After hearing Califone’s new album, Quicksand/Cradlesnakes, something is noticeably absent. And that something is Brian Deck. Deck has been a part of Califone on all their previous albums, playing various instruments, writing a song or two, and more importantly, has aided in the recording of the past three releases. It’s because of Deck’s unique production that Issac Brock sought him out to produce not only Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica, but also his Ugly Casanova record. He has a way of taking all kinds of disparate sounds and turning them into a cohesive work that doesn't seemed forced. Under Deck’s control Califone’s broken baroque sounds as if everything were conceived at the same time-- as if the bag of nails and cinder block being drug across the floor were developed right alongside the guitar part. As a result of Deck’s absence from Quicksand/Cradlesnakes , it sounds less structured, and works more as a collection of songs, rather than a complete album. That’s not to say this is a bad album, or that it would ever be mistaken for anything other than a Califone record. Everything else is there, the buzzing wires, the loose percussion played out on various objects, and Tim Rutili’s rough, deep voice singing non sequiturs. And the songs themselves are great. In fact, these are probably the most accessible of Califone’s songs-- especially "Vampiring Again," which is a surprisingly Wilco-esque pop song. Tim Rutili is one of the few people who can make lyrics like, "Silver harm sugar hands drunken hive / Amputated years are growing back a new shade" sound heartbreaking and poignant. The album is no great loss for fans of the band, but it is frustrating to hear the potential in the record. Hearing the songs live, it’s especially obvious that the album just doesn’t sound right. So the question is, where the hell is Brian Deck?
1. ...One
2. Horoscopic.Amputation.Honey
3. Michigan Girls
4. Cat Eats Coyote
5. Your Golden Ass
6. (Red)
7. Million Dollar Funeral
8. When Leon Spinx Moved Into Town
9. Mean Little Seed
10. Vampiring Again
11. Slower Twin
12. Stepdaughter
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