But Calla's new LP, Collisions, has a definite spark. Tracks such as "It Dawned on Me" and "Swagger" boast pounding beats, and frontman Aurelio Valle's generally wispy vocals have tightened around melodies that could almost be mistaken for pop. The hints of the new record's momentum are there on the band's prior discs -- the nearly impenetrable Televise and the dark and spectrally lovely Scavengers -- but producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey) has harnessed the band's previous vaporousness into something as hard, aerodynamic, and slick as a bullet. Calla's songs always had bite underneath the shoegazerish lull; now they've got a bark too, and the band's shows are all the better for it.
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