Listening to Unida Cantina, this year's album from Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, is like taking a Mexican vacation with a group of friends from high school.
The album has a firm base of guitar pop. The familiarity of this electric bounce is akin to that of old friends that might not surprise you but are welcome at the party anyway. Tempering this familiar feel are the “south of the border” flourishes the band brings to their songs. From mariachi-like guitar licks to horns popping in and out of the mix, Unida Cantina straddles the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
RCPM not only know that this transcendence of borders exist in their music, they embrace it. With two huge shows in Rocky Point every year (January Jam and Circus Mexicus), the band seems at home in the party atmosphere Americans associate with Mexico.
Their comfort level shows on Unida Cantina. The album's best songs revolve around a bash of one sort or another. “Heaven on a Paper Plate” extols the beauty of the backyard BBQ, from joking with friends to “screwtop wine.” “All Over the Radio,” while not about a party exactly, celebrates rocking out while driving. RCPM sound their best when having a good time.
Things get shaky when a song's subject matter gets serious. “Small World,” a decent song about loneliness, is so out-of-place next to the album's best songs that I just want to stab myself when I hear it. “Just Got High” is about falling in love. Or weed. With lyrics like “I just got high/Feels like I've just been taught to fly,” I'm embarrassed to do either.
Unida Cantina is a great album when there's fun to be had. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are a damn solid rock band, so I appreciate their desire to play different types of songs. I think they'd be better off partying until the sun comes up and leaving the rough topics to others.
