How strange to hear an album with such magnitude and at the same time, such a sense of patience. I honestly believe that at this point it’s really strange to listen to a post-rock album and get surprised when there is a huge, epic section.. The Quiet Lamb is so reserved and yielded in the way it plays out; So when “Candor and River” gets real fucking dangerous, it’s shocking. The record up to this point is almost like a novel; it’s unique dynamic allowing time and space to take over as it lazily interweaves beautiful storytelling. There is an sense of a morose, inescapable, landscape that is washed over the tone of each of the songs; and while it’s strange to relate an album to a color, I will say that The Quiet Lamb makes me think of a bleak gray or pale white. While the record may harness the premise of doom, that’s not to say that the record is without beauty, far from it. Stunning violins, banjos, pianos layer over tracks like “Giant Moss” and “Long Grass.” It’s softer, more striped down and traditional folk tracks like “Homecoming” are flawless and gorgeous. Throughout, the vocal element is used sparingly and to perfection; oftentimes, simply another texture. The singing is so ominous and beautiful, that it’s almost a shame there isn’t more of it. When playing it in the office, someone curiously asked if i was listening to “Ave Maria.” While completely off base in his assumption, the beauty in The Quiet Lamb is evident in his query; vocally speaking, the album is nothing short of a classic composition. However, when it comes down to it The Quiet Lamb is more of a folk record than anything, but it pulls off so much more than a traditional release in that genre. The record is sprawling and inquisitive, it’s so haunting and delicate, all the while maintaining it’s folk roots. It’s worldly vibe brings to mind a world uninhabited by humans, a world where nature is plentiful and once again, the true and rightful ruler of the earth. It’s in this that the record is a true folk album at heart, an album laced with reverence for the planet. If more post-rock bands put as much love and innovation into their records, the genre wouldn’t get the bad rep it’s sometimes dealt. Her Name is Calla have created a record so far from all the Godspeed You Mogwais in the Sky bands and is nothing short of a masterpiece. The Quiet Lamb is undoubtedly this years best release in the genre, and should be seen as a staple and a lesson to all post-rock musicians, that you don’t have to be huge to be huge.
Her Name is Calla
‘The Quiet Lamb’ is a soundtrack to your thoughts, inducing you into its intense, artistic depths … A raw, emotional exploration of the soul.
The Quiet Lamb is a sinister, majestic record that soars with a harrowing originality to subvert and progress the standard post-rock formula.
From quiet spaces to dark places, The Quiet Lamb is cinematic in scope, and veers from storm-crashing guitar down to sparse, dusty piano motes. It is a challenging yet uplifting journey from a seasoned group of talented musicians, and will reward listeners with its multifaceted sonic hues.
An epic statement of intent … There’s little to criticise about the diligent attention to detail and precision that went into such a complex creative structure. 8/10
Many just label them post-rock, which seems to have become a lazy blanket term for any music that deviates from the traditional rock song structure. […]
Atmospherically and vocally, the band has something in common with bands like Radiohead. There’s an unsettling sense to their music, something melancholic, affecting, but ultimately satisfying. The scope of Her Name is Calla’s ambition and inventiveness is impressive, but it would be nothing without the tunes to back it up. Luckily, ‘The Quiet Lamb’ has that.
Atmospherically and vocally, the band has something in common with bands like Radiohead. There’s an unsettling sense to their music, something melancholic, affecting, but ultimately satisfying. The scope of Her Name is Calla’s ambition and inventiveness is impressive, but it would be nothing without the tunes to back it up. Luckily, ‘The Quiet Lamb’ has that.
A dark fable… with an expressiveness haunted by ghosts. Pieces monumental in scope and emphasis, reminiscent of Twilight Sad or iLiKETRAiNS.
My apologies to Her Name is Calla, as I promised to write a review of their new album The Quiet Lamb weeks ago. The problem is how do you find the words to describe the sound track to the greatest film ever created? The film that changed how humanity views itself in relation to every other living creature, the world and the universe beyond? The film that redefined what it means to be an epic film that spans generations and covers the spectrum of human emotion from its darkest nights of despair up to its highest spires of elation? I listened and then listened more. One hundred and thirty-three times according to iTunes. And still, words fail to adequately convey the range and depth The Quiet Lamb traverses. I think maybe it is best if I just share some tracks with you and let Her Name Is Calla speak for themselves.
What? You want to know what film this is the sound track to? What film caused such a paradigm shift in our world? It hasn’t been made yet. The writer and director have not even heard this album yet. But they will soon enough and they will craft a world and a story with a message that is worthy of The Quiet Lamb. Of this I have no doubt. It is merely a question of time…
An impressive debut… even the sounds and atmosphere are wrapped in goosebumps.
