Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Wash 4:27
- 2 The Ride, Part 2 3:11
- 3 Sonic Wind 6:10
- 4 Frontera / Trigger 5:44
- 5 El Picador 3:05
- 6 Sanchez 4:46
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vibraphone
-
Andy Petersmixing engineer
-
- 7 Fade 11:47
- 8 Wind Up Bird 5:26
- 9 Minas de Cobre 4:21
- 10 Lost in Space 4:27
- 11 Stray 5:51
- feat. Mariachi Luz de Luna
- 12 Crystal Frontier 6:50
- 13 Paper Re-Route 2:49
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vibraphone
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Andy Petersmixing engineer
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- Total length: 68:54
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
2 Issues
2 Reviews
Many people have told me that Scraping is a wonderful live album. After two listens I would have disagreed, but I will admit the album (or subset of the album) is growing on me. Although a live album, I find that I enjoy Scraping far more than Hot Rail. This performance is taken from San Francisco and is quite lengthy.
I think I have finally found what bugs me about Calexico: the vocals. On almost every Calexico vocal track I have heard to date, I have had something negative to say. There is something so plain and boring in the vocals of Calexico; and that drives me crazy. I keep waiting for a moment of passion, a moment where the intensity will build to a climax where the vocals will take over as the dominant instrument for a time. I have yet to hear this. It is amazing how the vocals can be belted or whispered, yet sound as though they are sung at the exact same damped volume. Thus, every song has the same balance between instruments with no standouts (with the exception of trumpets). A few other groups share in this blandness and it destroys the music for me.
I will say this live album is a better than most of their studio works. There are some absolutely glorious instrumentals. The strength of the whole album is the trumpets. When the spotlight is on them, they stand out and play with obvious confidence. "Minas de Cobre" is one of my favorites off The Black Light and it sounds even better on this performance. Other tejano tracks are great as well. "El Picador" is decent and "Frontera" is great, but transitions into "Trigger," which I find sub-par. I have a hard time getting into the slower, less melodic tracks on this album, consistent with my feelings on Hot Rail.
Scraping is certainly not a terrible album to listen to. I would imagine that almost all Calexico fans would enjoy this as well as anyone able to stomach the vocals. "Minas de Cobre" is the triumph on this album.
I think I have finally found what bugs me about Calexico: the vocals. On almost every Calexico vocal track I have heard to date, I have had something negative to say. There is something so plain and boring in the vocals of Calexico; and that drives me crazy. I keep waiting for a moment of passion, a moment where the intensity will build to a climax where the vocals will take over as the dominant instrument for a time. I have yet to hear this. It is amazing how the vocals can be belted or whispered, yet sound as though they are sung at the exact same damped volume. Thus, every song has the same balance between instruments with no standouts (with the exception of trumpets). A few other groups share in this blandness and it destroys the music for me.
I will say this live album is a better than most of their studio works. There are some absolutely glorious instrumentals. The strength of the whole album is the trumpets. When the spotlight is on them, they stand out and play with obvious confidence. "Minas de Cobre" is one of my favorites off The Black Light and it sounds even better on this performance. Other tejano tracks are great as well. "El Picador" is decent and "Frontera" is great, but transitions into "Trigger," which I find sub-par. I have a hard time getting into the slower, less melodic tracks on this album, consistent with my feelings on Hot Rail.
Scraping is certainly not a terrible album to listen to. I would imagine that almost all Calexico fans would enjoy this as well as anyone able to stomach the vocals. "Minas de Cobre" is the triumph on this album.
Published
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I find the more things hit tejano/norteno notes on this album the better it is. The pedal steel is also pretty nice, but when it's the standard guitar/vocals setup things get a little dull, even with the extra energy that comes from a live crowd.
Published
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Catalog
9 Jan 2023
31 Mar 2022
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1
Wash
-
2
The Ride, Part 2
-
3
Sonic Wind
-
4
Frontera / Trigger
-
5
El Picador
-
6
Sanchez
-
7
Fade
-
8
Wind Up Bird
-
9
Minas de Cobre
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10
Lost in Space
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11
Stray
-
12
Crystal Frontier
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13
Paper Re-Route
24 Aug 2021
9 Jun 2019
16 Apr 2019
7 Aug 2018
11 Feb 2018
1 Jan 2018
19 Dec 2017
26 Feb 2017
24 Feb 2016
10 Dec 2015
21 Jul 2015
13 Apr 2015
17 Sep 2014
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