(Biz 3) Califone, the long-running project of Tim Rutili, has just shared the title track of their forthcoming new album villagers (slated for a May 19 release via Jealous Butcher Records).
The new song offers a markedly different perspective on the new material than previous single "the hapsburg jaw," trading that song's' komische-rhythm and whimsical electronics for austere beauty and intimately strummed acoustic guitar that slowly smears into lush ambience; the effect of which is akin to sitting on a porch swing looking out at a sunset that radiates a slow, mystic entropy fraying everything at the edges.
The group has marked the release of the new single by announcing their first tour dates in support of the album, a run of six shows on the east coast this June that includes stops in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Durham, and Kingston, NY - full dates below and tickets here.
villagers' songs are full of people coming to terms with the gaps between perception and reality, with the very concept of reality, with time slinking constantly towards an unseen cliff-an album where even songs of devotion focus on loving the other's imperfections and broken hearts. Recorded in four cities and bolstered by a pool of collaborators that includes longtime cohorts Brian Deck, Michael Krassner, Rachel Blumberg, and Ben Massarella, the record's nine compositions smoothly bounce between taut grooves and rough-sketched studio exploration, seamlessly blending elements of classic AM gold, electronic experimentation, Laurel Canyon harmonies, and musique concrete into a horizonless sonic geography. Even as the world stretches into stranger and stranger shapes, Califone continues to reach newfound heights of harmony and unity beyond their already mythic chemistry.
CALIFONE TOUR DATES
(all dates with Max Knouse)
June 16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
June 17 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby's
June 18 - Allston, MA @ The Cantab Lounge
June 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
June 20 - Washington, DC @ Quarry House
June 21 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Third Eye Blind Shares Live Video of 'Funeral Singers' By Califone
Stuckey's: A Road Trip Institution - A Chat with CEO Stephanie Stuckey
Road Trip: Eswatini's Swazi Candles: Light from Africa
Quick Flicks: REO Speedwagon - Live at Rockpalast 1979
Caught In The Act: Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller Rock Wrigley Field
Sites and Sounds: Art-In-Action Camp Coming to Woodward, PA
Sammy Hagar Share Video From Best Of All Worlds Van Halen Tribute Tour
Queens Of The Stone Age Cancel More Shows Following Josh Homme's Emergency Surgery
Axl Rose Helps Billy Joel Close Out His Madison Square Garden Residency
Ghost Deliver 'Rite Here Rite Now' Soundtrack
The Offspring 'Make It All Right' With New Animated Video
Fit For A King Recruit The Plot In You's Tewers For 'TECHNIUM' Video
Middle Child Syndrome Says 'Listen To Me' With Debut Album
Singled Out: The Sweet's Little Miracle