Still Corners
Creatures of an Hour
SubPop
October 11, 2011 Still Corners
Still Corners began almost as cinematically as their music sounds. American singer/songwriter and producer Greg Hughes stepped off a train near London on a blustery evening and beheld future vocalist Tessa Murray. Falling into place like a movie, Still Corners was eventually formed and has begun a career of making music elegant, haunting, and subtle enough to majestically conjure scenes from all genres of cinema. Maybe Hughes was writing the music in his mind as the scene where he met Murray unfolded. One cannot pinpoint how muses are conjured.
With the release of a two song EP over the summer, Still Corners was already working on the first full-length album under Sub Pop Records. With the release of their debut album Creatures of an Hour, StillCorners has created a modern musical cinematic landscape of sounds, drawing the listener in like a siren from Homer’s Odyssey. The first song off of the album is also the first single which appeared on the previously released two song EP in the summer 2011. “Cuckoo” floats like pollen dust ablaze in sunlight drifting in the breeze. Murray’s breathy, echoing lyrics creep through the speakers in perfect harmony with the synths and reverbed guitar parts.
“Circular” and “Endless Summers” both paint an expansive musical landscape; living up to the band’s proclaimed “cinematic sound.” Indeed, the music does have a visual, dream-like quality. While Hughes, Leon Dufficy (guitar), and Luke Jarvis (bass), hypnotize the listener with organs, synths, and ringing guitar chords, Murray whispers incantations with a subtle but irresistibly sweet sounding serenade.
“I Wrote in Blood” is a beautifully haunting song that builds over Murray’s voice, a following bass line, and creeping keyboard effects that create a depth of sound subtle but vastly expanding as the song progresses. Carrying itself over a piano riff, “I Wrote in Blood” is Still Corners at their most haunting, and one of the best tracks on the album. “Velveteen” begins slow and ominous before turning into a ghostly waltz. Eerily delayed guitars ring while Murray’s voice floats weightlessly throughout the track. “Submarine” feels almost like it’s trying to be more straightforward with its delivery but can’t quite sound poppy, which is a good thing. Steady drums and bass keep everything in line while Murray’s vapory voice joins in with echoed guitars to create carefully crafted brushstrokes of melodies.
In its entirety, Still Corners’ debut album is much more than dark-pop or anything close to this type of genre labeling. It’s a landscape of sound with such visual quality and striking balance that it may go underappreciated on a first listen. Little nuances of sound allow for multiple listening sessions with new joys and nuggets found each time around. This band has a subtle maturity and sonic depth, which has already been over-described as “cinematic.” While that label is in a sense true, the sounds and harmonies themselves allow the listener to get lost within their own imagination, conjuring a vast musical landscape where imagination and reality come together to still the anxiety-ridden corners of the mind.
Recommended Tracks: “Cuckoo” “I Wrote in Blood” “Velveteen”
Reviewer Bio - Tim Rosini is part of the editorial team at Onlinerock team. Having a background in English literature with a concentration in creative writing, Tim found himself working for various magazines and websites after moving out to the west coast last summer. Having the ability to adapt his focus from business writing to creative fiction he has found a great place to exercise his passion for music on the onlinerock website.
