Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sometimes Good Music Follows Good Musicians, August 28, 2002
This is a compilation of two Califone's EPs, and it has some REALLY good stuff on here, some more psychadelic than their other stuff. The only thing is, this doesn't flow quite like Roomsound, their last album, but it still is good.A number of songs stand out, such as "On the Steeple...," "Dime Fangs," "Down the Eisenhower...," and "Don't Let Me Die Nervous." But my favorite song definitely has to be "Electric Fence," though I can't truly say why. I just know I need to hear it more often than any other song here. If you're new to Califone, I would suggest buying Roomsound first, and then, if you decide you like them, get this one.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compilation of first 2 EPs, May 8, 2006
This was a long-needed release, with a few added tracks. This is Califone in the early stages, easily hinting that RRM was a thing of the past, and the bright future to come.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pitchforkmedia.com Review, April 13, 2002
The Chicago-based ambient neo-folk band Califone was formed way back in the late 90s by two musicians (Brian Deck and Tim Hurley) and two pasta dishes, Rutili and Massarella, and rose from the ashes of another respected Chicago blues-rock outfit, Red Red Meat. Subsequent to that band's breakup, the four remaining members pulled a Voltron and came back hard, but with a new and innovative musical approach: blending southwestern Americana, blues, and bleak, rugged folk with updated, atmospheric percussion and drum programming. The result was at once unique and compelling. Good Weather Follows Bad People is the condensed, environmentally friendly reissue of Califone's first two critically acclaimed EPs, with the addition of two unreleased bonus tracks.The first seven tracks are drawn from Califone's self-titled 1998 debut EP for the defunct indie label Flydaddy. Among the highlights are... well, all of them. Yes, each of these seven are damn near golden, including the damp, bass-heavy opener, "On the Steeple with the Shakes," the punchy, rustic folk of "Silvermine Pictures," and the lonely, emotive distance and sparseness of the guitar and piano riffing on "Dime Fangs." Tracks 8-12 are culled from the band's second EP, a 1999 Road Cone effort. The EP was less mood and composition-oriented than the debut, actually employing discernable songwriting elements like hummable choruses and bridges, as on "St. Martha Let It Fold" and the quasi-pop of "Beneath the Yachtsman." Still, though, the same innovative approach remained, solidified by Rutili's restrained and expressive vocal grit. Being as it is a re-release, the question for fanatics is whether the two bonus tracks are enough to warrant another purchase. The answer for fanatics is no, they're not. One of them is a retread of "To Hush a Sick Transmission," already the least listenable track on the debut EP. The closer is "When the Snakehandler Slips," a dark, aggressive, full-band tune featuring more tempo and fuzzy distortion in everything-- vocals, guitar, and bass. It's a decent track, but by no means indispensable. Newcomers, on the other hand, will find Good Weather to be a perfect starting point. -Brad Haywood, April 11th, 2002
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by Califone 
