back to the Refrigerator index
Refrigerator - Anchors of Bleed (1996) [Communion Label, COMM40, LP/CD]
Allen Callaci (vocals), Dennis Callaci (Guitar, Organ, Vocals), Chris Jones (Drums); Recorded by Bob Durkee in May of 1995 at fBE Studios. Front cover art by Amy Maloof. Layout by Dennis and Allen. All songs c 1995 Inland Publishing. Refrigerator, PO Box 1837 Upland, CA 91785-1837
|
What Does This Album Sound Like?
|
Insert:
Allen Callaci ~ Vocals
Dennis Callaci ~ Guitar, Organ, Vocals
Chris Jones ~ Drums
Recorded by Bob Durkee in May of 1995 @ FBE Studios
Front Cover art by Amy Maloof
layout by Dennis and Allen
all songs 1995 Inland Publishing
Thank you...
I ask people who like Refrigerator what their favorite album is, and this one comes up pretty frequently. According to the Franklin Bruno article from Puncture #41 that I reference whenever possible, this was the first Refrigerator record recorded to 8 tracks, unlike the 4 of How You Continue Dreaming and Long 33 & 1/3 Play (and of course a long way from the radio/boombox recordings of Lonesome Surprize and Rael. Incidentally, the self-titled made the jump to 16-track. In that same Franklin article, he quotes Allen on the gradually expanding sound:
"We're harder to satisfy each time.... Now, when I'm singing, I know better what I'm trying to do. Also, when we first recorded with Bob, we didn't know that much about the studio. It was like, if we can get guitar, drums, and vocals all on four tracks, then why would we need eight?"
Here in 8-track world, "One of Everything" is a nice opener. The thing about this record is, having come to Refrigerator late and out of order, I always forget that Daniel Brodo hadn't arrived on the scene yet. By all available information, it's just Dennis and Bob working to keep those low frequencies on the guitar in play, when you catch something low and rhythmic coming through.
This is also the first full Refrigerator album to feature only Chris Jones on drums, after he and former full-time Refrigerator drummer Joel Connell spent How You Continue Dreaming and Bicycle trading off. This first track omits drums to let electric guitar handle percussion while Allen sings, and some faint fuzzy electric organ noise follows him through.
"Green Rush" is a top 10 Refrigerator song for me, with the drums coming in right at the start under the churning guitar and more buzzing, and one of those sets of Refrigerator vocals where you have to really sit with it to figure out if it's Allen and Dennis, or just Allen recorded twice. "Blueprints" is a contender for the top 10's. Steady drums, and the acoustic guitar making its first appearance, keeping pace with the drums but staying in 7th chords. "Thrill" brings back the buzzing, nonstop electric guitar and drums, with Allen's vocals on the harder louder side.
"Amber Major" is specifically the song that startled me when I found out Brodo hadn't joined up yet on this record, and if you listen to the chorus you might guess why. There's a little riff in the low range that really stands out, emerging fom the fuzzy guitar part.
"Huntington/Newport" spends a minute and a half on just acoustic guitar and Allen, before the drums kick in. In the booklet scans, you can see the line break where the lyrics shift from "no real address" to "sailing sunken ships". It's still mostly Allen from there, but Dennis shows up on some solo vocals, just so briefly, twice. (I don't actually know, but it sounds like he's starting it further from the mic, which is picking him up at that distance, but something in the drums starts to sound a little staticky, which makes me think Dennis's mic is picking up the drums there too, maybe?) If you're listening to the record, this one finishes out the A-side.
"Pretend to Go" starts off the back half with just some nice electric guitar and Allen sounding sweet. "Convenience Store" slows things way down, with more sparse guitar leaving a lot of room around Allen's vocals; as if the story Allen's quietly singing here wasn't lonely enough, even the guitar is off somewhere else in its thoughts. "Retreat" finally brings the drums back in, pure Refrigerator. "Ellie Ward" keeps the drums, and gives that electric organ some real estate.
"Circus Freaks" swaps out the drumkit for just a steady footstomp-type beat, under the acoustic guitar and Allen sotto voce. "With Razorblades" has some more of that "Blue Prints" energy, with Dennis's acoustic 7th chords constantly punched forward by Chris's drums. Plus, Allen's great delivery of "take off your sunglasses / when you lie to me". The last one on this record is "Gold", with the stream of electric guitar carrying things along, while the drums make their way in and out. Summer time...
Lyrics:
01. One of Everything
i like the way
you'd rather stay
unsure
than have one of everything
i like the way you say
it's funny to you now
even when you don't believe it
i like the way you keep your room
just the way you left it
even when you're here
02. Green Rush
green rush
come up to calm my knees
dig your roots between the seams
with the disposition of a rewinding thief
with this as all things
take it slow
difficult at first
take it slower, it's easy
when tempered by time
imagine what a hundred years could do to us
impossible things free wheel
control sewn into streams
buried in mud
03. Blue Prints
i pulled the dial on your radio down
we found it fun at first
trying to differentiate between
the commercials and the songs
you found it easy to trust blue prints
unnatural for me to believe in them
sounds good here in the front seat
you singing along with your tv
throw the gear in reverse
and pass the sugar water back to me
through spinning wheels and red lights
the colors start to bleed
and you start to sing
we'll make it home by selling everything we need
04. Thrill
should we wait til the thrill burns
every trick to the ground
sell the ringing in your ears off
to the quietest of sounds
i could have stalled half an hour
watch the scenery delay
the weight of words i saved or you up until today
you want it grander
it came up memories sick stolen passengers
no deposit
no redeem
grander, grander
05. Amber Major
where will we be five years from here
sometimes you know i wonder
sometimes you know i wonder
amber major where have you gone
things we plan to run away with
run away without us
for longer than they say
for longer than they say
dancing to a number
we never counted on
couldn't pull ourselves away
couldn't pull ourselves away
06. Huntington Newport
some girl
it hurts to look at her too long
watching her come down across the water
she's here and then she's gone
shes' got no real address
shining bright through the hot sands
and soft tans
living the warm live in the ultra violet rays
she's got no real address
sailing sunken ships in the year round
going too fast taking too long
trying so hard
maybe i don't know what to say
but i know what not to ask
once you start it's hard to stop
and it's not easier said than done
but something seems so wrong
still it's just easier to go on unnoticed
07. Pretend to Go
forgive any optimism
pretend to go to a place i used to know
adults have grown in where we used to live
guard your treasures ripe with gold
children put their guns to the roof of the old
pretend to go
pretend to go
08. Convenience Store
we were in line at a convenience store
first your hoop earrings
and then the jewelry around your wrist
well that's a nice bracelet
my attention was drawn in
i saw your pores rushing open
to capture as much of his smell as he passes by us
bye bye
will you save it or later on
the scent seeping out when no one' s home
i mean its none of my business
but what are you saving it for
09. Retreat
as faithful as a dollar
your loyalty to me
torch songs selling silver to jokes
riddled with disease
i just got back from a friend of mines
laundering her hopes at a five and dime
are there any messages for me
retreat
cut yourself an hour from
the time i'd only waste
spend it on your lovers or save it just in case
she told em all about the mess
awaiting you after the arrest
you couldn't stand but you were trying
retreat
retreat
10. Ellie Ward
ellie ward's piano in a corner alone
writing her own notes
moving cross to another room
hardens at the thought
behind the house we bought for another day
for another day
ellie ward's piano
plays on like a war
across these wooden floors
11. Circus Freaks
no need to be careful
all the glass houses are fakes
with glue on fingernails, shitty clown face paint
what good is an hour in this place
i used to be reticent to fuck circus freaks
but when passing through every 52 weeks
why not take advantage of this place
fade in burn out
i'll take my chances on you
another festival
more nothing to do
12. With Razorblades
stop the traffic with razor blades
splice in scenes with beauty queens
pacify the passers by
engaged in foreplay
take off your sunglasses when you lie to me
peel back the nail polish and skin magazines
when even the truths you feed
are backed with deceit
start the car with your hips
cut out quick before time sets in
reveals the hair beneath your bleach
the skeleton corpse underneath
13. Gold
you wanted it gold, it came back black
you make jokes on the phone and take it up and out
ears were built to mispronounce
every color they see
and you're good at building nails into these
summertime hits me back
black licorice to quote the smile
residing on your niece
she may not understand but one day
maybe your sugar can silence them
just as it silenced me
leave the tacks to talk amongst themselves
about who can hang the best
i've already turned in my guess
Click any thumbnail below to view a full size scan:
any images, lyrics, song titles, etc are property of the original artists, where at all possible images are pulled from my own scanned copies and any found/submitted images are noted and credited. this is a fan site without ads, trackers, or even so much as one of those site counters from the late 90's. if you see your intellectual property here and want it removed, email away. thanks