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DVDfever.co.uk – Speck Mountain: Some Sweet Relief CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Carrot Top Records
- Released: June 2009
- Rating: 8/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Sonic beauty from the Windy City.
Should you be looking for variety, then forget this one. Should you be looking for beauty, then this is for you.
Chicagos Speck Mountain have been making fabulous spacey and haunting music for some time now. Featuring the instrumental and vocal talents of leading members Karl Briedrick and chanteuse Marie-Claire Balabanian, along with multi-instrumentalist Kate Walsh and percussionist Time Daisy theyve conjured up some sumptuous and beguiling songs on their second full album Some Sweet Relief.
The instrumentation is kept simple (less is more here) in the production department allowing Balabanians sweet vocals to become a major feature. Right now, no one can do longing like her, with the yearning streamed masterfully throughout the album, which includes some intoxicating southern soul and even shades of laidback gospel somewhere in there. Theres just enough twang to remind you that this very much a real American band.There are snippets Americana fused with their own immaculate stylings, like adopting subtle uses of saxophone by Walsh.
Ok, so it can be levelled that Sweet Some Relief is a bit samey, but its the details of the individual songs (sublime bass-work, lulling guitar strums and honeyed vocals) that make it such a great and relaxed collection, which by definition, are unlikely gonna rock our world or even break into mainstream consciousness. But, you never know. Some sharp producer or muso DJ might do some justice.You need to look beyond such insignificant obstacles, if thats the right description.
Each track drifts seamlessly into each other without you virtually realising. This might sound contradictory, but theres a deep sense of uplifting melancholia going on here, and it works to perfection.Somehow, from the opening guitar solo on opener Shame On Your Soul, (a slightly edgy tone-value and desolation fuelled like something Micah P.Hinson favours) you know youre in for some different, and in its own way, special, in a micro-music way. That said, considering theres only four musicians, there are, at times, some whopping soundscapes such as the superb Fidelity Stake.
Best songs? One worded Angela is brilliant in a minimalist way, with some of the coolest bass you ever hear, angelic vocal and gentle guitar picks with reverb. Another is the gorgeous I Feel Eternal (check the minimalist sax breaks), and drifting instrumental closer Sister Water.
Only two duds Backslider and Backsliding.Still, one of the creamiest albums this year.
The verdict Very slow burner.
Weblink:myspace.com/speckmountain
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Shame On The Soul
2. Fidelity Shake
3. Angela
4. I Feel Eternal
5. Some Sweet Relief
6. Backslider
7. Backsliding
8. Twinlines
9. Sister WaterView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.