Northern
Your House and Mine
( Northern ) 2006

Your House and Mine, the debut album from New Hampshire's Northern, is equal parts hushed whispers, secret (and sometimes not so secret) longing, and dreamy twilight.

Fronted by Chris Greiner, whose soft, sweetly weary vocals float through the arrangements, the album slowly and stately unfolds in a haze of vibraphone, strings, pedal steel, and organ. Filled with fluid, country-tinged guitar melodies, and clean, understated percussion (reminiscent of American Analog Set at times), these songs are in no rush to reveal all their secrets to you, but with beautifully bittersweet and introspective lyrics like "I see red brake lights and red rose petals/and as I roll right I'm still getting thorns in my tires" ("Across the Turnpike"), it's definitely worth the wait.

Made for sleepless nights and early mornings, Your House and Mine is a simple album, but all the more enjoyable because of that. There's no need for flashiness -- Greiner's heart does all the talking.

s :: ( 04.06 )