Album: Sue Garner

Shadyside, Thrill Jockey

Much of Chicago post-rock label Thrill Jockey's output is spoilt for me by the pervasive air of smug worthiness, which recalls the "classically-trained" condescension of Seventies prog-rock. Only rarely does its roster of furrow-browed noodlers deliver the promised thrills, and mostly when, as with this third album from Sue Garner, they are subject to the constraints of three-minute songs, rather than allowed to sprawl every which way. Comprising settings of lyrics by Garner and her friends, the material is subjected to the subtle patinations of guitarist Marc Ribot, keyboardist Ted Reichman, drummer Rick Brown, and Shudder To Think's Doug Wieselman, whose bass clarinet cements the mood of brooding intimacy. On "Yes", the backing agglomerates together from echoing flecks and rustles of sound, which form into a groove around Garner's guitar; elsewhere, cajun accordion breezes wistfully through "Old Women", electric piano illuminates "Tapas Bar", and a rockabilly twitch brings "Day Out" close to Fall territory. The best tracks are "Beach", on which thumb-piano, percussive loops and Ribot's guitar itch erotically around Garner's vocal, and "Don't Still The Flicker", where shimmering keyboards and discreetly groaning bass clarinet set the mood of suspended intimacy. Recommended.