Aural Fixations

VARNALINE
Songs in a Northern Key (E Squared/Artemis)
After the critical success of 1998's Sweet Life, Varnaline's label Zero Hour folded, which goes a long way towards explaining the wait for Songs in a Northern Key. In the interim, as has happened before, Varnaline ceased to be a group entity per se, and became the nom de band for songwriter Anders Parker.

Songs in a Northern Key is Varnaline's fourth full-length CD. It's a continuation and expansion of the bittersweet pop landscape staked out on Sweet Life. "Still Dream" opens things beautifully; the song serves as a fitting welcome to listener and performer as Parker sings over ringing mandolin and twelve-string guitar. "Song" crunches and laments like Parker hasn't since "Why Are You Unkind," from 1997's eponymous CD.

"Blackbird Fields" is a dreamy lullaby; a pump organ drones and moans, and the acoustic guitar part is gorgeous. "All good times, all good times," sings Parker, "Washed away on blackbird fields." If "Blackbird Fields" is the view from terra firma, "Difference" carries the listener into the ether with vocal delay and that thick Varnaline drum sound. "Blue Flowers on the Highway" nods along to a slide refrain that, honestly, conjures images of George Harrison (which is a good thing).

Over the course of fifteen Songs in a Northern Key, the aural palette rings and hums, with Parker's plaintive vocals and evocative lyrics inching their way into your skull. What Parker manages to tap into with simple and seemingly disparate elements (like trombone and vibes, for example) is just fantastic. The songs are challenging and rewarding, and more than a little trippy. Like Sweet Life, this one is rich enough to stand up to years of repeated listens. Let's hope it doesn't come down to that again. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Nick Drake, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass