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Avg: 4.0 (498 ratings)
- Date Released: October 10, 2006
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Thrill Jockey
A fractured, funky, folky, jammy good time from a great, uncategorizable Chicago band.
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We Say...
If civilization endures, Roots and Crowns will have at least a few 24th-century musicologists tearing their hair out — in a good way, of course. Califone's seventh album finds mastermind Tim Rutili (ex-Red Red Meat) and company blithely marrying fractured funkadelia, twisted pan-global folk and Grateful Dead-like instrumental interplay in a slow-burning blaze of laptop-assisted glory that salutes apparently disparate traditions even as it consumes them. Gliding on a carpet of vaguely Middle Eastern percussion, opener "Pink and Sour" charms our inner cobra with pulsating drones and slide guitar that overlay Natchez and Mumbai like projector transparencies. "Black Metal Valentine" nudges its glitches into the realm of artficial life, myriad guitar-sourced scrapes gamboling the night away in a gentle digital vortex. And while Rutili's consistently wistful vocals often add an ironic gloss to his neo-Dada lyrics, they elevate the Psychic TV cover "Orchids" so effectively that Genesis P-Orridge would probably give all his piercings just to match it.
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They Say...
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 blues, 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 rock 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.
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| 01. |  |
Pink & Sour |
4:15 |
|
| 02. | |
Spiders House |
3:49 |
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| 03. | |
Sunday Noises |
2:52 |
|
| 04. | |
The Eye You Lost In The Crusades |
4:44 |
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| 05. | |
A Chinese Actor |
4:20 |
|
| 06. | |
Our Kitten Sees Ghosts |
2:49 |
|
| 07. |
Alice Crawley |
0:39 |
|
|
| 08. | |
The Orchids |
2:57 |
|
| 09. | |
Burned By The Christians |
3:57 |
|
| 10. | |
Black Metal Valentine |
6:18 |
|
| 11. | |
Rose Petal Ear |
2:11 |
|
| 12. | |
3Legged Animals |
4:10 |
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| 13. | |
If You Would |
5:45 |
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| 14. | |
Ladders |
3:19 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 52:05 Total Length
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