The guys in Califone are on a roll. Heron King Blues was one of the most interesting albums of 2004, and Roots & Crowns continues to build on their unique sound. On one hand, Califone's songs are pretty, melodic and acoustic more often that not; drawing musically from lues, folk, and Appalachia. On the other hand, they're radical experiments using feedback, noise, electronics and unfamiliar instruments and sounds to create sometimes otherworldly settings for their pretty songs. Factor in Tim Rutili's gift for utterly inscrutable lyrics and you've got a recipe for a band that sounds like no other. The methods remain much the same, but each time out the band brings in new elements. They bring back the "almost funk" of "2 Sisters Drunk on Each Other" from the last album on "Pink & Sour," also adding some sunny "oooh" backing vocals and a blast of Fripp-ian guitar. Adding a few horns to the mix, "Spider's House" almost sounds like it was arranged by Brian Wilson (but arranging for Califone, mind you), "A Chinese Actor" gets more into ock territory with chugging guitars and percussion and layers of noise and grit. The detailed arrangements and production are amazing: there's almost always a lot going on but there's still enough space for the songs to emerge. The sonic detail is a treat, with percussion of all sorts and electronic flotsam and jetsam all around the stereo field. Marimbas, pianos, guitars, strings, white noise, field recordings, samples and a host of other esoteric items all make themselves heard at various times. The songs themselves are easy to approach if difficult to decipher, and the production details reward repeated listens. This is a very original group who are really hitting their stride. They write interesting melodic songs, they've got brilliant ideas for arranging and production, and they've got the studio savvy to pull it all off in spectacular fashion.
Califone's profoundly rewarding set started with Jim Becker's dad crooning Sinatra's "Summer Wind" like a karaoke champ. The band then proceeded to play for well over two hours. They traveled from phenomenal new songs like "3 Legged Animals" to old favorites like "Pastry Sharp" and "Fisherman's Wife", from moments of delicate beauty to the hypnotic, jangling, rusty grooves that are their specia...
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I had the distinct pleasure of recording a song with Jim Becker of Califone on Sunday. He recorded a small version of the Roommate band (Erica Dicker on violin, Mercedes Landazuri on banjo, Anton Hatwich on upright bass, Evelyn Weston on saw, me on keytar and vocals) at his apartment to a cassette four-track recorder. I had heard and totally dug some music he recorded this way for my friend Jim...
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My first-ever review for Harp is up now at the magazine's website.http://www.harpmagazine.com/reviews/cd_reviews/detail.cfm?article_id=4838It's a review of Califone's Roots & Crowns, a wonderful record that has grown on me steadily since I got it. "The Orchids", which is a Psychic TV cover, is getting all the press, but I might just like the percussion-heavy, hallucenogenic "Pink & Sour" bette...
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The experimental Chicago rock band Califone will launch a U.S. tour beginning May 3 at the Performing Arts Center in Malibu, CA once they play three shows in Scotland.The group's most recent album, Roots & Crowns (Thrill Jockey) was released in 2006.Califone Tour Dates04/26/07 # Aberdeen, Scotland The Tunnels (7:30 PM, TIX)04/28/07 # Edinburgh, Scotland Cabaret Voltaire (7:00 PM, TIX)04/29/...
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My first-ever review for Harp is up now at the magazine's website.http://www.harpmagazine.com/reviews/cd_reviews/detail.cfm?article_id=4838It's a review of Califone's Roots & Crowns, a wonderful record that has grown on me steadily since I got it. "The Orchids", which is a Psychic TV cover, is getting all the press, but I might just like the percussion-heavy, hallucenogenic "Pink & Sour" bette...
More >
Califone's profoundly rewarding set started with Jim Becker's dad crooning Sinatra's "Summer Wind" like a karaoke champ. The band then proceeded to play for well over two hours. They traveled from phenomenal new songs like "3 Legged Animals" to old favorites like "Pastry Sharp" and "Fisherman's Wife", from moments of delicate beauty to the hypnotic, jangling, rusty grooves that are their specia...
More >
I had the distinct pleasure of recording a song with Jim Becker of Califone on Sunday. He recorded a small version of the Roommate band (Erica Dicker on violin, Mercedes Landazuri on banjo, Anton Hatwich on upright bass, Evelyn Weston on saw, me on keytar and vocals) at his apartment to a cassette four-track recorder. I had heard and totally dug some music he recorded this way for my friend Jim...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Pink & Sour |
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| 2 Spider's House |
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| 3 Sunday Noises |
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| 4 The Eye You Lost in the Crusades |
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| 5 A Chinese Actor |
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| 6 Our Kitten Sees Ghosts |
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| 7 Alice Crawley |
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| 8 The Orchids |
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| 9 Burned by the Christians |
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| 10 Black Metal Valentine |
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| 11 Rose-Petal-Ear |
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| 12 3Legged Animals |
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| 13 If You Would |
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 "Roots & Crowns")
