Pistolera: En Este Camino

En Este Camino is a… I suppose you can call it a Mexican folk-rock album, although the rock is scarcely rocky in a rock sense, more a philosophy of exuberance than anything else. There is a lot of accordion, sharp as sunlight in your eyes. The songs snap and spark. The group has a good sense of when to hold off, when to let the accordion or the singer dribble away suggestively, leaving the song suspended for a moment before they bring everything back into focus in one catchy burst. The burst explodes, swings into the next phrase, rolls around, and suspends itself again. These tracks are at their best when they’re short, when they dart in, repeat one of those catchy bursts often enough to get it embedded in your brain, then exit, leaving you with your head ringing, leaving you in the mood for more.