Calico System The Duplicated Memory

I have heard of Calico System for a while, but never really made any attempt to actually listen to their music. I had a friend that ran a small record label for a while, and he told me he was talking to these guys almost two years ago. Then another friend’s band was on a tour with Calico System. Both friends had almost the exact same thing to say: “You have to hear these guys. They are incredible.” Then I saw them play, but wasn’t really moved either way. But now that I’m here listening to the album, I’ll have to say that I can’t agree with my friends 100%, but it’s definitely good. Calico System is another band that falls in that weird category of the sing/scream type of hardcore. Bands like Beloved, and A Static Lullaby seem to be doing well these days, while riding the wave (that the corporate music world thinks) Thursday started. However, I think that Calico System slips past that. While a listener could find some similarities to the aforementioned bands, they bring an older sound to my ears. I remember hearing a band like Guilt or Grade and thinking “this has its own sound.” Calico System has a bit of that older sound that definitely shows a tasteful Grade influence. I imagine that many younger people that are already fans of a band like A Static Lullaby, would get into these guys. I also think they could possibly wake up a few jaded listeners, such as myself. While the “emocore” thing is really getting played out, Calico System does it fairly well. I enjoy this album more, because the songs aren’t three parts. There is no singing over the pretty stuff, then mosh break down, and then an upbeat poppy riff. The songs on “The Duplicated Memory” sound like they were written as thoughtful pieces, instead of just parts thrown in a certain order. There is also just a great punk rock feel to this record. The second song, “Resilience in Time” is just a great, fast, and fun song, with just the right amount of aggression (very reminiscent of Grade). But a song like the closing track, “Soft Lips and Headstones” has a slower, more melancholy feel. I’m really digging the dynamics here, rather than feeling like I’m hearing the same song over and over. Everyone in this band sounds really competent. The guitarist does some very intricate work, and I really like how he seems more concerned with writing energetic music, then just going back and forth from heavy to soft. But where Calico System stands out a little, is vocally. While Mark Owens has a down-the-middle scream (that really reminds me of the screamer of A Static Lullaby), he has a great singing voice. I was expecting more the pop-punk, whining vocals that usually accompany the boring bands in this genre. However, Owens has a deeper tone that you don’t hear very often with this kind of music. My only problem with this album is the weak, jaded genre it belongs to. Not to say this is generic, but there are elements that will hold this back. A couple of songs, like “Two Lovers and a Tower” seem a bit watered down and boring. I think if Calico System can find ways to stand out, just a little more, they will be huge across the board. Bottom Line: While “The Duplicated Memory” won’t change your life, it is about a half of a step above the rest, in this saturated genre. It’s got all the essentials: melody, heaviness, catchy hooks, great production, and overall punk rock aggression. This isn’t the sort of thing that I listen to on a regular basis, but Calico System at least restores a little bit of my faith that bands are still at least trying to write engaging music.