Calla are from Texas and moved to NYC a few years ago. The music is slow and slinky with deep bass and lots of space and atmosphere. The grooves have a swampy narcotized-Cajun feel with hollow-body-twang guitar that snakes and erupts through the mix with signature lines - Morricone-like sometimes but more authentically American - very bluesy dramatic and spacious. They use some electronic textures and grooves too very tastefully and not gimmicky just enough to convey a sense of dimension and filmic atmosphere. The vocals are softly intoned and tender but right up front in the mix. The songs convey a sense of heartbreak and vulnerability with just enough abstract remove to avoid mawkishness. The tone of the album is very purely conveyed though without irony. The sense of ache I get from their music reminds me of Low but they get at this sensation through entirely different means and don t sound anything like them. These are extremely well written and orchestrated songs with a wide range of dynamics (bordering on the theatrical) - from a close whisper to austere and repetitive rock vamps that are always rooted with a disciplined low-end groove avoiding overkill as they build towards crescendo. They draw on traditional elements and filter them through an advanced sensibility - via the electronics sense of space their (sometimes) minimalist aesthetic and the unconventional cinematic sonic juxtapositions. - Michael Gira.