Stitches
Califone appears to exist by default. It’s as if Tim Rutili and his various old bandmates from the Chicago scene sometimes just run into each other and fall back into recording music. *Stitches* is Califone\'s first album recorded outside of Chicago in warmer climes like Southern California, Arizona, and Texas. And with these slower tunes, you might get the idea that the open land and sunshine inspired the musicians to find their inner Calexico—but a loose cut like “Magdalene” is likely what happens when old friends mess around anyhow. There’s an informality to the songs, a sense that no one thought too hard or overworked their parts, since the cast was constantly revolving. Tim Hurley (Red Red Meat), Jessie Stein (The Luyas), Joe Westerlund (Megafaun), and Eric Heywood (Son Volt) are among the musicians who shuffled in and out, and some configuration of them made songs like “Bells Break Arms” (with its block harmonies, angry pianos, and space instruments) and “A Thin Skin of Bullfight Dust” (with its synths and nervous percussion) come to peculiar life.
The music of experimental rock outfit Califone has always been rooted in the tension between technology and humanity. On the new Stiches, leader Tim Rutili leans a little more heavily on the human element.
Written and recorded after mainstay Tim Rutili decided to take a breather from band activity, this return suggests more should consider extended breaks.
The best shorthand assessment I can provide of Stitches is that the new Califone record sounds just like a Califone record.
Stitches, as with all of Califone's back catalogue, deserves to be heard as an album, and the listener who doesn't is in for a frustrating experience.
Stitches works well in pieces, every one of its 10 songs a marvel of songwriting clarity and singular vision.
Califone's music has always relied on blending Americana with electronic tones and sonic experimentation.