Strategies for the Stranded

Pattern 25 Records is home to artists who push the sonic envelope while still maintaining a summer home in a cottage of strong melodies and catchy hooks. It is home to such artists as: Spyglass Jon Auer (Posies) SushiRobo Robert Roth (Truly) Sanford Arms This is carefully crafted, multilayered soundscapes from a Seattle band fronted by the moody-sounding Barbara Trentalange. Like Spyglass's first release, Strategies for the Stranded features textured guitars and a solid rhythm section backing Trentalange's husky, hypnotic voice: think Nico without the Teutonic bombast or Mazzy Star on downers. Here, however, the guitars take on a more ornamental role, with the addition of organ and strings for a more orchestral sound. The result is a lush, ambient cocktail of an album, the atmospheric compositions underscoring lyrics on themes of crash and rescue, getting stuck and moving on. At their best, as in the sweeping, elegiac "Laura Tate," the songs here build to an emotional crescendo that soars above fashionable melancholy. --Mary Park

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