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ARABELLA
(Broadmoor)
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John Stirratt has his fingers in more than a few pies — he is, of course, a member of Wilco, and another of his projects, the Autumn Defense, have released two dreamy pop albums. On Arabella, he collaborates with his twin sister, Laurie, and the two of them have come up with a languid country-folk album that’s as welcome as a cool zephyr on a swampy summer afternoon. Here are 11 songs of loss, longing, and acceptance sung in lissome, lived-in voices that sound best when they’re together. The twins’ interplay gives an emotional rawness to the chorus of "Can’t Stand Yourself," an eloquent little tune about letting go of a hurt-filled past. The same theme crops up on "A Merciful Night," the bruising "We’ll Meet Again," and "Canadian Noon," whose wistful melody recalls Graham Nash’s sublime "Military Madness." Throughout, worrying images of stormy bays, rooms that smell of death, and lamp-green skies are couched in gorgeous arrangements and embroidered with gently strummed acoustics, so that even the most bittersweet sentiments are more sweet than bitter. If like the many others before him John should find himself pink-slipped by Jeff Tweedy, he could do worse than make Laurie & John a full-time gig.
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