Sue Garner & Rick Brown
Still. A fave from 2000 that I'm constantly pulling out for a listen. Got it playing this morning so checked an old copy of my best of 2000 list and, of course, it's nowhere to be found, but this would probably be the one I've listened to most from what was a very good year. Have you ever had one of those albums that it seems like everyone should love, but no one else does? Yeah, I know, we all do, that's why we come to places like this
Still is a very diverse and eclectic mix of trip hop, indie pop/rock, avant-folk, Tortoise-like loopy electro-organica, and maybe even a couple nods to the Fall. Very nice CD. Maybe too far reaching at times for their own good, but lots to like. Recorded with some of their friends including Chris Stamey of the DB's, Douglas McCombs of Tortoise, Tara Key and Doug Weiselman in the couple's home studio. A little along the lines of Yo La Tengo but with a more diverse sound. They even do a pretty cool and very minimalist cover of John Lennon's "It's So Hard" that's nearly a cappella with only a plucked bass as accompaniment. This is one that has really stood up well for me over the last few years. I don't think it garnered a lot of critical acclaim but I play it all the time and now it's like an old friend. Lots of very nice ambience on this one. Highly recommended....even HDCD for those with a decoder.
Maybe I should've posted this in the review section? Doesn't seem to be much action over there. Whaddaya think? Any albums from about that time frame that you've had to seriously reevaluate over the years?
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AMG Review by Ken Taylor
Since settling down after the minor successes of their first band, Run On, Sue Garner and Rick Brown have created a simple and blissful record of haunting melodies and two-part harmonies. Opening with "Synthbug," a fizzly, electro-accompanied jam, Garner and Brown move into a beautiful guitar harmonics and vocals space setting an airy, atmospheric tone for the rest of the record. Garner's voice is tender, sincere, and bewitching, while Brown's instrumentation is warm and flawless. A number of the tracks on Still, produced by college pop god Chris Stamey of DB's fame, give a nod to the work of Run On's contemporaries. Yo La Tengo immediately come to mind upon hearing "Asphalt Road" and "Let Us Out." Though Still rarely enlists more than Garner and Brown themselves, certain tracks may lead listeners to believe otherwise, as the duo make some impressive sounds through the use of studio manipulation. And the intimacy of the recording, due largely to the fact that it was recorded in their home, makes Still that much more memorable. Their minimally executed cover of John Lennon's "It's So Hard" with just two vocals and singly plucked bass notes, stands out as one of the album's strongest and most sincere tracks. Along with the brilliant studio trickery, Still is an intensely heartfelt record with a great deal of emotional depth. A post-indie rock triumph.
