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Artist Name: Calico Vision
Who Are They: Five folks from Athens who chillax with hypnotic visions and non-linear anecdotes. They’ve been around for a minute, long enough to earn two titles from local alt-weekly Flagpole—Upstart of the Year in 2018 and Pop Band of the Year a few months back. Before that, lead vocalist Bren Bailey helmed ambitious indie adventurers Tongues and bassist Evan Leima dreamed up like-minded psych journeymen Dream Culture. Meanwhile, keys-tickler/vocalist Naoko Uno has enchanted the avant-garde of Athens for years with her own cutesy brand of genius.
Members
Bren Bailey – Guitar, Vocals
Naoko Uno – Keys, Vocals
Patrick Doherty – Guitar
Evan Leima – Bass
Mike Talkovich – Drums
Sounds Like: The weekly gathering of friendly neighborhood hippies on your front porch, all smiling as they pass the peace pipe and the kaleidoscope between each other. For their credit, though, Calico Vision aren’t as prone to wander off into fog as the acid-soaked augurs of old. Succinct rambles like “Choir Boy” bounce along in a charming tie-dye twirl, weaving the slacker congeniality of Pavement and the like with the tea-time absurdities of Robyn Hitchcock or the Monochrome Set. And when we do fly into the depths of space, our crew branch into many fascinating galaxies, from the comfortably numb likes of “Cherub Mountain” and “Neptune” to the jazzy Pram twinkle of “Cycles.” Besides, even on the rambling stretches of this starry journey, Bailey’s devil-may-care delivery brings everything back down to the human psyche and the familiar faces that beckon us to “have a good time and ignore the violence / open your eyes and cover your nose.”
Releases: The band’s self-titled debut came out at the tail-end of August and is available now via Bandcamp.
Mandatory Listening: Calico Vision’s debut thrives on many fronts, but they really shine when they usher us with their down-home slacker hospitality into stranger planes of reality. The aforementioned “Choir Boy” hides an alternative history in its happy hum; “Neon Blood” takes off from a sleepy Pink Floyd intro into a spirited investigation on the merits of free will. And I’m not sure how “Pitted Pete” earned the title of bonus track, but this breezy closer really showcases how the band’s laid-back mentality transforms nonsense into star power. How else to end a voyage across time, leeches, and mental spaces than with Bailey’s passionate croon of “You’re my favorite dinosaur“?
Calico Vision will perform on Sat., Oct. 26 at Rumpus Rally at Creature Comforts alongside Elf Power, DJ Kountry Boy, and more. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is FREE. All ages.
More Info
Bandcamp: calicovision.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @calicovisionband
Instagram: @calicovisionband