The Last Exit

UKロンドンのドリーム・ポップ・デュオSTILL CORNERSの2021年5THが登場!!

本作はSTILL CORNERSによる『ロード三部作』最終章。「THE TRIP」に始まり「THE MESSAGE」を経てこの「THE LAST EXIT」で締めくくりとなるもの。「デザート・ノワール・サウンド」とでも呼ぶべきサウンドを携え、荒廃した町、地平線上の神秘、そしてそこにあるものとないものの境界線を曖昧にするようなロング・トリッピンで催眠術的な世界を構築。

グレッグは、「砂漠の中に何かを見つけた、永遠に続く広大な風景の中に何かを・・・」と語る。

有機的なインストルメント、クリーン・トーン・ギター、ゆったりとしたドラム、そしてテッサ・マレーのスモーキーな歌声が特徴的な11曲で構成。アルバムのハイライトは、"The Last Exit"、"White Sands"、"Shifting Dunes"など、砂漠の広大な空間を感じさせるサイケデリックとトワイライトな楽曲群、「ここではないどこか」へ連れて行ってくれる現代版白昼夢サイケ名盤の誕生!!

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, theres a slightly shorter distance between where theyve 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 duos previous album, The Last Exit is most captivating when its 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 couldve been recorded in a starlit canyon, feels like a southwestern version of Airs gravity-defying reveries. The Last Exits ear-catching blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation is both earthy and buffed to a sheen on the gleaming vignette Sand Dunes, and the albums 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 wont dispel comparisons to Mazzy Star and Julee Cruise, the gentle otherworldliness that has been vital to the duos 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, theyre also as slight as mirages; Bad Towns songwriting doesnt quite flesh out the broad strokes of its imagery. Even if The Last Exit is sometimes a little too wispy, its still a fitting soundtrack for getting lost on the open road. ~ Heather Phares