Calla – ‘Collisions’ (Beggars Banquet) Released 06/02/06

Being veterans of the ‘Next Big Thing’ phenomenon, the three members of Calla have fought the past few years with arms swinging and the knowledge that they had the street-cred to secure a place in NYC new wave history. Instead of album sales being a main priority, being different was the priority. Musical integrity was the priority. Pushing the boundaries of indie-cum-popular music was the priority…or so it seemed.

As fickle as the New York scene may be, Calla have always remained the underdog and never bowed to trends, instead choosing to release self indulgent but consistently high quality music that was rough around the edges, ready to explode at any time but preferring to lose itself into the chaos that would build around each song, Third album ‘Televise’ was a pinnacle in the bands career, it was where their self titled debut in 1999 and then sophomore album ‘Scavengers’ from 2001 were striving to get to. Their signature sound was a prog-rock-esque, guitar driven slur that saw Aurelio Valle whispering haunting lyrics and seducing whomever was lucky enough to hear his secrets. It was cool and best of all it was without pretentious attitudes or gimmicks that the NYC scene so love to embrace these days. ‘Collisions’ however, sees Calla shake off those principals and make an album that is quite possibly them succumbing to the pressures of this said fickle audience.

Opening lyrics from ‘Initiate’ see Valle realising what his band are doing in taking away any alternative acclaim that they have ‘it’s too late to try and take it back now/string me up and hang me upside down/ how long before my head hits the ground/ this ain’t easy for me’. Collisions sees a band in turmoil, in a fight as to whether they should continue down this road of predictable chord changes and song structures or go back to their earlier style, as there are constant reminders as to where this band have come from in the likes of ‘Testify’ and the brilliantly teasing ‘Overshadowed’ that is self indulgent and drawn out, but pays off in the end. Tracks like ‘It Dawned On Me’, ‘Swagger’ and ‘This Better Go As Planned’ show the major change in direction and will cause the most uproar among fans as they are radio friendly simple songs that pose no individuality at all and revert to mundane progressions and song structures that are so familiar you will swear you have already got this album somewhere in your ‘cupboard of shame’.

Calla quite obviously lost their patience with waiting to be noticed. For this they may have lost everything.