Calisse playing live at Dante’s in Portland Sept 30, 2015
Happy 4/20, everybody! What better day to appreciate the wild, weird wooly sounds of Portland, Oregon’s Câlisse and their spectacular debut album Farewell Blacksheep.
Câlisse began when James Collette and Morganfield Riley were introduced by a filmmaker friend and played the following Halloween, enlisting likeminded pals to cover Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. That went so well that when Collette decided to record a solo project, Morganfield asked if he could produce one of the songs. The work inevitably expanded into more tracks and finally a full-length album under the moniker they had hastily chosen for their initial holiday show.
Câlisse also includes Karen Moore (vocals, keyboards), Rob Iggulden (drums), Tim Riva (bass) and Chelsea Appel (vocals), although Riva has recently been replaced by Kevin Hoffman. Farewell Blacksheep also became a sound collaboration with owner/engineer/producer Jason Driver of Fur Vault PDX. The album was tracked in just 48 hours, followed by months of mixing and mastering. Driver was so drawn to the album and the work with Câlisse that he asked to sign the band to his new label, Almabrain. Farewell Blacksheep, which dropped last week, is the label’s debut offering.
Farewell Blacksheep is a glorious mutt of an album, a cinematic, kaleidoscopic jumble of styles and sounds, with surprises at every turn. You’ll want the good headphones for this one. Also Sour Diesel.
