Over the past 10 years, Calla has built a fair following out of impressionable, moody young people. Their fans cling to the dark stylings, slow melodies and melancholy atmosphere that have become Calla's trademark. The trio's work proves they take two things very seriously: experimental electronics and dissonant harmonies. They have remained true to their fan base and artistic selves, refusing to give in to the constructs of popular music. Their hooks aren't catchy and their beats certainly not driving.
Despite the band's efforts, Strength In Numbers very simply does not work-it's awful. The dissonant, cacophonic sounds-it cannot be described as music-left this reviewer hoping and wishing the album would soon be over. It drags, it's depressing and its dissonance seems to serve no purpose other than being "artistic."
In the mounting anticipation for at least one diamond in the rough, a few tracks-such as the upbeat "Rise"-prematurely resulted in happiness. Unfortunately these tracks did nothing but melt into the slow, dragging melancholy that marks the entire album. Nonetheless, you can't help but find yourself searching for redeeming qualities-to be fair, the songs can be quite pretty when the dissonance does not leave your ears in bleeding ruins. After all, they are artistic.
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