calla - televise
another release on arena rock recordings .. i bought it purely cos of the label. a dangerous game, i had heard superdrag/grand mal releases so expected happy fuzz guitars and fairly uplifting vibes.
haha.
this is the labels long lost evil cousin that is normally locked under the stairs at the xmas party so the kids dont get too scared.
with the basslines lifted from mezzanine by massive attack, the subtley distorted guitars from the darkest horror film imaginable, these songs are not for the faint hearted.
there are no power chords, no nu-metal style, no new garage instant press attention, and definitely no pampering to modern marketing forces - this new york trio have created a disc that is going to stay with me for a very long time wether i want it to or not.
research reveals that michael gira has been involved with this band as they were previously on his young god label. for the unitiated michael gira was accountable for some of the most darkly beautiful intense music with new yorks finest the swans (and possibly resposible to giving many people ear problems - including me !), so all becomes clear, there is a masterplan afoot here.
heavy gothic overtones may wrap the stunning production but not a bag of flour anywhere to be seen or heard anywhere, the leeds goth massive are not going to be involved with the beauty buried within these dramatic epics.
with songs that genuinely send cold yet welcome shivers up the spine, there are slight elements of coldplay - as several of the songs are built upon a simple single chord structure that wind up slowly to a staggering crescendo, best example being the title track, thankfully this lot dont wallow in olbvious self pity, and sell their souls to the media .. well not yet.
with song tiles such as 'the strangler','pete the killer','dont hold your breath' its obvious that these boys have had a few nightmares over the years.
thankfully they wish to share these experience with the rest of us.
completely breathtaking - in every sense.
indulge yourself.