The Califone Poll

I only have Q/C and R&C. The others worth it?

(Those two are really something btw)

Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People

Louis, all of their stuff is consistently good to excellent. The EP compilation is awesome, has some of their best songs on it. Heron King Blues and Roomsound both great as well. I haven't heard the Deceleration releases; I think those were film soundtrack related, though?

No idea what to vote for, btw.

Oh and also, Louis, you need to get into Red Red Meat (Tim Rutili of Califone's '90s band) if you haven't already. Given your love for all things postrock/indefinable, I'd start with There's a Star Above the Manger Tonight and work backwards through their discography. They get more blues/rock oriented as you go back in time, but all their stuff is great also (and I'm sure M@rk Richardson, among others, will back me up on this as I know he's a huge fan).

oh holy shit, I just noticed M@rk started the poll. fuck me sideways.

...& goddamnit i got the "@" placement wrong in his name...

I think I'm gonna go with Roomsound. No idea if it's their best, it's just probably my favorite. For today at least.

cheers stephen! i'll investigate!

Mark,

I think the winner of this poll will be the obvious lurkers' choice, Roots & Crowns, which is also probably their most widely heard (probably due to its high placement in year end polls that year, Pfork and elsewhere -- not that it's undeserving, because it most certainly is).

A tracks poll would end, inevitably, with me voting for 3Legged Animals

or maybe Horoscopic.Amputation.Honey

or Black Metal Valentine even though it's a rip-off of another song I heard recently

Yeah, Roots & Crowns has the added advantage of being one of their best, too, no question. The EP comp should be up there as well-- I think of the first EP as a companion to the last RRM album.

Mark, the EP comp *is* up there... isn't it?

I meant "Up there near the top as far as their best releases," sorry.

they've never come close again to jimmywine majestic. what a fantastic album. for this stuff i'd have to go with roomsound

Heron King Blues was the one I wanted to put on when I saw this poll, so that's what I voted for. I haven't heard the Deceleration records though.

Quicksand/Cradlesnakes for me, but not by much. May have to hold off voting while i revisit their catalogue a little, in fact.

I think I have to vote for Roomsound, just because it was the first thing I heard by them and the aesthetic just got to me; when the codas emerge in those first few tracks, and it goes kind of country-dub, astounding.

Are we due a new record soon?

goddamnit i hope so.

Heron King has got the deepest, murkiest feel for me out of these and hence is my fave. Still not properly feeling Roots and Crowns, tho a couple of songs on there are undeniable.

Quicksand/Cradlesnakes for me, but not by much.

Same here. It's their poppiest, most accessible disc, I think (these characteristics don't always matter to me, but that's how I like Califone best).

Noodle Vague OTM

My favourite song's gotta be Electric Fence off one of those eps though.

I sorta wish I had voted for the EP collection now... for "Electric Fence" if nothing else.

HAHA oh wow, two mentions of "Electric Fence" in a row. didn't even see that til i had posted!

Louis would like Heron King Blues, for the 14-minute title track if nothing else. Not sure how he'd deal with the lesbian funk song, though.

Lesbian funk song is my favorite!

Quicksand/Cradlesnakes

for Vampiring Again alone

spiders house!

Quicksand/Cradlesnakes

for Vampiring Again alone

^^^^ This. Califone's homage to Fleetwood Mac (sort of).

I bought that album because of that Fleetwood Mac comparison, but never saw it. Good song tho

this would be one of the best bands around if the singer wouldn't sing/speak. his unexpressive/thin voice totally turns me off their music.

vampiring again is awes, i only recently twigged that the next track (slower twin) is also completely wonderful, this is a great discovery

wow lol alcohol

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wow!

Heron King Blues (Thrill Jockey, 2004) -- 4

________________________________

Roots & Crowns (Thrill Jockey, 2006) -- 1

Wait, what?

its tru

New album = awesomes.

I totally agree and I'm going to go see them live tomorrow.. I put the album in my top 15 albums of the decade list

oh great, the show magically canceled on the day of the performance

Revisiting Quicksand/Cradlesnakes for the first time in over a decade… what a friggin excellent record. Those last three songs = devastating.

Underrated band.