(Dead Oceans)

www.deadoceans.com

Like watching an old Rex Ingram silent film on a brand new laptop, Chicago's Califone strike the quintessential balance between old and new.  However, the band's label debut on Dead Oceans finds them favoring the more organic half of their unique brand of digital dustbowl balladry more than they ever have since rising from the ashes of Red Red Meat in the late ‘90s.

Produced by longtime associate Brian Deck and created in tandem with frontman Tim Rutilli's first full-length feature film of the same name, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is by far the group's most rustic and accessible album to date; at least to a degree. You can still find the trademark waves of processed sound manipulations on otherwise charming, twangy songs like "1928" and "Buñuel." Yet the catchy "Funeral Singers", the old-timey "Salt" and the quaint "Evidence" all find the group relying less on electronics and more on the traditional sound of the stringed instruments they love to manipulate. Fans of Califone's 2004 magnum opus Heron King Blues might balk at the lack of blips here, but those who appreciate the beauty of Rutilli's songs will champion this as one of the band's finest records yet.

Standout Tracks: "1928", "Ape-like", "Evidence", "Krill" RON HART