Califone is the musical project of former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili. Its regular and rotating contributors include many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands, such as Tortoise. Their music is less rooted in blues-rock than Red Red Meat and is more directly inspired by experimental music and early American folk music as can be found on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music.
Califone's current lineup includes Joe Adamik (drums), Jim Becker (banjo, violin), Ben Massarella (percussion), and Tim Rutili (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Each member is a multi-instrumentalist.
Tim Rutili has collaborated with a number of other artists as well. He joined up with Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and others in 2002 to release the album Sharpen Your Teeth under the band name Ugly Casanova. Some members also toured with Freakwater and served as a backing band to record the album Thinking of You in 2005. In 2006, Tim Rutili teamed up with Wil Hendricks and Michael Krassner under the name The Unseen Hand to record the soundtrack for Rank, a documentary about bullriding. In the same year Califone worked with animator/musician Brent Green on a series of performance art pieces featuring animation, live music, and spoken word. They are also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Stranger than Fiction.
Salt
Califone Lyrics
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The lyrics to Califone's song Salt paint a picture of a person lost at sea and wandering aimlessly on the desert flats. The phrase "adrift upon the Irish Sea" suggests that the person is struggling to find direction and purpose in life. The line "smash the atom with your back teeth grind" could be interpreted as a metaphor for trying to control something small and powerful with brute force, but ultimately failing.
The imagery of salt plays a significant role in the song. The repeated use of "swept away the salt, salt line swept away" evokes a sense of purification and cleansing. The word "swept" suggests movement and change, while the "salt line" represents a barrier or boundary that must be crossed in order to move forward.
The final lines of the song add a note of melancholy. The reference to "Catacombed in Sunday clothes" suggests that the person is attending a funeral or mourning a loss, and "gathering the wood to burn myself gone" hints at a desire to escape or self-destruct. The repetition of "my flower, my flower" may be a reference to the fleeting nature of beauty and the inevitability of decay.
Line by Line Meaning
adrift upon the irish sea dreaming all on the desert flats
Feeling lost and aimless like a ship without a sail, daydreaming about an empty, barren landscape.
smash the atom with your back teeth grind
Expressing the idea of extreme tension or pressure, as if trying to break something very hard with sheer force of will.
touch my face with your foot
A gesture that's somehow both affectionate and insulting, suggesting a mix of care and disinterest or even disdain.
long tone swept away
An extended musical note that seems to blend into the background and disappear, leaving nothing behind.
the salt salt line swept away
A reference to the ebb and flow of the tides, eroding away the coastline and leaving behind a salt-encrusted mess.
catacombed in sunday clothes
Mourning the dead in a formal, somber way, dressed in one's best clothes to show respect for the occasion.
gathering the wood to burn myself
Preparing to self-destruct, to voluntarily create one's own painful ending as a way of gaining control over the situation.
gone my flower my flower
The repeated phrase underscores the sense of loss and absence, expressing a deep sense of sadness and mourning.
i'm still pretty drunk on easter day
Blurring the lines between religious celebration and personal indulgence, suggesting a life that's both spiritual and worldly, festive and self-destructive.
Contributed by David V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.