The opening notes of "Wingbone," sharp and clear as a bell are asdirect as Califone wishes to get on their new record. The trackpossesses a tightness and clarity of meaning that will slip away acrossthe rest of the record, though not in a bad way. Every strum and pluckrings out beautifully, vividly presenting itself before slowly fadingback into the darkness. Of all the tracks on Heron King Blues,this one is the most organic and most immediately satisfying, anintroduction to the extended dream about to be let loose and spill outits unconscious thoughts without elaboration. The music was crafted ina manner similar to the bands previous Declaration releases,either wholly improvised or devised in the studio. After the rawmaterials are put to tape, they are put through the process, cut,dubbed, and patched into an electro-acoustic meld. This approachdeepens to drifting, dreamlike sprawl that pervades the record. "Apple"is dominantly percussive, bubbling with a collage of sounds ofindeterminate origin, some pastiche of real drums and mechanicalapproximations that along with Tim Rutili's hushed, choppy vocalsgivethe track a compellingly breathless tempo. "2 Sisters Drunk on EachOther" is far removed from the pastoral feel of the rest of the disc,with chiming guitars and a flanged and funky bass line. Overdubbedhorns criss-cross over one another, squealing out nonsense melodies.This track seems as if it would be right at home mixed into a dance setlist. Though it does stick out on the disc, it is distinctly Califone,pitting sound against sound ever so subtly to develop tension andenergy in a subdued way. The title track, spanning almost fifteenminutes, is an elongated jam session that puts the strengths of theband's improvisation skills and the attentiveness of the listener tothe test. While there are intriguing moments in the midst, it can besomewhat taxing. By its end, Heron King Blues has escaped formand function and spun off into a nebulous place, the band finding theirvoice in that mist as strong (if not as clear) as it is on solidground.Read More
