Califone Announces UK/EU November Tour, ‘Stitches’ Album Out Now On Dead Oceans
Califone have announced a full run of UK and European shows throughout November and December 2013. The full list of dates is below, starting off in Prague on the 9th November and stopping off in the UK in Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Dublin, Oxford and eventually London’s The Lexington on the 25th November. Support comes from Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers on the majority of the dates. The tour will be the first time audiences on this side of the Atlantic can hear the fizzing electronics and Americana of current album ‘Stitches’ performed live. ‘Stitches’ was released earlier this month on glorious vinyl, cd and mp3 through Dead Oceans.
Anchored by Califone main man Tim Rutili, the new record threads together a flock of musicians from different times and places, sounds he recorded in his backyard and while driving his car, gritty electronics, eerie keyboards, garage sale drum machines. All these disparate parts are sewn together at their adjoining borders to create something that sounds wholly new.
Last week, Califone shared another album track online, namely ‘Frosted Tips’. Blended and frayed at the edges, the track starts with the sound of rain on a metal ceiling vent mixed with a hurdy gurdy. These sounds bleed into a rumbling refrain “In the old, watching the new world die.” There are horns, there is fuzz bass, the vocals get chopped and screwed under the expert direction/execution of Rutili.
Listen to ‘Frosted Tips’ here:
“serious David Bowie vibes” Brooklyn Vegan
“genuinely startling in its stark beauty” The Line of Best Fit
“[‘Stitches’] epitomizes the lonely desert vibe described by Rutili, a deliberate and mournful blend of strummy guitars, faint drums that roll in and out, and just enough effects/reverb to offer a little edge…as if we really are wandering aimlessly through rocks and cactus.” Consequence of Sound
“The album’s title track is a bummed-out downbeat drone that should sound pretty great on long road trips.”Stereogum
“…smooth and sobering…Steadied by sixteenth notes, [‘Stitches’] gallops slowly but confidently through its droning terrain.” CMJ
In a groundbreaking use of Tumblr, Califone in conjunction with filmmaker Braden King and programmer Jeff Garneau, recently debuted the new video for their first single, ‘Stitches’. This ever-changing ‘music video’ creates itself on the fly using static imagery and animated GIFs drawn from a curated subset of blogs within the Tumblr ecosystem. It is available via a secret link by clicking “show me your stitches” in the lower left hand corner at califonestitches.tumblr.com
The interactive video was featured on Mashable, The Daily Dot and Noisey’s You Need To Hear This blog. Morgan Spurlock and Superchunk both enjoyed the experience as well.
Watch ‘Stitches’ on Tumblr: www.califonestitches.tumblr.com
Califone UK/EU tour dates:
09/11/13 : Pilot Club – Prague (CZ) *
10/11/13 : Urban Spree Galerie – Berlin (D) *
12/11/13 : Pustervik – Gothenburg (S) *
13/11/13 : Debaser – Stockholm (S) *
14/11/13 : Folken – Stavanger (N) * – get tickets
18/11/13 : The Cluny – Newcastle (UK) * – get tickets
19/11/13 : Roadhouse – Manchester (UK) *
20/11/13 : Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds (UK) *
21/11/13 : Whelan’s – Dublin (EIR) * – get tickets
22/11/13 : Taylor Johns – Coventry (UK) *
23/11/13 : Audioscope festival – Oxford (UK)
25/11/13 : Lexington – London (UK) * – get tickets
26/11/13 : St. Bonaventures – Bristol (UK) *
27/11/13 : Musicbunker – Aachen (D) *
30/11/13 : King Georg – Köln (D)
01/12/13 : Club Manufaktur – Schorndorf (D) *
02/12/13 : Palace – St Gallen (CH) *
03/12/13 : Exil Club – Zurich (CH) *
04/12/13 : Tender Club – Firenze (I)
05/12/13 : Locomotiv – Bologna (I)
- with Tony Dekker
www.facebook.com/califone
www.deadoceans.com