Courtesy of Touch & Go/Quarterstick Records

For 12 years Tucson’s Calexico built their respectable reputation on the marriage of dusty Tex-Mex imagery and mariachi-spiced Western soundtrack music, and all was well. Critics raved and eager audiences lapped up the group’s pitch perfect performances from Los Angeles to Amsterdam.

And then Calexico got restless and a little angry at the political state of their homeland.

So they did something a little different and channeled that anger and restlessness into a decidedly more indie rock sound with more of an emphasis on vocals (2006’s “Garden Ruin”). Later the smoke had cleared a bit, but still not wanting to be too predictable, Calexico attacked their next album a little differently than before. Joey Burns (guitar, vocals, etc.) and John Convertino (drums) wrote the songs as a duo, bringing in other band members and guest artists one by one instead of having every member in the studio at once.

Burns explained in an interview, “Every time you go to the studio you want to try something new, but we knew that we wanted to keep it low budget. It also gave John and I the freedom to make mistakes and not feel constrictions or pressure. And (the pressure is) not from the labels, it’s from yourself. It was more enjoyable that way, too.”

The dynamic duo’s duo dynamics are what the recording style of the band’s new album, “Carried to Dust,” was based on, versus the group writing affair of “Garden Ruin.” The result is a mix of the classic Calexico sound, a dash of the indie rock flavor and song structure of “Garden Ruin” with a few extra exotic twists and turns. It’s almost a relief to hear that while wanting to try new things, find new inspirations and keep journalists on their toes, Calexico isn’t eager to relinquish the signature sound that made them who they are. On “Carried to Dust,” the marriage of old and new influences feels like a truly organic recipe that grows on you with each listen.

“Dust” holds many of the indie rock elements that made “Garden Ruin” what it is – the emphasis on lyrics and vocals, and heavier electric guitar makes an appearance occasionally, but it also holds on to Calexico’s tried and true classic sound. Like in the rousing “Gatillo (Trigger Revisited),” the mariachi-style horns and lightning fast acoustic guitars bring to mind the best of the south of the border style instrumentals from 1998’s “Black Light” and 2000’s “Hot Rail.”

On the other hand, the standout “Two Silver Trees” employs tinkling piano and reverb-heavy guitar effects to paint a delicate, yet sweeping musical watercolor. “The News About William” is Calexico with a Simon & Garfunkel acoustic guitar flourish. Both songs have heartstring-plucking dramatic, soaring choruses that would keep fans of DeVotchKa and The Decemberists happy. “Writer’s Minor Holiday” is perfection in that it’s gentle rhythms can’t help bring to mind a sunny day road trip. And then there’s the wild, jagged, distortion-heavy guitar at the end of “Man Made Lake” that would sound at home on the average noise rock album.

Another element that kept things organic for Burns on the new record was the work that they did with other artists, many of which they hadn’t collaborated with before, including Pieta Brown, Douglas McCombs of Brokeback and Tortoise, Mickey Raphael (a.k.a Willie Nelson’s harmonica player of choice), and Amparo Sanchez (of the band Amparanoia) and Jairo Zavala, both of Spain. The mix of individual styles and cultures helped nurture the level of spontaneity that Calexico so covets.

“I think that one of the joys of doing these collaborations is because the focus is on the accompaniment and on these artists, and it gives you a chance to get inside the music without thinking about what’s going to happen. It helped inspire us,” Burns said.

Another inspiring element was the addition of the artist’s ideas, which helped keep things fresh. On the languid-paced, alt country love song, “Slowness,” Pieta Brown, a past part-time Tucson resident, added her sweet, gentle vocals and flair, helping cure Burns’ apprehensions about the song.

“I was a little nervous because I thought it was too close to the Iron & Wine stuff we had done,” he said. “But when she heard it, she said, ‘Do you mind if I take the melody and make it my own?’ And I said, ‘Of course.’”

“Slowness” turned out to be another high point on the album, a pedal steel-infused lullaby made for moonlit slow dancing.

Zavala and Sanchez acted as more than just guest artists on the album. They were in the States from Spain not just to contribute to the Calexico record, but to record their own solo albums with Burns and Convertino, as well. This resulted in a unique working relationship. In fact, Zavala even performed with Calexico at Bookman’s Party in the Park last November, looking very at home with a stage full of band members and mariachis.

“Working with Amparo and especially Jairo was a nice break from the usual routine,” Burns said. Both Spaniards gladly carried on the Calexico spirit of collaboration. Sanchez even worked with horn player Jacob Valenzuela on his songs, one of which, the sensual and dramatic “Inspiracion” appears on “Dust.” The result is a fiery Latin duet about heartbreak that defies the listener to stay seated.

Speaking of inspiracion, unlike others, this album has a back story.

Burns reveals that the story of a Los Angeles writer on a self-imposed Southwestern sabbatical after writers’ protests was inspired by the relatively unknown John Fante (1909-1983). Fante influenced many a Beat Generation writer, along with Charles Bukowski, who called him his “god.” Fante also inspired the title of the current Calexico album, as his most well-known work is titled “Ask the Dust” and profiles a struggling Italian-American writer during the Depression who falls for a flighty Mexican waitress.

Do all the songs fit into this theme? Actually, only about a third of them do without taking too many creative liberties. So why bother? Burns explains, “I thought about several stories, but this was my attempt to tell journalists, ‘Look, this isn’t just another record.’ There are a lot of stories and subplots woven in and this could be one of them. And it holds true for four, maybe five songs. I was trying to think of a way to tie all this in before finishing all the lyrics, but I got tired of making it a homework assignment.”

After learning the back story behind the back story and hearing Burns excitedly tell tales of his non-touring journey through South America, I think there is a strong theme throughout the album, but it doesn’t involve fictional stories. As Burns said, many of Calexico’s songs have sociopolitical themes, but “Dust” seems to have been very strongly influenced by the sense of journey and isolation, and connecting the journeys and isolation of others to your own. Several of the songs, such as “Bend to the Road,” “Man Made Lake” (about a post Katrina New Orleans) and the despairing “Contention City” paint a portrait of desolation so tangible you can almost see the deserted desert highway stretching out before you in the moonlight. And Burns isn’t just speaking of human isolation, but also of cities cut off from their lifeblood, like in the song “House of Valparaiso.”

“There I am in Chile, in the van listening to Victor Jara (the assassinated Chilean songwriter, teacher and political activist, who is also the subject of “Victor Jara’s Hands”) while driving trough the vineyards going to the coastal town of Valparaiso, which is gorgeous,” Burns remembered. “And it’s like a ghost town. Once the Panama Canal was built in ‘27, the majority of the traffic and business started coming through but it was a drastic change – much like some towns in Arizona. I saw that, much the same way you see Detroit with the auto industry capital drying up… there are all these buildings downtown that are empty.

“So it had this kind of mystery and relevance and this profound dignity of surviving after this tumultuous time period. But the younger people that I met grew up abroad in exile. So now they’re back and they’re trying to make sense of the country that they come from and it’s an interesting juxtaposition and offers a lot of questions about who we are and where we come from.”

When Burns later explained that now that the Bush era is nearly over he feels that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it makes sense that his songwriting been shifting. Like those young Chileans, Burns is trying to make sense of the world around him in the current political climate. Like them, he has experienced frustration and longing. And while there is no surefire cure for these feelings, communicating them and connecting to others helps squash those feelings of isolation.

And sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone, in that so many of us feel alone.

“Carried to Dust” comes out on Sept. 9, which means it will be available in time for Gabrielle Giffords’ Go Vote benefit on Sept. 20 at the Rialto Theatre. Performers will include Calexico and Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins.

For more information, visit casadecalexico.com and rialtotheatre.com.