Calico System

On their second album, St. Louis-based screamo kids Calico System only barely tweak the formula of their debut: deep-voiced screamer dude on the verses, higher-pitched sensitive guy handling the mildly anguished choruses, and the band playing roughly the 16-millionth permutation of quiet-loud-quiet since the Pixies first formed. That said, Calico System at least have the relative novelty of having one guy, Mark Owens, handling both the guttural and clean vocals. Plus, the quintet (recently expanded with the addition of second guitarist Rick Giordano) have the formula down to such a point that they manage to insert the occasional melody into the proceedings, as on the genuinely catchy chorus of the single "Running with Scissors." Overall, however, there's little new or different here, and They Live is strictly for devoted screamo fans. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide