Search - Citified :: Absence

It makes sense that in a year following a reunion by one of the highlights of shoegaze, My Bloody Valentine, and a late-period masterpiece by the former Red House Painter Mark Kozelek (as Sun Kil Moon), that Greensboro, North Carolina s Citified would return with Absence a record that splits the difference between the softly driven lyrical work of the latter and the hazy crunch of the former. Think about Swervedriver s gift for finding the classic pop and rock structures beneath the murk of shoegaze and you ve hit exactly upon what Citified have created in their third release. Returning with the same lineup that created 2008 s The Meeting After the Meeting, Chris Jackson (vocals/guitar), DM Franklin Kane (bass), Diego Diaz (guitar) and Eric Ussery (drums) have created their strongest outing yet. Working again with engineer Jerry Kee (Superchunk, Portastatic, Kingsbury Manx) at his Duck-Kee studio in Mebane, North Carolina, the band created an even more layered and thorough work than on any prior release. Pencil Me In and Landlocked, songs that echo the propulsive melody of past album highlights, anchor the record s middle in classic Citified style. Absence also features the first appearance on a Citified album of songs by band members other than Jackson. Opening with Diaz s Founded, one of the moments where the band s debt to 80s indierock, and their outstanding ability to channel it, comes through clearest, the album also features Kane s Dutiful Scout, a song that chimes with both the jangling guitar of classic Athens indierock and the swing of a Phil Spector production. Closing with the woozy My Family Cup, Absence is a record that revels in moments that illuminate the breadth of Citified s influences and skill.