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Written by Bryan J. Sutter Friday, 10 October 2008 14:27

Another solid late year album fit for the falling of leaves.

It's not hard to instantly think of the bands that came before Calhoun. Best described by frontman Tim Locke as a pop band with an occasional pedal steel, Calhoun do indeed have their hands in more than one honey pot and this creates a slick album with an uncanny flow. Alt-country indie rock (or whatever you want to call it) for years has been one Telecaster twang from its death knell and Falter Waiver Cultivate may be one of the last albums before over-saturation.

This isn't to say that Calhoun should be denied their own identity, as Falter Waiver Cultivate is the sort of album bands across the nation wish they could have. There is a tricky balance between stepping out of the shadows and still being able to maintain the established qualities of their inspiring sources. Here, it's a mastery of harmony that makes the difference, a rare ability to blur the lines of song structure to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Even on slower songs such as "Drifting" and "Funeral for the Living," it's a full build up to some serious stimulation.

This may not be an album for rockists, but anyone no longer stoked on Tool will have little trouble appreciating the horns on "Silent Jagged Years" or the youthful shouts on "Apocalypse (A Love Story)." It is these and other little touches that keep each song special and drifting away from the typical. Thank God the lyrics just as soulful as the music.

Overall, Falter Waiver Cultivate is an honest, solid effort from this Fort Worth band and a nice progression from their self-titled debut. Now, let's enjoy the fuck out of whatever you want to call this type of music before it inevitably becomes this decade's trip hop. B+ | Bryan J. Sutter

RIYL: Wilco, Jim Guthrie, Death Cab for Cutie