Customer Reviews

Televise

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

This is the perfect CD to listen to when you're driving country roads at night under a full moon. It rocks, yes, but it also sets up a mood where the individual songs don't stand out as much as the entire album creates the kind of atmosphere that could make it the soundtrack to your life. It reminds me of one of my favorite CDs, the Doves' "Lost Souls" which has these same qualities and is almost symphonic in its effect.

In this most unassuming year of indie releases, Calla captivates by keeping these spare drones melodic and hypnotic. Without raising their collective voices, this group seems to be coming from a place both foreign and domestic. Make no mistake, though. There are no blatant attempts to fit into any camp or style. There is an edginess here which saves this collection from becoming some brand of shoegazing tapioca. While the lyrics ashew psychedelic fancies, they never collapse into blantant Emo confessionals. Moody, yes, but never self indulgent. And yes, the songs all draw from the same palette but, they are distinct units which fit together seamlessly. Some may find this boring but, not me! It left me intrigued and compelled. The music doesn't have blazing epiphanies of hurried clusters of notes or shouted lyrics,yet there is certain a sense that something is happening here. Both in the songs and the listener. Calla is one slippery bunch of musicians! If slowcore had ever been this compelling! A solid piece of craftmanship which I hope is the beginning of something truly unique

"Strangler" starts things off with a wiry guitar phrase reminiscent of Television and I brace myself for another rehash of all that is fashionably post-punk. But the moment vocalist/guitarist Aurelio Valle opens his mouth, the mood shifts to something more langourous. "Something's gotten into your head," he breathes, and it has, it's that sensuous VOICE.

Distanced yet intimate, sexy without meaning to be, it's the voice you hear as you drift off to sleep late at night - if you're lucky. Girls have been spotted pretending not to swoon at Calla shows. I've seen Calla twice and was promptly won over by Aurelio's low-key charisma on stage, his smooth black hair falling over his face, his calm demeanor and above all that VOICE and those obliquely sad lyrics pulling me out to sea. It's a voice that emanates a narcotic unease while somehow offering warmth and comfort. I'll bet he gets stalked a lot at Kim's Video (I've heard he works there).

But the Voice is merely one color on Calla's sophisticated, carefully controlled yet fluid musical palette. The weaker Calla songs tend to drift to no purpose or perhaps they're simply meant as meditations. The stronger songs, such as "Strangler," "Customized," and "Televised" (grittier, more caustic) often start slowly, in measured tones with liquid bass lines. Then they build almost imperceptibly to scale more dramatic heights. For example, on "Don't Hold Your Breath," continuous shakers, slow, minimal guitar lines and a melodic bass wrap themselves around Aurelio's incantation: "This day is dead." "if I could tell you I would..." "I thought I saw you crawl back for more.." Sleigh bells and phased guitar accent this and then the guitars gather volume and strength, the drums segue into a march with cymbals splashing and the whole thing blossoms into something truly epic. This is music to dream by - or maybe songs that take the place of dreams.

Calla are an emerging New York band (though this is their third album) specialising in slow drone-rock, dark textures and understated, atmospheric vocals. Its nearest comparison and most obvious is Interpol - indeed, friends of Calla - but where Interpol incorporate a touch of faster, Strokes-y protopunk to their faster tracks, Calla owe debts to different sectors too. The vocal stylings between the two bands are different too - in Interpol they are harsh and howling, in Calla they are hushed and morose.

The album is close to Interpol in mood but borrows its atmospherics and flickering guitars from Up-era REM, and on 'As Quick As It Comes', the chiming guitars build steadily to a cacophonious climax in the vein of Mogwai or others of their post-rock contempories. Yet there's even a sense of funk in the sharp guitar work on 'Strangler' and album highlight 'Televised' which is near perfect. Other tracks are more acoustic, 'Monument' is beautifully sparse and 'Surface Scratch' is an understatedly heartbreaking closer.

Admittedly the middle of the album does at times seem repetitive and to mark little departure from the overall sound as the album moves from track to track, but this is only true to the drone-rock ideal where the tracks incorporate one moody whole. This band have serious potential and Televise is an underground gem well worth investigating.

Before Calla really makes a mark in the music world. Their third release is amazing. Their previous release, Scavengers was so good, I couldn't see how they might outdo it, but they've surprised me. They certainly have some heavier songs on this album, and the complexity of the arrangments are great.

The standout songs by far, are Strangler (rocking opening track), Don't Hold Your Breath, Televised, and Customized, but that's not to say their not all great.

In comparison to Scavengers, it's not quite so depressing, maybe because they have opted for more of a rock sound. I'm not great at describing albums, so I'm not really going to try, but one listen to the above mentioned songs is all you'll need to know.

I have to say that I have all of Calla's CDs, and this is the one that I go back to over and over. It is by far their best album from end to end. Track 1 and 2 are great; track 5 "Pete the Killer" is my favorite, and the ones in between are great transitions. I put this CD on and just let it repeat over and over. For Calla fans, you will not be disappointed. It is a great CD to play at full volume or as background music. Get it!

I saw this band open for Ambulance ltd about two days ago and their live performance blew me away. Their music is very relaxing and nice. the song Televised sounded very good in person because the guitar solo was louder and nicer. The band is very nice too because I took a picture with the bassist and stood by the singer when The French Kicks were playing. I strongly recommend this CD if you like Mogwai, Interpol, or Explosions in the Sky. It's a great CD to have in your book.