AMG Review of Televise

Jesse Jarnow
All Music Guide

Televise is Calla's third album of strange, noise-infected indie pop. Static-filled drones hover and pulse and function in the way a rhythm section would in a traditional rock outfit. The band builds itself carefully around the electronics contributed by bassist/keyboardist Sean Donovan and drummer Wayne Magruder. Guitarist/vocalist Aurelio Valle's melodies don't stand out, particularly, except for their framing -- and that alone is enough to make them function differently from most of Calla's contemporaries. Even forays into more traditional songwriting, such as "As Quick as It Comes/Carrera," are successful, revealing a tender, Yo La Tengo-like sound from the group -- albeit equally informed by the ambient side, as demonstrated by the subtly stereo-panned drums on the same track. Televise is an impressive and adventurous -- if occasionally mopey -- collection of songs.