Allah Las - Calico Review [CD]

Calico Review shows a band that's grown confident enough in its own style to reflect the perspectives of each member, & craft an album that changes up the approach from song-to-song, while retaining their abilities as a cohesive unit. 'Strange Heat, reflects a control & character that burns off of the band's knack for restraint. Songs like Famous Phone Figure cradle character sketches over delicate strains of violin, organ, & Mellotron, Matthew Correia's drumming carefully underlining a three-note theme that casts a phantom sadness over the proceedings, the group exerting a touch both light & steady enough to bring your mood to theirs. Could Be You works off a steady percussive gallop, guitarist Miles Michaud waxing reflexively on second chances while the band focuses on forward motion. 'Roadside Memorial ' applies the Bo Diddley beat to the open road, Pedrum Siadatian stepping up on vocals, & finding new ways to match his talents to propulsive musical ends. Elsewhere, High & Dry, features Correia on lead vocals, focusing on their most quintessential & peerless quality: writing emotionally resonant pop, at once direct & detached, casual & knowing, & instantly memorable. The dream factory itself gets called out in the fun, surf-stung number 200 South La Brea, its carnival-like atmosphere reflecting the excitement & anxiety of those who await their judgment.