Stitches

Califone are longtime practitioners of a uniquely oblique, deconstructed Americana, and with this album they continue to hone and expand their craft. Recorded in Southern California, Arizona, and Texas, the Tim Rutili-led Chicago band aims for a slightly more western sound here. At the core of this album, though, is the band’s deep fascination with the decay and intersection of folk traditions and technology. The music is loose, lush, detailed, and bit jagged around the edges. Good to have Rutili & co. back. Favorites: 2, 4, 5, 8, 9. FCC WARNING: 6, 7.

1. (4:22)—Mid-tempo, twangy, calm. Slide guitar, piano, bleepy keyboard.
2. *(3:35)—Mid-tempo. Minimal acoustic and electronic percussion, keyboards, soft horns. Nearly mournful.
3. (4:03)—Mid-tempo. Loose, shambling rock ‘n’ roll. “Here we are, watching the new world die.”
4. *(5:20)—Medium-slow waltz. Piano, group vocals, keening pedal steel. Glitchy electronics appear near the end.
5. *(5:03)—Very slow, desolate keyboard intro. Piano and ghostly, multi-tracked vocals. Manipulated tabla enters two minutes in.
6. (6:42)—FCC WARNING (b****). Slow. A vaguely country/western melting pot of sonic ideas; we get distorted guitars, acoustic guitars, steel guitars, harmonica, piano, multi-tracked vocals.
7. (4:10)—FCC WARNING (f***, “I came in my pants”). Acoustic guitar and vocals provide the backbone, and strings and piano provide some lovely accentuation.
8. *(5:53)—Medium-fast, driving, lush. Super-primitive drum programming alternates with real drums. A rich mesh of sonic textures, ranging from backing vocals to backmasked guitars—flit in and out.
9. *(4:18)—Slow, twangy. Multi-tracked vocals, horns, shakers, soft drones.
10. (2:39)—Instrumental. Lots of backmasked instruments, gurgling sounds.