Physically, the male-female duo, Anders Parker and Kendall Meade are as different as chalk and cheese but, musically, they make a perfect couple.
I get the strong impression that, without her, Parker might stray into bruised and bearish territory while, without some contrast, her pure alto voice would lose its fragile charm.
The two have apparently been friends and collaborators since the 90s but it's taken until now to get this particular project off the ground.
They each had their own distractions; Parker was the driving force behind an Indie-rock band called Varnaline while Meade had a band called Mascott and also did stints as a backing singer for artists like Lloyd Cole, Helium and Sparklehorse.
This album is named after the analog recording studio in Knoxville, Tennessee where it was produced by the studio's owner, ex-Sparklehorse bassist, Scott Minor.
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Parker tends to be the more dominant of the voices and the ten melodic songs are mostly pop-orientated with just a hint of melancholy.
Highlights are City of Ghosts which has a similar breezy quality to Yo La Tengo and the Byrdsian jangle of Dreamers On The Ground.
The album has a Springtime feel with the promise of Summer just around the corner; a mood evoked in the cautious optimism of the closing track The Sun Will Shine Again Someday.
A nice album.
Anders & Kendall's website
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