Roomsound [Enhanced]

Califone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2001)
• Original Release Date: April 8, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Perishable
• ASIN: B00005AXHH
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,802 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. trout silk

2. bottles and bones (shade & sympathy)

3. fisherman's wife

4. porno starlet vs. rodeo clown

5. tayzee nub

6. slow rt. hand

7. st. augustine (a belly full of swans)

8. wade in the water

9. rattlesnakes smell like split cucumbers

10. new black tooth

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Countrifying their warped blues rock, the band Red Red Meat have changed their lineup a tad, rechristened themselves "Califone," and released a rangy and enchanting debut album (the import CD Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People fleshes out two earlier EPs). Superficially, Roomsound recalls the best of the No Depression school of indie-hick moonshine. But despite the banjos, country-blues thumps, and hillbilly plaints, Califone sound as forwardly fresh as they do familiar. Sure singer Tim Rutili drawls a bit when he's tossing his word salad (smokestacks, stuffed mattresses, rodeo clowns), and you can almost see drummer Brian Deck reaching for the washboard. But Califone, like the clever Chicago boys they are, set their rusty retro truck on blocks of electronica: warbling synths, tape loops, spacey breaks, dub. By subtly unraveling the sound of authenticity, Califone paradoxically generate a shambling but emotionally convincing down-home vibe you'd demean by calling "post-country-rock." A Beggar's Banquet for Tortoise heads. --Erik Davis

Product Description

Roomsound, the debut full length from Califone, covers the same rustic, slightly ramshackle back forty that Tim Rutili has been ploughing since at least as far back as his previous band Red Red Meat. Only this time the tilled bedrock unveils the most vividly colored, luring crop of songs Rutili has ever harvested. The sleepy, country-blues picking and autumnal melodies are accented with striking splashes of electronic tone color, obsolete keyboards and off-kilter percussion. Lyrically, Roomsound penetrates the breath of pirates, poison apples at a tango contest and the waiting room between death and canonization where missionaries have quit and 19th-century whores are rescued for all the wrong reasons. Roomsound is a hauntingly unique and distinctive record of crafted and sculpted beauty.

Recorded and mixed at clava-sound by Brian Deck.

This is an enhanced CD. This disc contains 3 performance videos of Califone filmed live in an industrial bathroom. The videos are in QuickTime format.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Demands Close Listening, October 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Roomsound (Audio CD)

I bought this record not really knowing who Califone/Red Red Meat/Tim Rutili were. I am very happy that I stumbled upon this album. It is one of those records that makes you want to hear everything that the artist has put out in the past (and now the previous Red Red Meat and Califone outings are on my list of future purchases).

This record is haunting and addictive. Haunting because certain guitar parts or vocals are constantly echoing through my head ("bellyfull of swans" and the violin part of "FISHERMAN'S WIFE"). Addictive because I cannot stop listening to it.

Califone pulls off a major feat. They evoke the emotion and grit of the Blues without simply aping the Blues.

Standout tracks are "BOTTLES AND BONES (shade & sympathy)," "FISHERMAN'S WIFE," "WADE IN THE WATER," and "SLOW RT. HAND." In order to get the full effect of these songs, however, they need to be heard in context. The album definitely has a distinct sound and needs to be played in its entirety to be completely enjoyed. It is best listened to with headphones. Subtle but complex percussion is used throughout the album to great effect. At points, the guitar playing reminds me a little of John Parish's work with PJ Harvey.

This is an enhanced CD with avi's of the band playing in a bathroom.

I would definitely recommend this to any fan of adventurous music that attempts to deconstruct traditional song structures. The album's forward-looking sound is all the more remarkable because the instrumentation is fairly simple (guitar, bass, drums, organ, percussion and some synthesizers). I am looking forward to delving into the Califone and Red Red Meat back catalog. I am so happy that I found this band.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleeping Monkeys get no cigarettes, December 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Roomsound (Audio CD)

This is the first time I am writing a review, despite being a fairly hardcore amazon junkie. I guess it says something about these guys, or else I'm just bored. I don't know any of the other music these guys are responsible for, but this is a great cd, if nothing else then for the sheer originality of it. There's something edgy about the music that keeps it from ever getting even close to "wilco-melodic," but there are some great melodies here, all subtle and disjointed, and the vocals, like the guitars and assorted noises, just make perfect sense after a few listens(listen to track number two on repeat about 14 times and you'll see what I mean). The precussion creates a very hollow atmospheric effect that feels like tom waits at times. This cd feels like it has a sense of purpose. Go ahead, try it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow down and enjoy, December 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Roomsound (Audio CD)

There is a reason why so many people have discovered Califone's Roomsound release (#1 Alternative Rock CD and #9 overall Amazon sales)! It's because of the mix and fusion of musicians coupled with the songwriting. From when I saw them, the interplay between Tim Rutili, Ben Massarella and Eric Johnson was flawless when they were in my hometown.

The music makes you want to see its' creation. I envision walking into a dimly lit tavern where band leader Rutili sits back in a corner, with smoke wafting toward the ceiling. Nothing is on the table but a stiff shot of whiskey and paper to write down a combination of random thoughts and visions.

The entire CD is an experience that envelops one and should not be dissected. If it must, like my early morning trips, my favorite cuts include Trout silk, Bottles and Bones and fisherman's wife. Percussion blends with banjo. Guitar throbs pushed on by a thumping bass. Picture that bar setting and then Rutili emerging as an early Dave Matthewsish type prescence with a well, let's say it, a Tim Rutili gift for writing and assembling a great cadre of musicians. Make sure to slow down and enjoy the whole experience!