More than a decade after they formed, Still Corners and their music remain in constant motion. Over the years, Greg Hughes and Tessa Murray have relocated from London to the English seaside to Texas' Hill Country, and their sound has shifted with every move. On The Last Exit, however, there's a slightly shorter distance between where they've been and where they are. They embellish on the sunbaked dream pop they introduced on Slow Air, giving it sprawling spaces that let the twang on songs such as "Static" echo and linger. ...
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More than a decade after they formed, Still Corners and their music remain in constant motion. Over the years, Greg Hughes and Tessa Murray have relocated from London to the English seaside to Texas' Hill Country, and their sound has shifted with every move. On The Last Exit, however, there's a slightly shorter distance between where they've been and where they are. They embellish on the sunbaked dream pop they introduced on Slow Air, giving it sprawling spaces that let the twang on songs such as "Static" echo and linger. As on the duo's previous album, The Last Exit is most captivating when it's not too faithful to any established style. On "Crying," they cruise through eras and sounds, mixing a warbling whistle and twinkling piano from mid-20th century novelty pop with buzzy synth bass. "Till We Meet Again," which could've been recorded in a starlit canyon, feels like a southwestern version of Air's gravity-defying reveries. The Last Exit's ear-catching blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation is both earthy and buffed to a sheen on the gleaming vignette "Sand Dunes," and the album's abundant use of slide guitar and pedal steel suggests a rustic version of shoegaze. In Murray, Still Corners are blessed with a vocalist who sounds great in just about any setting, and she adds a ghostly allure to "White Sands" and "Mystery Road." While moments like these won't dispel comparisons to Mazzy Star and Julee Cruise, the gentle otherworldliness that has been vital to the duo's music since Creatures of an Hour is still distinctive. Hughes and Murray use that gauziness to craft songs that are as delicate as mirages; on "The Old Arcade," its roadside attraction seems to shimmer into being as the song unfolds. Occasionally, they're also as slight as mirages; "Bad Town"'s songwriting doesn't quite flesh out the broad strokes of its imagery. Even if The Last Exit is sometimes a little too wispy, it's still a fitting soundtrack for getting lost on the open road. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Last Exit to cart. $56.34, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2021.
