Televise

Calla | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 21, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arena Rock
• ASIN: B00007L9N0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,369 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rainy day, dusk descending, July 8, 2004

By 

J. Rossi (Downers Grove, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Televise (Audio CD)

"Televise" was my introduction to Calla (though it's the band's third album), and what a first impression it made on me.

Based in New York City, Calla prove that not every band from NYC are riding the post-punk wave to the riches on the shore. This album employs spiky guitars and atmosperics to provide a dense and dark listening experience.

Opener 'Strangler' follows typical song structures combined with downright scary lyrics, but the rest of the album is more experimental. 'Monument' is sparse, which makes its haunting guitar line that much more efficatious. 'Don't Hold Your Breath' moves in with the chilling lyric 'This day is dead' and the vocal is briefly offset by a bright and chirpy guitar segment before squalling darkness comes along and casts a pall over the end of the song, and 'Pete the Killer' is an atmospheric highlight along the lines of a quiet MBV moment, and its held together by a simple-yet-effective (and unforgettable) bass line.

'Customized' starts the second half of the album, "Televised's" most potent set of songs. 'Customized' doesn't sound like anything memorable at first, but upon repeated listens the slithering guitar, howling atmospherics and distant lyrics make it a darkly satisfying masterpiece.

'As Quick as it Comes/Carrera' starts as a nearly silent ballad and ambles along for two minutes before the band builds the song to an unforgettable crescendo that could be a quieter, more refined and reigned-in Godspeed You Black Emperor song or Low if that band stretched out a little bit more. It is certainly one of the albums highlights, and after 'Alacran's' instrumental atmospherics blow by, 'Televise' comes along as one of the albums two towering masterpieces. It starts off with a skittering drum beat and funky strut before ice-cold guitar rises to the surface and flips the song upside down. After the lyrics cut out just over two minutes into the song, the guitar morphs into a Spector-ish wall of sound, fades away to silence before coming back like an avalanche down a sun-baked mountain.

Calla have crafted a memorable, if not dark and atmospheric, album that at first sounds too basic to be enthralling, but upon repeated spins the listener is rewarded with new facets of musicianship. It's like crawling into your bed at night - you know it's familiar but it takes a few moments to find the comfort zone. "Televised" won't blow you over the first time, but each successive listen is a reward unto itself. If atmospheric music is your bag, fill it with this album.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moody Rock... and That's a Great Thing, January 30, 2003

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Televise (Audio CD)

I admit I had not heard of Calla before but I saw these guys open for Interpol not long ago, and was simply blown away. I bought their second album "Scavengers" on the spot, and now their new album.

"Televise" is not as dark as "Scavengers", and rocks more, which is when Calla really shines. The opener "Strangler" is one of the highlights, as is "Dont Hold Your Breath", "Customised", and best of all "Televised", with its drawn out and hypnotizing riffs. The comparison may not be really good but the band reminds me of how early-Cure might have sounded if they started recording now.

I'll be interested in seeing how Calla evolves from here. Meanwhile, I am very content with this album, and can't wait to see them live again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nice and slow, July 13, 2003

By 

"livesidog" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Televise (Audio CD)

Calla move slowly. Televise clocks in at a mere 46 minutes, but it feels a whole lot longer than that. Which is good. These songs progress slowly, they build slowly, they make you want to listen closely, following them through slow crescendos and hanging on to vocalist Aurelio Valle's slow, slurred vocals. Don't get me wrong, my overuse of the word "slow" here isn't meant to imply that the album's pace is glacial or boring, just kind of dark. Yes, this stuff is depressing, but it's also sexy.

There is a very alluring quality to Valle's drawl and jangling guitars and it's complemented superbly by smooth basslines and atmospheric sounds. The drums and other percussion are often more subtle than anything else, but they're pronounced when they need to be. Indeed, Calla are a finely honed machine and it's hard to believe that there are only 3 members behind the controls. "Customized" and "As Quick As It Comes/Carrera" rival Mogwai's thunderous climaxes in their building finales.

But let's get back to the slow stuff, because that's where this album really shines. I'm not sure I can decipher more than a dozen words in either "Monument" or "Don't Hold Your Breath", but both of them draw me in -- the instinct to turn up the volume, close my eyes and nod my head to the beat is irresistable. As the album progresses, the dark vibe continues with superb tracks like "Monument" and "Astral" before it comes to a head in the previously mentioned "Quick As It Comes/Carrera". The soundscape interlude "Alacran" follows and then, surprisingly, the upbeat "Televised". It's an oddly positive moment and provides a nice break from the somber mood of the album.

Until, of course, "Surface Scratch", the album's finale, which throws you back into the album's depths. It's the gloomiest song on the album, but it's also comforting in a way. "Don't ever look back, don't ever turn back," it pleads, but "don't forget to come back." I can't help coming back to this album.