Calle Debauche: promising new band

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   CALLE DEBAUCHE  

I came to know this band through a review of their 2007 self-release called Potemkin Carnival which was featured in Progressive Ears.com. 
I proceeded to their Myspace as the review was quite positive and ordered the album from the band (after being impressed with the tracks appearing on their myspace; links to follow at the end of the post). It's quite a fun album to listen to, good rock, with some quirky twists to it, but not going outside of the melodic realm. 

Here's Rico's bio: 

CALLE DEBAUCHE is a new rock ensemble of four musicians (initially three, but one of the guests gets a more than regular credit), who live in Arizona and, in fact, play only in Tucson. Mohaved, as guitarist, keyboardist and lead artist, Frederic (Malter) as percussionist, Dave (LeGender), playing tuba, are completed by guests Chris Halvorsen (playing marimba) and Guillem Sarle (Tenor Sax). Being, for the moment, a fresh and rather obscure band, their music, thanks to a smashing debut called „Potemkin Carnival”, has a good chance of becoming more evoked and appreciated, though that doesn’t mean any accessible comfort, instead it earns a lot of qualities, delightful edges and “progressively skilled” customs. 

Considered sometimes unique, when rather just complex and nicely conserved/conversed within values, the band and their music get an impressive amount of categorizations, most of them born out of exactly the sensible or pushy way in which to define them. CALLE DEBAUCHE themselves put irony into this aspect, naming their music as a blend of ska, world, reggae, pop, disco and art, while the progressive rock, the soft metal or the jazz “phunk” are mere influences. Even more indistinct is how they state their references, going from the almighty COLTRANE and KING CRIMSON to HENRY COW and CARDIACS, from FELA KUTI and SONIC YOUTH to SLEEPYTIME GORRILA MUSEUM and TORTOISE. Upstream, their “Potemkin Carnival” material is also regarded from eccentric rock to instrumental avant-garde, from math art to verbose jazzy blanches. 

Most assuring, CALLE DEBAUCHE have an enthusiastic taste for difficult and unusual music, drafting both an art rock of the new century (of the new sound as well, perhaps) and an avant-rock testing music. Their purest progressive rock moments actually consume while there is no disorder in their class, taste and flow for music. In an outside circle, their album has a bit of mainstream, but it is of a cultural gladness. 

“Potemkin Carnival” is an album of an aflame variety and exercise, but most of all it greets an instrumental art with no rigid bents. It will most likely be CALLE DEBAUCHE’s sense of originality and “hard-core”, into the future. Mixing the intricate with the verve, and the dark-sound with the dissimilar lust, becomes an ordinary apprise, whilst the expansions and fields of the music settle as an artistic point for CALLE DEBAUCHE’s great, sporadic or muscle-pulled tastes. 

CALLE DEBAUCHE’s experiment is a good place for energetic melodies, streaming heaviness, spacey tunes, awkward upbeats, dissonances and timeless pitches, abstract sound-works or urging creativity – yet the emotions of listening to such an alternative/avant concept are just as good.

(sources include notes and reviews)
:::Victor "Philip" Parau (Ricochet)::: 

The review from Progressive Ears by the admin in charge of reviews Floyd:

Member: ffroyd (Profile) (All Album Reviews by ffroyd) 
Date: 8/26/2007 
Format: CD (Album) 

Calle Debauche is a new band from Arizona and a few folks on Progressive Ears will be familiar with one of the members. When Dev contacted me about doing a review for his new CD, I was instantly intrigued. I knew he had real eclectic tastes and this music is the definitive proof of that. The band consists of the aforementioned Mohadev on guitars, keyboards and electronic gadgets, Frederic on drums and percussion, and Dan on bass. There are also a few guest appearances as well.

I would most likely categorize this as post/math rock but there are so many different influences in the music that a label like that would just be too limiting. The music is mostly instrumental and there are elements that remind me of bands like Tortoise, Dura Mater, Do Make Say Think and a few others. I also am noting a real playfulness in many spots that brings to mind the New England group Dreadnaught a little. All these are just slight similarities though; Calle Debauche is indeed quite unique. 

Potemkin Carnival opens up with the track “Theme from Sparehead” and right away I could tell I was going to dig this one. The music is very energetic, quite well played. Mohadev’s playing is brilliant and totally original. This track is what made me think of Dreadnaught although the band doesn’t really have the same ‘twang’, there is a resemblance. 

The second piece “Metal Clouds” is similar but introduces some heavier guitar work. This is probably my favorite track on the disc. There are some really spacey keyboards on this one provided by Camille Jentgen, another artist in the Tuscon area.

“Adults” sees the group traversing a more melodic, repetitive path that brings to mind Tortoise a little. This is very soothing stuff. Towards the end there are some weirder moments from a radio tuner that come in and make things a bit confusing. It is a really neat effect, though. The track also features some sax from Jose Durazo at the end.

The next one “Spontaneous Combustion” is a short but explosive piece (forgive the pun.) The chaotic noise is book ended by an announcer talking about the problems police face when dealing with the mentally handicapped. This is some potent stuff. Without a pause, they go into “Hey Hotdogs!” This one has an upbeat, almost ska feel to it. Jose Durazo plays sax and trumpet on this one. The silly vocals made me crack up. This one is just lots of fun.

Perhaps the most somber track here is “Brontide” which starts out with some slow chord sequence. Between chords Frederic starts to get really wild on the drums with some fierce playing. About halfway through, the track reaches a fevered pitch and then goes into a nice heavy dirge. Dev’s playing here is awesome, both on guitar and keyboards. He really has a command over the dissonant chord structures. This one is easily another one of my favorites from the disc.

The last track on here is an unusual restructuring of the first song “Sparehead” by L. Skell of The Rude Staircase. I’m not really sure what to think about this one, it left me scratching my head. I think that was their intention.

I’d also like to note that this disc contains some really nice abstract artwork as well. The cover art was by Nevada Hill and the layout by David Kim. Both do some very impressive work. On the CD itself, there’s a picture of the band dining on some fine automobile parts and sipping a vintage motor oil. 

To say that this stuff probably isn’t for everyone would be an understatement. For those out there that enjoy the more unusual side of music, I would highly recommend checking these guys out. This sounds like an album you could find a label like John Zorn’s Tzadik or something similar. Mohadev has another project called Earth Sized Diamonds which is more on the acoustic side but just as impressive. If this review piques your interest at all, I urge you to go to the band’s Myspace page and check out a few tunes. You’ll be glad you did.

Listen to them here:
http://www.myspace.com/calledebauche

1. Theme From Spare Head (4:23)
2. Metal Clouds (5:37)
3. Adults (5:22)
4. Spontaneous Combustion (0:39)
5. Hey Hotdogs! (2:57)
6. Brontide (7:00)
7. Spare Head: L. Skell Mix (7:02)

Total Time: 33:00
Line-up/Musicians
- Mohadev / guitar
- Frederic Malter / drums & percussion
- Guillem Sarlé / Tenor saxophone
- Dave LeGendre / tuba
- Chris Halvorsen / marimba
- Camille Jentgen / keyboards (2)
- Jose Durazo / trumpet and saxophone (3 & 5)
- Bob "Swami" Peizer / percussion (5)
- L. Skell / remix (1)

Edited by avestin - November 19 2007 at 19:27

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avestin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 18 2005 Status: Offline Points: 12625	Topic: Calle Debauche: promising new band Posted: November 19 2007 at 19:11
	CALLE DEBAUCHE I came to know this band through a review of their 2007 self-release called Potemkin Carnival which was featured in Progressive Ears.com. I proceeded to their Myspace as the review was quite positive and ordered the album from the band (after being impressed with the tracks appearing on their myspace; links to follow at the end of the post). It's quite a fun album to listen to, good rock, with some quirky twists to it, but not going outside of the melodic realm. Here's Rico's bio: CALLE DEBAUCHE is a new rock ensemble of four musicians (initially three, but one of the guests gets a more than regular credit), who live in Arizona and, in fact, play only in Tucson. Mohaved, as guitarist, keyboardist and lead artist, Frederic (Malter) as percussionist, Dave (LeGender), playing tuba, are completed by guests Chris Halvorsen (playing marimba) and Guillem Sarle (Tenor Sax). Being, for the moment, a fresh and rather obscure band, their music, thanks to a smashing debut called „Potemkin Carnival”, has a good chance of becoming more evoked and appreciated, though that doesn’t mean any accessible comfort, instead it earns a lot of qualities, delightful edges and “progressively skilled” customs. Considered sometimes unique, when rather just complex and nicely conserved/conversed within values, the band and their music get an impressive amount of categorizations, most of them born out of exactly the sensible or pushy way in which to define them. CALLE DEBAUCHE themselves put irony into this aspect, naming their music as a blend of ska, world, reggae, pop, disco and art, while the progressive rock, the soft metal or the jazz “phunk” are mere influences. Even more indistinct is how they state their references, going from the almighty COLTRANE and KING CRIMSON to HENRY COW and CARDIACS, from FELA KUTI and SONIC YOUTH to SLEEPYTIME GORRILA MUSEUM and TORTOISE. Upstream, their “Potemkin Carnival” material is also regarded from eccentric rock to instrumental avant-garde, from math art to verbose jazzy blanches. Most assuring, CALLE DEBAUCHE have an enthusiastic taste for difficult and unusual music, drafting both an art rock of the new century (of the new sound as well, perhaps) and an avant-rock testing music. Their purest progressive rock moments actually consume while there is no disorder in their class, taste and flow for music. In an outside circle, their album has a bit of mainstream, but it is of a cultural gladness. “Potemkin Carnival” is an album of an aflame variety and exercise, but most of all it greets an instrumental art with no rigid bents. It will most likely be CALLE DEBAUCHE’s sense of originality and “hard-core”, into the future. Mixing the intricate with the verve, and the dark-sound with the dissimilar lust, becomes an ordinary apprise, whilst the expansions and fields of the music settle as an artistic point for CALLE DEBAUCHE’s great, sporadic or muscle-pulled tastes. CALLE DEBAUCHE’s experiment is a good place for energetic melodies, streaming heaviness, spacey tunes, awkward upbeats, dissonances and timeless pitches, abstract sound-works or urging creativity – yet the emotions of listening to such an alternative/avant concept are just as good. (sources include notes and reviews) :::Victor "Philip" Parau (Ricochet)::: The review from Progressive Ears by the admin in charge of reviews Floyd: Member: ffroyd (Profile) (All Album Reviews by ffroyd) Date: 8/26/2007 Format: CD (Album) Calle Debauche is a new band from Arizona and a few folks on Progressive Ears will be familiar with one of the members. When Dev contacted me about doing a review for his new CD, I was instantly intrigued. I knew he had real eclectic tastes and this music is the definitive proof of that. The band consists of the aforementioned Mohadev on guitars, keyboards and electronic gadgets, Frederic on drums and percussion, and Dan on bass. There are also a few guest appearances as well. I would most likely categorize this as post/math rock but there are so many different influences in the music that a label like that would just be too limiting. The music is mostly instrumental and there are elements that remind me of bands like Tortoise, Dura Mater, Do Make Say Think and a few others. I also am noting a real playfulness in many spots that brings to mind the New England group Dreadnaught a little. All these are just slight similarities though; Calle Debauche is indeed quite unique. Potemkin Carnival opens up with the track “Theme from Sparehead” and right away I could tell I was going to dig this one. The music is very energetic, quite well played. Mohadev’s playing is brilliant and totally original. This track is what made me think of Dreadnaught although the band doesn’t really have the same ‘twang’, there is a resemblance. The second piece “Metal Clouds” is similar but introduces some heavier guitar work. This is probably my favorite track on the disc. There are some really spacey keyboards on this one provided by Camille Jentgen, another artist in the Tuscon area. “Adults” sees the group traversing a more melodic, repetitive path that brings to mind Tortoise a little. This is very soothing stuff. Towards the end there are some weirder moments from a radio tuner that come in and make things a bit confusing. It is a really neat effect, though. The track also features some sax from Jose Durazo at the end. The next one “Spontaneous Combustion” is a short but explosive piece (forgive the pun.) The chaotic noise is book ended by an announcer talking about the problems police face when dealing with the mentally handicapped. This is some potent stuff. Without a pause, they go into “Hey Hotdogs!” This one has an upbeat, almost ska feel to it. Jose Durazo plays sax and trumpet on this one. The silly vocals made me crack up. This one is just lots of fun. Perhaps the most somber track here is “Brontide” which starts out with some slow chord sequence. Between chords Frederic starts to get really wild on the drums with some fierce playing. About halfway through, the track reaches a fevered pitch and then goes into a nice heavy dirge. Dev’s playing here is awesome, both on guitar and keyboards. He really has a command over the dissonant chord structures. This one is easily another one of my favorites from the disc. The last track on here is an unusual restructuring of the first song “Sparehead” by L. Skell of The Rude Staircase. I’m not really sure what to think about this one, it left me scratching my head. I think that was their intention. I’d also like to note that this disc contains some really nice abstract artwork as well. The cover art was by Nevada Hill and the layout by David Kim. Both do some very impressive work. On the CD itself, there’s a picture of the band dining on some fine automobile parts and sipping a vintage motor oil. To say that this stuff probably isn’t for everyone would be an understatement. For those out there that enjoy the more unusual side of music, I would highly recommend checking these guys out. This sounds like an album you could find a label like John Zorn’s Tzadik or something similar. Mohadev has another project called Earth Sized Diamonds which is more on the acoustic side but just as impressive. If this review piques your interest at all, I urge you to go to the band’s Myspace page and check out a few tunes. You’ll be glad you did. Listen to them here: http://www.myspace.com/calledebauche 1. Theme From Spare Head (4:23) 2. Metal Clouds (5:37) 3. Adults (5:22) 4. Spontaneous Combustion (0:39) 5. Hey Hotdogs! (2:57) 6. Brontide (7:00) 7. Spare Head: L. Skell Mix (7:02) Total Time: 33:00 Line-up/Musicians - Mohadev / guitar - Frederic Malter / drums & percussion - Guillem Sarlé / Tenor saxophone - Dave LeGendre / tuba - Chris Halvorsen / marimba - Camille Jentgen / keyboards (2) - Jose Durazo / trumpet and saxophone (3 & 5) - Bob "Swami" Peizer / percussion (5) - L. Skell / remix (1) Edited by avestin - November 19 2007 at 19:27
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Visitor13 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: February 02 2005 Location: Poland Status: Offline Points: 4702	Posted: November 21 2007 at 16:28


avestin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 18 2005 Status: Offline Points: 12625	Posted: November 23 2007 at 18:21
	Their cd is available directly from the band (like I bought it) through their Myspace http://www.myspace.com/calledebauche or through CD Baby - http://cdbaby.com/cd/calledebauche
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avestin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 18 2005 Status: Offline Points: 12625	Posted: January 27 2008 at 23:22
	Why not bump this?
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avestin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 18 2005 Status: Offline Points: 12625	Posted: February 24 2008 at 00:53
	Ouch... Watch the bump...
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