THE DISSOLVING ROOM

What do you do when you are already in one acclaimed indie group and find yourself and a bandmate with a bunch of "leftover" material of better-than-leftover quality that just doesn't fit the upbeat energetic style of the band? If you are WILL SHEFF and JONATHAN MEIBURG in 1999, you start SHEARWATER, a parallel project to OKKERVIL RIVER. They shared vocal and songwriting duties, and both bands gained success and stability in the 2000s and beyond.

"The Dissolving Room" sets course in a more subdued folk, singer/songwriter direction, and at this stage eschews pop elements, with predominant acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, and accordion, but utterly lacking the bluegrass, country and rock and roll of the first band. The contrasting lyrical and vocal styles of both men are paradoxically compatible, Sheff being more narrative and with a gruffer voice that reminds me of New England folk singer ELLIS PAUL, and Meiburg being more introspective with a smoother, higher pitch that at times recalls TIM SMITH of MIDLAKE or the nigh forgotten DAVID GATES of BREAD in gentility if not in subject matter.

The bar is set high with the opener "Mulholland", a wistful ballad with arrangements to match, and the album doesn't really dip until the last 3 tracks, with my other recommendations being the wrenching "Angelina" and, in particular, the haunting "The Left Side" that might be the most proggy number here, hinting at the developments that were still close to a decade off.

It's always wise to start the journey with a single step no matter how short or timid, before the sweet naivete of that moment yields to "corrupting" internal and external forces. This wispy piece may have dematerialized in the eyes of many long time fans, but is anything but skippable.