Calexico goes to space, hands out MP3

When a band breaks out big, it's not uncommon to hear its members excitedly discuss the first time they heard their own song on the radio. So imagine the feelings the guys of Calexico must have had when they found out their song was played in space.

That's right, outer space. And while our money here at Paste was on the martians leaning more toward Sigur Rós, we think they might just enjoy the soothingly mellow melodies of Calexico and start a mass infiltration of the band’s hometown of Tuscon, Arizona.

Apparently during shuttle flights, close friends and family members of the crewmembers are allowed to choose the music that wakes up the crew. And Arizona congresswoman Gail Giffords, whose husband Mark Kelly is the Discovery shuttle commander, has selected Calexico’s “Crystal Frontier” as one of her two song choices.

In 2006, Giffords chose U2’s “Beautiful Day” for the same purpose. The subject matter in “Crystal Frontier” serves as a stark contrast to “Beautiful Day,” replacing U2’s “heart is a flower” metaphors with a gripping ballad of drunken unforsaken souls in a fantasyland. Maybe the commander and his wife have been on a Jim Jarmusch kick lately.

To commemorate this weirdly fun news, Touch and Go Records has made a free MP3 of the song available here through the shuttle's June 14 landing day. That means you have roughly 24 hours to get some free Calexico. Quick, to the crystal frontier!

Related links:
Calexico on MySpace
CasaDeCalexico.com
USA Today: A spot on NASA's playlist gets a song heard around the world

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