Calico Horse
Mirror (Banter Records)
By Camella Lobo
Published: May 13th, 2008 | 12:00pm
Anything you've read by now about this San Diego band will surely mention that the Black Heart Procession's very own Pall Jenkins produced its debut album, Mirror. And although opening track, "All We've Left to do is Pay the Boatman," appears to pick up right where BHP's The Spell left us in 2006, Calico Horse's lighthearted sound won't be tied to the melancholy BHP for very long.
From beginning to end, the album is a ride through a whimsical but raucous world of darkly cheerful piano and pulsing guitar riffs. Wait, is that a Theremin? It's spooky, too! Making economical use of Jenkin's somber and moody influence, Calico Horse frontwoman Emily Neveu's haunting vocals are still uplifting enough to err on the side of upbeat.
Formerly of the now defunct Clock Work Army and garage rock band the Muslims, Neveu also lends some lovely keyboard and guitar to the record. Her shadowy song writing paints her as a San Diego sunshine kid with a dark side, one who seems constantly torn between windsurfing and hiding in her closet with a flashlight and Ouija board.
The second track, "Awake in the Clouds" showcases that internal struggle as Neveu's delicate harmonies compete with a deep, clashing floor tom, a sonic battle between good and evil. Her band mates -- Dave Pettijohn on bass, Matt Mournian on guitar (both lending vocals), and drummer Tom Peart -- compliment the sometimes schizophrenic soundscapes that are surely representative of Neveu's desire to create a dark and brooding, yet elated and hopeful aesthetic in her songs.
Digging deeper into sunny tracks like "Happy Placebo Syringe Day" and "Colors," which both channel chipper Velocity Girl anthems from the early '90s, it is apparent that Calico Horse is capable of standing very cheerfully on its own. Perhaps Jenkins was out sick those days.
—
Calico Horse's website
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more