By: Django Gold
Rating: 8/11


The atmospheric, restrained sensibilities of Mean Creek demonstrate a band willing to sacrifice bombast for the sake of mood, mostly to their benefit. The group, largely acoustic in nature, but with a sprinkling of processed guitars and even, at times, synthesizers, has a very appealing fragility to it. The songs are delicate, quivering almost, as if a chance breeze would be enough to send the whole enterprise out an open window.

This sense of delicacy is largely due to the lilting vocal performance of singer/guitarists Chris Keene and Aurore Ounjian, both of whom tend towards the “whisper” end of the spectrum. Together, the two deliver soft-spoken harmonies that, along with the steady bass drum of percussionist Mikey Holland, provide the core of Mean Creek’s sound.

The band’s songwriting skills are evident, and perhaps best presented, in “Ohio,” which consists of a hymnal organ drone that swoops into a powerful one-word chorus (try to guess which). Also a great listen is “It’s Good To Be Back Again,” a toe-tapping rustic stomp that combines a hooky vocal line with echo-y guitars to prime effect. If Mean Creek has a shortcoming, it’s that they rarely have the verve to break out from their ambient nature into something more explosive. The few tracks that experiment with something a bit ballsier, like “Face of the Earth,” retreat before really tearing the roof off the sucker. Some more aggression wouldn’t hurt. But Mean Creek is an accomplished architect of ambience and texture, and, for those who like their alt-country mellow, give them a listen.