Click Here to Read the Original Web ReviewCALICO CD RELEASE
Good things come to those who wait—especially when Calico is concerned. Wait, and you'll better appreciate the local collective's aesthetic; their celebration of restraint manifested in rich, sparse, deliberate instrumentation. "Wait/ where the ocean calls/ in the sun/ in the sun," Brady Gunnell sings on Black Pyramid, the accomplished follow-up to Calico's previous eponymous release. Romantic, dramatic, but never overblown, the album tempts and flirts like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Pyramid brings Gunnell's vocals front and center for several numbers, displaying a cool assuredness that's downright delicious, especially when he suggests, "Let the blood flow, baby. Let the blooood flow." It sounds wrong for all the right reasons. Calico recently completed a mini Northwest tour which hit a giant festival featuring 25 bands. The gig helped clarify the group's need for less speed: "Giving Calico 20 minutes to play is, essentially, a death sentence for our music." Settle in for the lon
g haul, tonight, when the band releases Pyramid to the public. It's well worth your time. Slowtrain, 221 E. Broadway, 7 p.m. All-ages. Info: 364-2611