Somewhere Good

I received recommendations for this album from two different sources recently, one being Spencer (reader and friend of the blog whose judgement is always good). Somewhere Good by Bristolians Tara Clerkin Trio came out in June, an eight song album of jazz- ish/ leftfield indie/ avant pop. Comparisons could include Saint Etienne, Broadcast, The High Llamas, Stereolab, some of Belle and Sebastian's earlier records, those sort of artists and songs.

The album starts with Lake Walk, led off by a Clangers like woodwind part that could be irritating if the piano didn't join in and the song come together, the soundtrack to a Sunday afternoon with not much to do. Lake Walk gives way to Lazy Daisy, the rat- a- ta- tat of drums and squelchy synth bass, acoustic guitar chords and then Tara Clerkin's voice. And suddenly I'm entranced. 

The album moves on, a variety of styles and sounds, never sitting still for long, experimental but with a song focus. Ups And Downs is percussion and the shifting noise of a synth, some , piano runs. Silently opens with a choir and FX, then a drum machine. Whispers and softly sung vocals. The title track, Somewhere Good, has a lovely repeating guitar riff, more piano, modern classical crossed with mid- 90s avant- pop of some of those bands I mentioned above. The rhythm and playing are insistent, they draw you in. On Slow Island, one of the two men in the trio takes the lead vocal, the piano and drums nod slightly to Bristol's trip hop past- at the end an accordion or possibly a harmonium wanders past, and then the song stops. 

The notes at the Bandcamp page, written by Ryan Davies in Chicago, suggest that if the AI overlords took all of Ryan's music, posters, mixtapes and heartstrings and made a perfect band based on those, Tara Clerkin Band's Somewhere Good would be the result. But AI could never come up with music as nuanced and as human as this, it cold only be made by actual people. 

Listen/ buy at Bandcamp.