Pitchfork

Less an actual collaboration than an ambitious musical cut-and-paste, "Callinblue", the flipside of the recently released (and very, very delayed) Album Leaf/Her Space Holiday seven-inch, is an instrumental electronic groove comprised of two distinct halves. Her Space Holiday starts things out with a staccato beat and a clipped orchestral sample providing the background while an ethereal whistling keyboard hook loops overhead. The bass is insistent but incidental, and before long, it slows to a break that introduces part two-- courtesy of The Album Leaf-- which is where the song sells.

As the beat stretches out and gains a funk-inspired swagger, the bass becomes the focal point of the song-- still insistent, but now melodic, as well. It's all over a bit early, but considering the potential for disaster, the high-concept collaboration comes together pleasantly, if not ground-breakingly, and the whole is considerably more than the sum. Much like the first seven-inch in this series, which featured The Album Leaf paired with Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, "Callinblue" brings out the best of each artist's songwriting talents, moving away from their occasionally distracting tendencies towards musical solipsism, and offering a potentially impressive preview of their next albums.