Califone
A versatile experimental rock ensemble from Chicago, Califone make music that finds common ground between acoustic and electronic sounds, as well as bridging the gap between an organic, melodic approach and purposeful dissonance that's challenging and intelligent. Early works such as 2001's Roomsound and 2003's Quicksand/Cradlesnakes saw them embracing folk and blues disciplines as well as the avant-garde, experimental electronics, and minimalism, Califone are a group that can engage listeners with their humanity while gently, decisively exploring the outer limits of their work's conventions, as they did on 2006's Roots and Crowns, widely hailed as a career high point. 2020's Echo Mine found them still in inspired form after a long layoff from recording, and 2023's Villagers paid homage to '70s soft rock while holding on to their adventurous spirit.
Califone were formed in 1997 by Tim Rutili after the breakup of his previous band, the blues-influenced indie rock outfit Red Red Meat. Rutili initially intended for Califone (named for a brand of audio equipment often used in schools) to be a solo project, and the band's lineup would remain fluid throughout their run. Rutili's first recordings made under the Califone banner were one-man efforts recorded using computers, but by the time Califone's self-titled debut EP was issued in 1998, his Red Red Meat bandmate Tim Hurley was contributing to the sessions, and their second EP, also titled Califone and released in 2000, included contributions from Red Red Meat alumni Hurley, Ben Massarella, and Brian Deck. (Later in 2000, the two EPs were collected on an album titled Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People.) Their first proper album, 2001's Roomsound, was a bracing fusion of roots music and experimental influences, and it fared well with critics; the band spent plenty of time on the road after it came out, headlining small clubs and playing larger venues as an opening act for Wilco. Califone followed it with a remarkable burst of creativity, issuing five albums between 2002 and 2006, including Deceleration One and Deceleration Two (two sets of improvised music created to accompany experimental films), Quicksand/Cradlesnakes (a more confident variant on the themes of their debut LP), Heron Creek Blues (which delivered a more bracing mix of the peaceful and the noisy), and Roots & Crowns, which boasted richer arrangements and production.
After devoting their energies to a variety of side projects (Flecton, the Unseen Hand) and collaborations (the group's core members appeared on albums by Miche Jette, Freakwater, the Fruit Bats, and Iron & Wine), Califone's next album was 2009's All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, which featured music the group created for a film written and directed by Rutili. After another hiatus from the studio, 2013's Stitches was the first Califone album produced outside Chicago, with the Southwestern ambience aided by recording in Texas, Arizona, and California. Rutili and his cohorts maintained a low profile for the next several years, but in 2019, they set out on an intimate concert tour, playing house shows and small venue events, and they wrote and recorded new music for a dance piece choreographed by Robyn Mineko William. The piece, Echo Mine, debuted in December 2019 in Chicago, and Califone's score was released by Jealous Butcher Records in February 2020. 2023's Villagers was produced by Rutili in collaboration with long-time collaborator Brian Deck, and Michael Krassner, who appeared on Stitches and Echo Mine. This time, Rutili's experimental side was buffered by semi-acoustic arrangements on several songs and a sound that showed the influence of '70s soft rock tropes.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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villagers
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on May 19, 2023
Uncut: Album of the Month24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
ox-eye
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on May 3, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Heron King Blues (Deluxe Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Jan 20, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Echo Mine
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Feb 21, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Oct 6, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stitches
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Sep 2, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roomsound (Deluxe Reissue)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Apr 10, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
villagers (deluxe edition)
Rock - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Nov 3, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
the habsburg jaw
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Mar 1, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People (Expanded Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Jun 11, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Needle in the Hay
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Sep 10, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Family Swan
Alternative & Indie - Released by Kill Rock Stars on Apr 8, 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
villagers
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Apr 4, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
chaotic.evil.astral.elf
Alternative & Indie - Released by Kill Rock Stars on Aug 16, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bandicoot
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Feb 6, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Romans
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Jan 10, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Electric Fence (Clava Live Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Nov 1, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mittens (4-track Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Dead Oceans on Aug 30, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Snow Angel V2
Alternative & Indie - Released by Jealous Butcher Records on Nov 19, 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo