Everything Is Saved

The music of the David Wax Museum is a rhythmic stew of American and Mexican folk traditions with a dash of Eastern European influences mixed in. The inventive arrangements on Everything Is Saved blend piano, horns, guitars, violin, accordion, upright bass, and some traditional Mexican instruments into an energetic and charming work. The cross-pollination is most overt on “Chuchumbe,” with its handclaps and lively percussion, the mariachi horns of “That’s Not True,” and the melody line of the stuttering “Yes, Maria, Yes,” but it also pops up in the infectious sing-along chorus “Born With a Broken Heart” and the rousing waltz “Unfruitful.” Balancing out the feel-good stompers are the sweetly textured ballads “Look What You’ve Done to Me,” “Lavender Street,” and “The Least I Can Do,” which also highlight the close harmony singing of band leaders David Wax and Suz Slezak. Everything Is Saved is their third release and their best effort yet in capturing each side of this talented band.