Perhaps we’re forever doomed to compare new shit to stuff that came before. Perhaps it’s a failing as a reviewer. I don’t know. What I do know is that Calyx is a fucking trip, veering from one sonic landscape to another, all while remaining rooted within a strong and fearless indie/punk framework. Salinas is a pitch-perfect place for a record like this; I’m also reminded of the chances that the label Allied took on bands in the ’90s. In many ways, Calyx harkens back to that time period, when genre wasn’t quite so rigidly defined or defended—there’s some angular, yawing, mathy stuff going on here, endless intricacies, but also with so much propulsion and weird little gang vocals scattered throughout. Would’ve been right at home on a bill with Cards In Spokes and My Life In Rain. Consider it a testament that those are some long-defunct bands; more immediate comparisons aren’t coming to mind. I’m still trying to get a handle on this one. It’s good, but not quite so easy to pin down. I’m gonna need to sit with Stay Gone for a bit. –Keith Rosson (Salinas)