Details: Calla are from Texas, and moved to NYC a few years ago. The music is slow and slinky, with deep bass and lots of space and atmosphere. The grooves have a swampy, narcotized-Cajun feel, with hollow-body-twang guitar that snakes and erupts through the mix with signature lines - Morricone-like sometimes, but more authentically American - very bluesy, dramatic, and spacious. They use some electronic textures and grooves, too, very tastefully and not gimmicky, just enough to convey a sense of dimension and filmic atmosphere. The vocals are softly intoned and tender, but right up front in the mix. The songs convey a sense of heartbreak and vulnerability, with just enough abstract remove to avoid mawkishness. The tone of the album is very purely conveyed though, without irony. The sense of ache I get from their music reminds me of Low, but they get at this sensation through entirely different means and don't sound anything like them. These are extremely well written and orchestrated songs, with a wide range of dynamics (bordering on the theatrical) - from a close whisper to austere and repetitive "rock" vamps that are always rooted with a disciplined low-end groove, avoiding overkill as they build towards crescendo. They draw on traditional elements and filter them through an advanced sensibility - via the electronics, sense of space, their (sometimes) minimalist aesthetic, and the unconventional, cinematic, sonic juxtapositions. - Michael Gira.

Calla - Scavengers (CD)