by Dana Poland (@danazsz)
Everything Tim Rutili touches turns to gold – and Villagers is no exception. Based in Chicago, Califone essentially began as Rutili’s solo project derivative of his former band Red Red Meat and has positioned itself well within the experimental rock and folk scenes since. Now, Califone is a full-fledged musical project with regular contributors, including former members of Red Red Meat and other Chicago bands, with seven unique albums under their wing. Villagers, though, is Califone’s most dignified and emotionally liberating project thus far.
“I came out of this judging myself a little bit less harshly, trusting myself a tiny bit more,” Rutili said in a statement. “It feels comfortable to combine elements of Captain Beefheart, ’70s AM radio pop, and broken digital sounds. There are words that shouldn’t go together and images that are smashed together that maybe shouldn’t be, but it feels right.” Juxtaposing classic American folk with electronic elements seems risky, pitting “sound against sound,” as the brassy ballad “Comedy” suggests. Rutili’s intuition, however, pays off. He takes classic folk melodies and layers them with synthesizers, static, and idiosyncrasies, each element placed meticulously to create the perfect experimental-folk blend.
Contributions from former Red Red Meat members, including Brian Deck and Ben Massarella, give the album a similar feeling to Red Red Meat’s bluesy experimental sound while mainly drawing its inspiration from folk music. It’s playful, yet sullen, using experimental elements to push the boundaries of what folk music could be. Take “The Habsburg Jaw” for example, where the electronic drum beat near the end mimics the sound of banging pots and pans with wooden spoons, resulting in a classic Americana sound. While most tracks feature strong acoustic melodies, they are textured with electronic drum beats, fuzzy synths, and static, an allegory for how technology underscores modern life.
Each track takes listeners on a journey, rarely ending where they began. “Eyelash” is the perfect slow burn, with an understated beginning that steadily adds electric beats and synths deep within the mix as the track nears the end, perfectly complemented by the mournful repetition of the phrase “I’m waiting”. “Ox-Eye” features rattles and guitar along with distorted background vocals and synth, blending the folk and electronic sides of the album perfectly. “Mcmansions” is another standout track, offering twangy finger picking and a bluesy climax that rolls into sixty-seconds of a stripped-down piano bar-style solo. The electronic elements underscore the track, serving to enhance the folk elements. Ultimately, that’s why this album works so well – not a single element is too egregious or overwhelming. Rather, they blend together to enhance the album as a whole, like individual brushstrokes that, together, create a masterpiece.