Reviewed by: Andrew Gaerig
Reviewed on: 2006-10-11

Posted 10/11/2006 - 12:51:14 PM by scooper:
	throbbing gristle were english, not german. good record, but i still think they've lost the plot a little since "roomsound"; as a whole, nothing since has been as compulsively listenable, although a handful of tracks from "quicksand/cradlesnakes" and "heron king" (and now "roots and crowns") are among the group's best. but none of those albums hang together as well as "roomsound." i'll keep listening.
Posted 10/11/2006 - 01:15:42 PM by florenz6:
	For my not so innocent ears, "Roomsound" and "Roots and Crowns" are their best work. I´m really thrilled by the brilliance of their melody-sound-research-mix. It takes a bit of time, but then "Roots and Crowns" draws you more and more inside. This album is a further gem in this autumn´s rich offerings of shimmering melancolia: M. Ward, Bonny Prince Billy, Sparklehorse, Califone. And the influence of the Beatles in an obvious presence in all these acts (except BPB). It´s not so far out to realize that Califone´s love for weird and interesting sounds share common ground with Tom Waits, not soundwise, but from the approach to songs! Sometimes you need to bury a melody to make it shine brightly:)
Posted 10/13/2006 - 10:14:03 AM by florenz6:
	What´s going on here? Such a great album, and nearly no responses and feedbacks?! Come on, Mr. Meetbreak, you should listen to this one. (And, remmebering the Beck-discussions, here is a scientology-free zone:)) Yesterday I had a drug-free trip with Califone on my headphones. I think, "intricate" is the right English word for this music I thought my Tom Waits-comparison would get some controversial response. Andrew Gaerig hadn´t said it all, so there´s still some food for thought left.
Posted 10/15/2006 - 12:18:22 AM by dougrokakis:
	This album doesn't need a lot of comment because it's the sort of band that is almost immune to criticism from even the biggest elitists like Raskolnikov. When something like the Fiery Furnaces or Franz Ferdinand comes out there will always be several people debating over the merits of these bands because they're either too pop or too experimental. Califone is the kind of band that manages to straddle the line between experimental and folk and therefore will not be discussed as fully as the bands that lead to debate. If you expect excessive ass kissing of a record you must look elsewhere it seems.
Posted 10/16/2006 - 06:48:57 AM by florenz6:
	You might have right! But my though was that this band still has too much insider status. And you really can write a lot about their ingrediences and blendings. In the end, listening is what counts. So yes, why lose words when you find so much in the music. Nice ambivalence!
Posted 10/16/2006 - 03:57:37 PM by mhotter:
	So, the over-praise is in full gear. It's pretty good folks, but I think you're overreacting - long-suffering indie boys make like Beck - ok, we get it, but give it a couple of months - we'll meet back here, and let me know if you still give a crap about this CD. By the way, Mr. Gaerig, thanks - your writing and "oh-so-hip" persona pisses me off even more than Christgau did - Good job, fucker -Mike H
Posted 10/16/2006 - 04:17:13 PM by mhotter:
	oh, and also, yeah, this guy Gaerig is even more full of shit than most of these pitchfork-style lackeys - I'm gonna spread the word about this guy and how horrible he is to as many people as i can. Something like the dreadfully dull Califone gets praised to the high heavens, beacuse 1) the critic can seem more "in-the-know" and cutting edge by praising it and 2) the sleep-inducing music is vague and blank to have the hacks to get their Dave Eggers on describing whats basically an emotionally blank canvas. that's why Gaerig still critically fellates Jason Molina, though the Great MonoBrowed One hasn't made a good record since the first Magnolia Electric album.
Posted 10/17/2006 - 04:10:30 PM by raskolnikov:
	Actually, this elitist is a big fan of Califone...I have all of their releases (haven't gotten this yet but I will) and have seen them live six times dating back to 1998. They are a solid band that makes sonically interesting records.
Posted 10/18/2006 - 06:05:32 AM by :
	The above mentioned factual mistake has been corrected on 10/18/2006.
Posted 10/18/2006 - 10:35:40 AM by florenz6:
	Now it really becomes entertaining. Hey, writer ""x", I don´t want ass kissing-exercises for this (or any) record, this is more a forum for exchanging thoughts. Hey, mhotter, a bit too much of adrenaline running through your body?! Keep cool! Andrew might be a nice guy. You don´t know him. So it´s a bit childish, this fuck-off-attitude. And people who know THE TRUTH should return to the weird things that happened when Beck´s rather disappointing work was discussed:)