Recorded at the legendary Valentine Recording Studios, in the bowels of Studio City in L.A., the Allah-Las immersed their already-written tunes in the aural baths of their idols. The ghost notes of forgotten magnetic tape snippets and the reverberations of Beach Boy harmonies permeates the vibe of the band’s third record, Calico Review. Utilizing vintage equipment in a room with a lot of recording history, the band—as perhaps the most ardent (or at least celebrated) arbiters of the ‘60s style rock revival today—were able to tap into the past in a more obvious way than with their previous two records, 2014’s Worship the Sun and 2012’s self-titled Allah Las debut. Additionally, songwriting duties were dispersed generously between the four members of the band for Calico Review, making the record their first entirely collaborative jigsaw.
The Fat Angel Sings 