Vocalist Tessa Murray met American multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Hughes at a London train station in 2007, a chance encounter that sparked the creation of Still Corners.
The Last Exit is the fifth studio album from the Anglo-American duo and their third on indie label Wrecking Light Records. Through their previous releases, Hughes and Murray have crafted an understated and intelligent brand of dream-pop. Their latest offering follows suit as an 11 track sojourn down a desert highway which is characterised by swooning lap-steel guitar complimenting the mournful, almost gothic vocals of Tessa Murray intersecting with Hughes's careful ensemble.
Despite having formed in London this transatlantic partnership's sound is distinctly American, although characteristic of further south than their current address in New York State. The Last Exit is a thick slice of Americana served up in moody pop form.
Hitting the open road is a recurring lyrical theme; perhaps reflecting a fantasy for many of us who've had our wings clipped for near on a year (and counting). Still Corners wend through a desert landscape coloured with down-tempo pop, country and shoegaze.
The opener (and title track) has a real country and western feel to it, replete with galloping acoustic guitar. Murray tells a wistful tale of disappearing down a lonesome road, her voice is breathy and doused in reverb, shimmering like hot air above tarmac. A considered start that sets the the palette for a number of 'road' themed compositions ('White Sands', 'Bad Town', 'Mystery Road') from the outset.
On 'White Sands' the duo shift through the gears in a bass-driven rouser, where vocals and lead guitar play off one another to find a pace not matched elsewhere on the album. Murray’s vocals are haunting here, regaling ghostly images in a desert landscape.
The production is accomplished and there are moments of musical intrigue such as the inclusion of howling dogs on folk ballad "Bad Town" and the choppy Knoppler-esque guitar solo that begins the rock 'n' roll of "It's Voodoo". These create a soundscape that wouldn't be out of place in a dark spaghetti western and although subtly done, these elements are very literal.
Still Corners have produced a sonically interesting journey that encourages you to travel with them. It drifts rather than races towards an end. In the closing track 'Old Arcade', we're transported to the coast and it feels like waking rather abruptly from the penultimate dream-like instrumental 'Shifting Dunes'. So whilst the final destination doesn't fully satisfy, the journey through the desert to get there is well worth travelling.
Review by Dan Ryan
