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Califone has worked, skillfully, with all of these styles and sounds before, but they’ve never left the table with a more realized, delicate treatment.
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Califone are continuing the progressive refinement of their roots, giving an assured argument for the possibilities ignored by folk musicians enslaved to tradition and a smart recall to all the forward-thinking others who have moved too completely and arrogantly on.
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Roots and Crowns is bluesy and soulful without reverting to revivalist schtick, and experimental without relying on blind cut-and-pasting.
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Califone’s latest offering is not to be missed and certainly one of the best albums of 2006.
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Paste MagazineThe band's best collage of cross-bred eras yet. [Oct 2006, p.75]
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Under The RadarBuilding from the past to reinvent the future, they created something wholly remarkable for the here and now. [#15]
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The songs themselves are easy to approach if difficult to decipher, and the production details reward repeated listens.
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UncutThings are more cinematic here, with every melody weaving through a mise-en-scene packed with dramatic incident. [Nov 2006, p.101]
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Even at its most pieced-together and deconstructed, Califone's music feels organic.
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Instead of wandering into opaque experimentation, as they’ve been known to do in the past, they corral those unruly elements into a series of hummable, memorable tunes.
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UrbThe studio noodling on Roots & Crowns sounds fittingly organic and effortless. [Oct 2006, p.117]
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At times much like a soundtrack to life’s sombre and reflective moments, Roots And Crowns’ clutter-free design is a nice reminder that good music needs no window dressing.
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A beautiful back-porch album.
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Yeah, it’s a mite catchier than Heron King Blues, but Roots & Crows ain’t much of a stylistic shift from Rutili and pals’ earlier material.
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Roots & Crowns encircles the listener and flows effortlessly as each song melts into the next in bewitching bliss.
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SpinHere, [Califone] take a straighter path on their seventh album... but with the same basic ingredients. [Nov 2006, p.97]
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Alternative PressThere's not a single song that's captivating enough to hold our attention. [Dec 2006, p.188]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 21 out of 22
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Mixed: 1 out of 22
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Negative: 0 out of 22
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GuyHJan 11, 2007
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ReubenFDec 18, 2006
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tlDec 10, 2006