(11.30.05) Calika’s debut release, Small Talk Kills Me, isn’t what I’d call background music. It’s not music you can put on and let become ambient, lulling sound.
Small Talk… is an unexpected blend of sounds created by solo artist Simon Kealoha. He explores territory that most electronic artists seem to shy away from; a marriage of acoustic and electronic. And as I was listening to it again while driving home one night, I realized that it could very well also be described as a missing soundtrack to Darren Aronofsky’s film Pi.
Like the multifaceted images that Pi presented, Small Talk… gives us layers of sound to sift through. A contradiction of textures, from organic to sensual to almost sterile in precision; a contradiction that couldn’t be more agreeable. Each track blends individual pieces of noise, deliberately and carefully layered into sound with purpose. This isn’t a random mishmash; rather, it leaves you wondering where the next sound will come from.
When listened to with headphones, this release becomes an audio dose of Alka Seltzer, with its jerks and quirks and ping-ponging. Surprising backgrounds of abstract vocals and acoustic guitar give some tracks a fluid, lilting momentum. Other tracks feature industrial, almost robotic chirping, or noise like disembodied keyboards that can be jarring, but that also create a curiosity for the ears.
It took a few listens for me to settle in and appreciate the intelligence behind Calika’s first release. Through the business of the sounds and the unpredictability of each track’s progression, I found that this is indeed not a CD to put in the background. Rather, it is one to listen to intently, to discover each layer, to appreciate the textures and to pay close attention to. Let’s hope Calika continues to make music that follows its own rules.
Small Talk Kills Me is out now on Audiobulb.
