Still

Since settling down after the minor successes of their first band, Run On, Sue Garner and Rick Brown have created a simple and blissful record of haunting melodies and two-part harmonies. Opening with "Synthbug," a fizzly, electro-accompanied jam, Garner and Brown move into a beautiful guitar harmonics and vocals space setting an airy, atmospheric tone for the rest of the record. Garner's voice is tender, sincere, and bewitching, while Brown's instrumentation is warm and flawless. A number of the tracks on Still, produced by college pop god Chris Stamey of DB's fame, give a nod to the work of Run On's contemporaries. Yo La Tengo immediately come to mind upon hearing "Asphalt Road" and "Let Us Out." Though Still rarely enlists more than Garner and Brown themselves, certain tracks may lead listeners to believe otherwise, as the duo make some impressive sounds through the use of studio manipulation. And the intimacy of the recording, due largely to the fact that it was recorded in their home, makes Still that much more memorable. Their minimally executed cover of John Lennon's "It's So Hard" with just two vocals and singly plucked bass notes, stands out as one of the album's strongest and most sincere tracks. Along with the brilliant studio trickery, Still is an intensely heartfelt record with a great deal of emotional depth. A post-indie rock triumph.