Algiers

Album: Algiers (2012)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of the Tucson, Arizona based Americana/Alternative Country band Calexico's seventh studio LP. The album was named for, inspired by and recorded in the Algiers District of New Orleans.

    In our interview with Calexico frontman Joey Burns, he explained how they drew inspiration from the location: "The studio, which is called The Living Room Studio, is a beautiful building. It's an old, all-wood Baptist church from the 1930s. The environment, the space, the tone really helped inspire the way we played and the way we wrote, and then ultimately the way things were recorded down to tape. This wooden room is different from the rooms where we write and record in Tucson, where the foundation is mostly concrete. Having that wood floor really helped bring out a lot of interesting tones – especially the drums and the upright bass and the organ. It was great.

    And being in that different kind of space, it had an effect for me on writing. Not everyone can go somewhere to write and record. Most bands already have material ready and go in and get it done as quickly as possible. We allowed ourselves about 10 days to go down there and see what we could come up with, and as soon as we got there, ideas just started pouring out."

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