Letters From The Coast

Album Review

The fourth album by [the] Caseworker finds the act keeping to its own steady pace and approach — work on an album, release it, then concentrate on other things for a bit for a few years until the itch needs scratching again. If Letters from the Coast shows that the group in ways is holding steady, it does so with gentle style. Opening song "National Runner" has the feeling of a more rock Beta Band, something in the singing especially, but there's also a nice zoned buzz that comes in later in the arrangement, a familiar enough but still enjoyable combination of hook and feedback. Much of Letters from the Coast flows in this general vein, the type of independent rock record that's out to fill in a well-explored space with a gentle bit of work that songs like "Dormer," "Sea Years," and "Little Good It Did You" encapsulate. On more easygoing numbers like "Holy Mothers," the sense of rich flow is perfect for such a contentedly guitar-oriented band; if there's nothing unique about what they offer on the one hand, on the other they have a way of creating songs that have a buzz you can almost wrap up in, a lower-key party than most but still a good time.