Country International Records

The Viennese duo Sugarplum Fairies grew a lot in the period between their 2003 debut, Introspective Raincoat Student Music, and this 2006 release, whose title should not be confused with the name of their label. No longer mere Mazzy Star mimics, they make great strides toward forging an identity of their own here, albeit one still predominantly born of whispers and twangy strums. Production and performance work from Ken Coomer of Wilco fame ensures a pronounced Americana sound paired with a willingness to move in other directions beyond the duo's shoegaze predilections. Standouts include the winsome, breezy "First Love, Last Rites" and the brilliantly understated "When You're Mean," positing vocalist Silvia Rider as a female Grant Lee Phillips. A smart suggestion about the pitfalls of settling for someone animates "Velcro Girl" (as in "you're stuck with"), though its delivery suffers under Rider's resolute minimalism. Indeed, her largely unvarying whisper vocal blurs into its own narcotic haze after a few tracks, making this disc not recommended while driving or operating heavy machinery. Still, it's a strong surge forward for the band, and the lively moments ("Polyester Poetry") outweigh the plodding ones (a dirgey cover of U2's "All I Want Is You"). Country International Records may not be an essential record, but it's a recuperative one in its briskness.