Not for Us Two

"This Northampton, Massachusetts ensemble, featuring former Scud Mountain Boys’ pedal steel man Bruce Tull, play a lulling, weepy alt-country rock that’s much more desperate than its casual, mellow sound suggests. But listen beyond the pleasing cadences and resolving chords and it’s as if singer Kevin O’Rourke is suffering a nervous breakdown. From the album’s opening cut, “Damage Twins,” he states, “I need you to shake your head and hit mine with a brick.” From there, he spirals between moments of mild elation and existential torpor. Yet, all is done under the guise of beautifully austere arrangements that recall the bucolic charm of Ida and the smaller moments of singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt. O’Rourke finds beauty in sadness, with chords that mourn and lyrics that settle on the possibility of dark outcomes. Yet, he never sounds depressed. There are too many colors in his sound and his voice never whines or pleads. It just lays out the case for further disenchantment. The beautifully crafted “#37,” “My Favorite Illusion,” and ""Words Like We” are top-notch songwriting where pretty melodies obscure the desperate times behind them."