There Is No Other...

Forever cemented in indie history for her contributions to Belle & Sebastians earliest albums, Scottish vocalist/songwriter Isobel Campbell went on to build a complex, stylistically winding body of work that never quite got out of the shadow of her six years with indie pops biggest band. While her whisper-thin vocals and distant, melancholic presence were integral to the unique chemistry that made early Belle & Sebastian so magical, her artistry expanded in all directions afterward. She wandered from soft jazz-inflected indie outings as the Gentle Waves to grainy collaborative albums with Mark Lanegan to 2006s gorgeously sad solo set Milkwhite Sheets, a collection of beautifully spare songs inspired by traditional U.K. folk. There Is No Other... continues the understated grandeur that has touched all of Campbells work, this time her muse taking the shape of glowing Californian pop. Campbells signature soft-touch vocals are underscored by twilight-toned acoustic guitars and string arrangements on many of the tunes, recalling a specific moment in late-60s Laurel Canyon psychedelic pop. This comes through the clearest in the laid-back bongo rhythms and carefree electric bass noodling of The National Bird of India, a sunny and lighthearted song that aims for the midpoint between Joni Mitchells searching and Serge Gainsbourgs mystery. More subdued readings of this low-lit sound appear throughout the album, with insect chirps and lazy chimes on City of Angels and cooing layers of backing vocals on the reverb-coated See Your Face Again both reminiscent of Francoise Hardys delicate early-70s arrangements. Campbell also successfully incorporates unlikely elements into her more lively tunes. On paper, a minimal cover of Tom Pettys Runnin Down a Dream built around fuzzy synth and drum machine shouldnt work, but Campbell warps the concept into something lilting and pleasant, like the friendliest imaginable interpretation of Suicide. Other surprises glide in and out over the course of the album, like the nervous electronic undercurrents of Ant Life or the gospel backing vocals that drive otherwise pop tunes Hey World and The Heart of It All. Breezy, graceful, and luxurious, There Is No Other... ranks among Campbells best work. Though 14 years passed between this album and her last fully solo outing, it sounds as if it were conceived fully formed, unaware of time or trends. Instead, There Is No Other... perfectly suspends the smiling mood of a hushed evening, embodying the fading warmth of the days last sunlight. ~ Fred Thomas

ベル&セバスチャンの初期メンバーとしても知られるイザベルがおよそ14年ぶりのソロ・アルバムを上梓。QOTSAのマークとのコラボ作でも展開していた、繊細かつ幽玄なアシッド・フォークを引き継ぎつつも、現在拠点としているカリフォルニアの影響か、独特の風通しの良さが印象的。かすかに漂うアメリカーナの香りやゴスペル・コーラスの導入、チープな打ち込みが光るトム・ペティのカヴァーも秀逸だ。
bounce (C)保坂隆純