Andrew Sandoval, the general manager of FNR, categorizes Calla as "ghost rock...very much a warm sound, breathy vocals, hard rocking, with lots of ambient noise and reverb." Others have compared them to bands like Interpol (for whom they have opened), The Walkmen, Low and Explosions in the Sky.
Originally based in Brooklyn, Calla was formed in 1997 by Valle, Magruder and original bassist Sean Donovan. However, the true origins of the band stretch a little further back in time. Valle and Magruder began collaborating in 1993 in Texas with their band The Factory Press, which also included Donovan's replacement Peter Gannon. The three band-mates relocated to New York in 1995, but by the time Donovan, a high-school friend of Magruder and studio collaborator with The Factory Press, caught up with them, Gannon had split. The makeup of the trio was shuffled around resulting in Calla's original configuration: Valle on guitars and vocals, Magruder on percussion and Donovan on bass and keyboards.
Magruder and Donovan worked together on the programming and sampling that would give the band an atmospheric sound on their self-titled debut, released by Sub Rosa in 1999. Two more full-length records have since been released: "Scavengers" in 2001 and "Televise" in 2003. "Collisions," the band's most recent effort, was released this past September. Like the three previous albums, it has garnered widespread praise from publications ranging from the New York Times to Pitchfork.
At just over 40 minutes with 11 songs, "Collisions" is not only an enjoyable album, but a manageable one as well. It takes the phrase "quiet rock" and makes sure that the former word does not suck life out of the latter. Although Calla is infamously depressing, there is a darker tone to their melancholia that keeps them from falling into the "let's tear a page out of your diary and whine" black hole of emo rock. Indeed, Calla sounds a little pissed about being so sad. This aggression drives Valle's brooding voice to excite the listener a little more than, say, the falsetto drone of Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard. This is not to say that I do not enjoy Death Cab, because I do; however, I think Calla would be better live. And when I go running, if Calla starts to play, my inner monologue doesn't automatically scream, "Track forward! Now!"
Highlights on the album include its first single, "It Dawned on Me," with its driving percussion and a manner that recalls the better examples of early '90s grunge. This is followed by another strong track, "Initiate," where Valle cries out, "That's not how it's supposed to be." When Calla is at their best, there is little I would change about their music. Sure, some songs are a little too bland. And for all of the talk concerning Valle's need for anti-depressants, I found the emotional core of some songs a little distant, too well-hidden by Calla's overpowering sound, to be truly heartbreaking. Overall, however, the album is strong: a dark and truly exciting record.
The best part of Calla's music in general -- and on "Collisions" especially -- is that the songs are melody-driven. Valle has fine-tuned his concept of time, shortening and plotting songs so that they do not murmur on forever in a haze of distortion. Another factor in the fresher sound, of course, might be the absence of Donovan, especially in terms of the electronics and mix. Glimmers of this former sound, described by All Music Guide as "subtly apocalyptic, cinematic pieces, at times evoking electronically processed Ennio Morricone soundscapes," still show at various moments on the album, but they are brief inhalations before plunging right back into the dirtier, more "rocking" tone of new and improved Calla.
Another strength of the album is this expert grasp of tension and release, where the melody will build and build until it collapses into what Arena Rock Records has termed "supple pop, while catapulting their dark breathless aggression into a furious swelling of feedback. This is the moment when the curtains are opened and light floods the room." Calla's music takes the quality of avant post-rock and replaces the pretension, as seen in recently-quoted record label press releases, "with good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll."
The evolution of Calla has always been a little backward. Only after untold hours fiddling around in a recording studio did they become a "live" band. Even more impressive, they started leaning towards an experimental sound, and now, with "Collisions," they have completed the transition to constructing walls of sound with beginnings and endings -- in other words, actual songs. Valle's growth as a songwriter alone should make for an enjoyable show tomorrow. In addition, the band has a strong reputation as performers. After the release of "Televise," record label Sub Rosa wrote, "Calla's shows are some of the most anticipated in New York. It is impossible to watch them perform without becoming transfixed on the intensity of its presentation." Sandoval promises, "They put on a intense live show that will definitely shine in the Fuel atmosphere."
