Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers [Album]

  

Dead Oceans

What started as a solo project by former Red Red Meat front man Tim Rutili has grown in breadth and stature to become a fully realized band of many contributors with a long discography and a unique – perhaps even important – sound. Rutili confesses that when he created Califone, his intention was to have a small home project making pleasant little pop songs “from found pieces.” Instead, Califone writes experimental post-rock songs that are as engaging and appealing as they are daring.

I have enjoyed a lot of Califone’s previous work, particularly “Roomsound” (Perishable Records, 2001) and “Roots & Crowns” (Thrill Jockey, 2006), so I was excited to see there was a new release, “All My Friends Are Funeral Singers” (Dead Oceans, 2009). Like many of Califone’s works, this new release is a concept album. Rutili wrote and directed a companion film for which this album is the soundtrack. He described the film in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times as being, “about a woman who lives in the woods, and she’s a psychic. She lives in a house full of ghosts, and one day, the ghosts realize they’re trapped, and she has to find a way – even though she doesn’t want them to go – to get them out of the house. Then they start destroying her life.” Fun stuff. But Rutili’s fertile imagination has led him to some fascinating places musically.

“All My Friends…” opens with the curious ‘Giving Away the Bride.’ Listening to this song gives you the idea that this entire release is going to be like rare steak. It’s delicious, but chewy and hard to digest. Much of the album is like this to some degree. Though many of the songs are quiet and even have sort of a stripped down feel, they are not simple. Take ‘1928’ for example. The melody is plain, but the production is complex. Layers of vibes, horns, synthesizers, and noise effects interact with the skillfully plucked acoustic guitar. It reminds me of some of the experimentation Wilco tries on their more ambitious tunes. ‘Alice Marble Gray’ also has a simple skeleton, but is fleshed out with odd sound effects and surprisingly placed harmony vocals.

The entire album isn’t difficult. ‘Bunnel’ is a fairly straight-ahead alt-country song that would be at home on a Pete Yorn album. ‘Ape-like’ has a down home celebration feel like Led Zeppelin's ‘Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.’ ‘Evidence’ and ‘Better Angels’ are prettily arranged and straightforward.

On the whole, “All My Friends…” strikes a balance between challenging and accessible. The melodies are appealing, the instrumentation is accomplished, and the production is wonderful. Rutili and company are skilful songsmiths who are not afraid to take chances and the result is a richly textured album that captivates and moves the listener. I recommend you give this new effort from Califone a listen.