Califone

How many bands come back from the brink of break-up to produce some of their best and most innovative work? The list is ever-growing, and now Califone are on it. Roots & Crowns is a significant departure from the band's earlier work. Far more electronically inspired than its predecessors, it sounds like Tim Rutili has been listening almost exclusively to Can and the Broken Social Scene catalogue. The result is Califone's strongest work since Roomsound. Percussion is fittingly minimalist and seems to be banged out on objects found around a kitchen. At the heart of the record are Califone's typical dark and lush melodies, and Rutili's hushed vocals. There are so many bands making alt.country right now, but the strongest consistently find ways to separate themselves from the pack. Califone are quietly leading the charge.