Calla - Scavengers
(Young God)
Texas really should be spelled TeXas. If you’ve gotten here late and you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll point you in the direction of fakejazz's review of Explosions in the Sky. Go ahead, I’ll still be here when you get back. For everyone else, let me tell you why Calla kick so much ass.
Firstly, they come across—to me, at least—as a better version of bands like Bedhead; able to craft incredibly affective and sad slowed-down country, while maintaining the urgency that those bands forsake in their delivery, while still able to experiment and keep things rocking, at times. Along with the aforementioned urgency comes something entirely new—again, to me... maybe not to the rest of you—paranoia. Yes, Calla infuse their songs with a hearty amount of paranoia to balance out the drugged sadness, and it works fantastically.
For instance, the opening track, "Fear of Fireflies," would be great on it’s own, instrumentally, but lead-guy Aurelio Valle sings the lyrics with such conviction and fear that it becomes a standout. Consequently, the entire album is touched by this song: you can’t help but think of it while hearing the others. Hence, the downhearted "Tijerina" becomes all the more devastating, with the lyrics, "sorry for the inconvenience / it’s only ’cause I’m losing patience" being a complete shot through the heart.
Another thing that bears mention is the amount of change present between this and their self-titled debut; while the latter was a series of oblique musical segments with buried vocals and bizarre sounds, Scavengers is a perfect slice of depression-core pie. "Slum Creeper" is a good example of this. It utilizes the scratchy sounds and rusty production of their old stuff, but the vocals are right in front, and the song has more mood in it than anything on the previous album.
Seriously, I haven’t felt this strongly about an album since It’s a Wonderful Life (take another break to read my Sparklehorse review, team). I urge you to pick up Scavengers and experience the greatness for yourself.
|
