The combination of loose fun and pinpoint accuracy here is bracing, and Califone’s sheer originality is a great counterpoint to the many acts trying desperately to live up to the legacy of their formers.
Often near-skeletal in their sparseness yet still richly orchestrated, these tracks retain Califone’s compelling air of mystery. This time, though, first-rate tunes lurk beneath the arresting atmospherics
Stitches is at its best when it aims for somewhere in between the cacophonous and the weightless, offering up a pair of gems in the affecting, Beatles-esque waltz "Magdalene" and the fractured, quietly desperate title track
There may be less surprises over its 45 minutes than over the course of earlier efforts, but Rutili’s hand for slanted folk songs that possess their own select personality is as strong as ever
'Stitches' follows a similar path to the two albums prior, and while you couldn't accuse the sound of becoming stale, this music does feel less impactful now.
Part of the reason could also be that there are fewer song writing peaks, though 'We Are a Payphone' is a Bon Iver'ish mellow beauty.
Subtle at first and its traditionally structured "singles " like "Frosted Tips" are misleading. Still just as resonating as their previous works, Stitches is Califone at their most endearing.
1 | Movie Music Kills a Kiss 4:22 | |
2 | Stitches 3:34 | |
3 | Frosted Tips 4:02 | |
4 | Magdalene 5:19 | |
5 | Bells Break Arms 5:02 | |
6 | Moonbath.Brainsalt.A.Holy.Fool 6:41 | |
7 | Moses 4:09 | |
8 | A Thin Skin of Bullfight Dust 5:53 | |
9 | We Are a Payphone 4:17 | |
10 | Turtle Eggs/An Optimist 2:38 |
#11 | / | Cokemachineglow |