Previewed over consecutive days via Soundcloud, Maw EP comes hot on the heels of the colossal full-length debut and sees Her Name is Calla really getting go and pushing forward in a host of different directions.
The title track certainly marks a dramatic shift from the more expansive, introspective works of late and that dominated 'The Quiet Lamb'. It's stripped back, uptempo and breathes fire, an overdriven guitar charging in and exploding with an unexpected, but equally not unwelcome, immediacy and urgency. Tom Morris' voice is bereft of effects and sounds, if not exactly raw, then exposed, stripped of decoration and sonic veiling. It clocks in at under three and a half minutes. It's not post-rock: this is no pissing about, big guitars, feedback and propulsive percussion, rock. With brooding brass thrown in for good measure.
'The Beats That My Heart Skipped' is perhaps more representative of the kind of song Calla fans have become accustomed to: a simple acoustic piece, gentle and haunting. However, where it differs from precursors like 'Long Grass' is in the delivery: as delicate strings weave in and out, the vocals are stronger, more confident.
|
It does nothing to indicate what's to come. 'Dreamlands' is epic, and begins softly, softly, with a traditional folk feel to its sparse arrangement. So far, so Calla. Bit two and a half minutes in, everything is swallowed by a wave of distortion that creeps up and leaves nothing but emptiness. Slowly, distant drones begin to emerge. Washes of sound follow, wordless, other-worldly vocals and strings begin a fresh, like the sun emerging after a hurricane... before the storm returns, this time stronger, more forceful, an all-annihilating blast of feedback. Eventually, serenity is restored, returning us to the beginning. It's an incredible journey.
More than a mere departure, this EP is an immense expansion on all that the band have produced before. It could indicate a major turning point, and I for one can't wait to see what happens next.
Her Name is Calla Online
|
