never shown before on album. It's what Sigur Ros might sound like if they came from Arizona, and it's truly excellent. --Mike McGonigal


Product Description

This is a more accessible album than previous efforts. Where the open blue skies of the landscapes they chronicled before were tempered by the smoky dark blues of their jazz influences, "Garden Ruin" is musically brighter. Lyrically too, the album takes a left turn in which contemporary rather than mythical America is addressed. Put succinctly, "Garden Ruin" is where Calexico fill those dusty, empty landscapes they documented with a big, big sound.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Toned down "exico," but the "Cal" works just fine on its own, January 7, 2007
By Dirk Pratt (Always here, sometimes there) - See all my reviews
  
Sometimes bands make a big change and it just leaves you thinking "Why, why?!" This time out, after a strong, pleasing EP with Iron & Wine, Calexico decided to emphasize the "north of the border" sound and de-emphasize the horns that gave them such a tantalizing Southwestern flavor. In writing, this sounds like a disaster - "the Calexico horns," as they are often called, are a key part of the appeal - but once the album was given time to find a spot in listeners' hearts, the more straight-forward pop-song format worked extremely well. Calexico still manages to write dark, dramatic songs with an emphasis on the cinematic and the exotic. The songs are just slightly more accessible this time around.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars fine release from a more conventional calexico, March 11, 2007
gone, for the most part, are the cutting-edge/spaghetti western instrumentations that made previous calexico albums so fresh and wonderful; but that's not to say this is an unworthwhile recording. far from it. this stands on its own as a finely crafted set of rock/pop songs. no depression magazine selected this as the 13th best album of 2006 and i won't argue with that (it belongs 'somewhere' in the top 30 i would say). fans of the more adventuresome calexico albums might find this an unrewarding release, but take it for what it is: excellent songcraft. nothing wrong with that.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars slightly dull, May 5, 2006
By goodo23 (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
Its a shame when a band changes tact for the worse, but I cant help but give them credit for trying, what do you do when you've released 5 or 6 albums/ep's all along the same line and you start to get a touch bored with the style you've honed to perfection, you go in to the studio with a different producer and you experiment, this one "I think" fizzed and died soon after conception.
you can only hope that the next one rises from the bland ashes of this release.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Will not ruin your garden
Wow, I can't believe all the harsh reviews of this album. I'm not a big Calexico fan by any stretch, but this was one of my favorite albums of 2006. Read more
Published 12 months ago by whoopycat

1.0 out of 5 stars Supermarket Fluff
What a let down. I first saw Calexico at the Aroma Cafe (RIP) in Tucson around 1998. Since that point I have seen and heard their music grow to unbelieveable heights without... Read more
Published on May 24, 2007 by David

2.0 out of 5 stars Not 'Hot Rail' ... More like 'De-railed'
I couldn't agree more with the review above by J. McManus Jr., but I guess my criticism is a little more strident. Read more
Published on April 2, 2007 by bruce watson

4.0 out of 5 stars I like Calexico very much

And I appreciate that they change directions in music.

I'm french and I totally recommend you a french girl who worked in Arizona in 2004 with the sound... Read more
Published on February 22, 2007 by M. Laurent

5.0 out of 5 stars Japanese Imported Version of Calexico's Critically Acclaimed 2006 Album
Calexico represents yet another reason why I think the country/folk music scene in Tucson, AZ remains light years ahead of anything I have heard here in New York City (This... Read more
Published on January 29, 2007 by John Kwok

5.0 out of 5 stars Rather Accessible Pop/Country/Folk/Mexican Music from Calexico
Calexico represents yet another reason why I think the country/folk music scene in Tucson, AZ remains light years ahead of anything I have heard here in New York City, which seems... Read more
Published on November 8, 2006 by John Kwok

4.0 out of 5 stars I am enjoying this one
I admit to being partial to the sound of Calexico's previous albums, and I would not have minded another one in the same vein. Read more
Published on October 22, 2006 by Brad Murray

3.0 out of 5 stars I thought I invented the "strum and mumble"
I like Calexico, but the other albums are better than this. It sounds great, but doesn't stick with you very long. Read more
Published on August 28, 2006 by Louis Berkman

4.0 out of 5 stars It grew on me
Interesting mix of music. I like most of the songs on this album, a bit on the roots side, kind of folky and kind of bluesy. Read more
Published on June 18, 2006 by Drew Fraber

3.0 out of 5 stars Return to roots?
Joey Burns grew up on the beach of Los Angeles California, so it's not surprising that some of the music he writes does not harken to the dusty desert border towns. Read more
Published on June 4, 2006 by KBewick

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
If You Could Name 20 Songs (any genre) That Define You ......... 17 16 seconds ago
you thought I was what? 8 2 minutes ago
Name 10 song titles about... 3349 9 minutes ago
Family Tradition 43 25 minutes ago
Album Title Tag 3 9657 35 minutes ago
Song Title Tag VI 4519 38 minutes ago
FAVORITE SONGS FROM THE 70'S ALL GENRE 7004 1 hour ago
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




SoundUnwound Says...

Garden Ruin opens new browser window by Calexico opens new browser window is quite Indie, with hints of Alternative Country”

Disagree? Cast your vote now! opens new browser window

Share your knowledge and explore the rest of the music world at SoundUnwound.com opens new browser window

SoundUnwound Logo

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Garden Ruin
48% buy the item featured on this page:
Garden Ruin 3.6 out of 5 stars (24)
$15.98
Carried to Dust
15% buy
Carried to Dust 4.4 out of 5 stars (19)
$13.99
Feast of Wire
15% buy
Feast of Wire 4.3 out of 5 stars (36)
$15.98
The Black Light
14% buy
The Black Light 4.4 out of 5 stars (29)
$13.99


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Music by subject:











i.e., each title must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.