on 2008-11-25 dscanland Said:

Nice review Chris! Welcome to the site as well.
Not Rated

Review:

on 2008-11-25 Christopher Nosnibor Said:

I rarely say that any band I would recommend is going to be the next big thing, usually because there's not much that I like that could be regarded as broadly commercial or popular. Her Name is Calla certainly aren't commercial, but I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that they're ones to watch: they're certainly a band on the up. Another band on the peripheries of the Leeds scene, despite hailing from Leicester, you're likely to hear them mentioned alongside iLiKETRAiNS. Perhaps the connection is based as much the fact that they toured supporting iLT a while back as is it to do with sonic comparisons, because in real terms, the similarities are limited. True, both bands are strong on the quiet and moody building to a crescendo format, but while Trains songs are usually contained around the four-minute mark, Her Name is Calla's songs are truly sprawling and epic, and usually just getting going at that point, with the earlier single 'Condor and River' being a classic example. It's over a quarter of an hour long.



Up to now, they've been a 'singles' band, making this 6-track mini-album their most expansive output to date. You won't find any choruses here, or anything that's overtly conventional or traditional in terms of structure, but with the benefit of improved production over previous offerings, it's certainly demonstrative of the band's range, and their adeptness for creating epic soundscapes.



The opener, a radically rerecorded, fleshier and longer version of 'Nylon,' which first appeared on the Hollow Smoke compilation album, begins with a mesmerising pulsating guitar line reminiscent of Suicide's 'Rocket USA,' before picked guitar and heavily reverbed vocals commence. Building to a crescendo, it paves the way perfectly for the real standout track, the live favourite 'New England.' Clocking in at over nine minutes, it bludgeons away with a single melancholic guitar chord - toppy and laden with echo - and mournful (not to mention heavily reverbed) vocals before, just over the five minute mark, the drums kick in. From this point, it builds and builds into a cacophonous squall of guitar feedback, shrieking strings and monster percussion. Granted, the barrage of drums isn't as apparent as live, because it's a tad buried under the welter of noise, but that's hardly a serious complaint. Powerful stuff. While none of the remaining tracks quite recreate the force of 'New England,' the brilliantly-titled '"Motherfucker! It's Alive and Bleeding!"' which follows a couple of quiet, moody numbers - the instrumental 'Paying For Your Funeral' and the gentle 'Wren,' certainly comes close. Again, it's over eight minutes long, and from a beginning so quiet it's barely audible, it builds and builds, kicking off in earnest at the six-minute mark. Patience is a virtue when listening to Her Name is Calla. 'Rebirth' is a suitably epic closer.


Rating: 9/10