Hvad blev der af Califone?

I en periode i nullerne var jeg ret hooked på Chicago-bandet, Califone. Albummet ’Heron King Blues’ fra 2004 var en lille åbenbaring. Pladen er skaleret over en tilbagevendende drøm, som hovedmanden Tim Rutili havde haft siden sin barndom. En drøm, der handlede om et væsen, der var halv mand, halv fugl, Hejre-kongen. Selvom der er tale om en form for et konceptalbum, så er det også på ’Heron King Blues’, at Rutili for alvor udfolder den kombination af amerikansk roots-rock, eksperimental musik, pop og elektroniske elementer, som er Califones kendemærke.

I begyndelsen af september udsender Califone en ny plade ved navn ’Stitches’. Hvordan den kommer til at lyde, kan man måske få en idé om ved at høre dette mixtape, som Rutili har sat sammen. Det er et glimrende lydtapet til en lidt lummer, regnfuld, overskyet søndag.

”There's a cassette player in my car. I have a shoebox full of tapes on the floor of the backseat and a car phone that doesn't work. This is true. I was doing a lot of driving from LA to Phoenix while recording stitches. I'm always making that drive. There and back. This music always got me where I was going. All of it plays well with the sounds of the wind, the car and the tires on hot concrete. All of it works as a background noise to your thoughts while you're driving or as music you can focus in on and always find something new to hear. Pomona, Ontario, Colton, Redlands, flip tape, Beaumont, Banning, nothing, Palm Springs, Indio, long, long nothing, let tape end, signs for Blythe, stop for gas, start tape again, Guartzsite, get an idea, stop tape, record idea with the phone, nothing, long long nothing, cluster of broken palm trees, cactus look like people, start tape again, sun behind mountains have mercy, flip tape, buckeye, signs for Phoenix. Repeat.”

27 Desert Drive On The 10 Mix by TIM RUTILI (Califone) by Theliminal on Mixcloud

1. Bruce Langhorne - Opening

2. Tim Maia - Imunização Racional (Que Beleza)

3. C - Untitled

4. John Philips - Malibu People

5. Terror Sheets - Gravel Specs

6. Emahoy Tsegue Maryam Guebrou - The Homeless Wanderer

7. The Make-Up - Save Yourself

8. Bobby Charles - Street People

9. The Ensemble Of Heinrich Baronner - Zwiefaccher

10. Caetano Veloso - Lua Lua Lua Lua

11. Mississippi Nightingales - Don't Let Him Ride

12. Princess Magogo - Ugubhu

13. Sly & The Family Stone - Just Like A Baby

14. Bruce Langhorne - Ending