The Thread That Keeps Us

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The Thread That Keeps Us
Studio album by
Calexico
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2018 (2018-01-26)
Length44:35
LabelAnti-
Producer
Calexico chronology
Edge of the Sun
(2015)		 The Thread That Keeps Us
(2018)		 Years to Burn
(2019)

The Thread That Keeps Us is the ninth studio album by American indie rock band Calexico. It was released on January 26, 2018, under Anti-.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[3]
BlurtStarStarStarStar[4]
Drowned in Sound6/10[5]
Exclaim!4/10[6]
Pitchfork7.1/10[7]
Under the Radar7.5/10[8]

The Thread That Keeps Us was described as "impassioned stories about border politics and environmental disasters" by Pitchfork, also describing it as "comfort food" that is "vital in spite of that familiarity."[9] Exclaim! described it as an "overly long record" with "truly enjoyable moments."[10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."End of the World with You"Joey Burns3:08
2."Voices in the Field"
  • Joey Burns
  • John Burns
3:26
3."Bridge to Nowhere"Joey Burns3:07
4."Spinball"
  • Joey Burns
  • Scott Colberg
  • John Convertino
1:11
5."Under the Wheels"
  • Joey Burns
  • Sergio Mendoza
3:23
6."The Town & Miss Lorraine"Joey Burns2:39
7."Flores y Tamales"
  • Joey Burns
  • Jairo Zavala
2:47
8."Another Space"Joey Burns3:55
9."Unconditional Waltz"Martin Wenk1:38
10."Girl in the Forest"Joey Burns2:45
11."Eyes Wide Awake"
  • Joey Burns
  • John Burns
  • John Convertino
4:20
12."Dead in the Water"Joey Burns2:37
13."Shortboard"
  • Joey Burns
  • Scott Colberg
  • John Convertino
1:57
14."Thrown to the Wild"
  • Joey Burns
  • John Burns
4:47
15."Music Box"Joey Burns2:55
iTunes Deluxe Edition[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Longboard"3:02
2."Luna Roja"3:43
3."Curse of the Ride"2:51
4."Lost Inside"4:30
5."Inside the Energy Field"1:17
6."End of the Night"3:29
7."Dream on Mount Tam"3:43

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12]9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13]49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14]13
French Albums (SNEP)[15]71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16]7
Italian Albums (FIMI)[17]60
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[18]43
Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[19]43
UK Albums (OCC)[20]58
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[21]53
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22]12
US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)[23]10

Personnel

Musicians

  • Joey Burns – vocals, guitar, producer
  • Scott Colberg – bass
  • Sergio Mendoza – keyboards
  • Jacob Valenzuela – backing vocals, trumpet
  • Jairo Zavala – guitar, backing vocals
  • Martin Wenk – drums, trumpet
  • John Convertino – drums
  • Johnny Contreras – backing vocals
  • Evan Shelton – cello

Production

  • Craig Schumacher – engineer, producer
  • Tom Hagerman – engineer
  • Thomas Small – engineer
  • JJ Golden – mastering

References

  1. Wortman, Rahman (October 14, 2018). "Calexico Announce New Album The Thread That Keeps Us for January 2018 Release". Mxdwn. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  2. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  3. Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  4. Zimmerman, Lee. "Blurt Magazine Review". Blurtonline.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  5. Rushbury, Ian (January 26, 2018). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  6. Forster, Tim (January 22, 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  7. Rytlewski, Evan (January 26, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  8. Wyatt, Stephen (February 23, 2018). "Under the Radar Review". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  9. Rytlewski, Evan (January 26, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  10. Forster, Tim (January 22, 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  11. "The Thread That Keeps US (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  17. "Italiancharts.com – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  18. "Portuguesecharts.com – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  19. "Spanishcharts.com – Calexico – The Thread That Keeps Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  20. "Official Albums Chart on 8/2/2018 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  21. "Calexico Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  22. "Calexico Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  23. "Calexico Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.