College/Art Rock: Meredith Bragg & the Terminals' The Depatures EP

There’s something about the strings on “Empty Beds” from Meredith Bragg and the Terminals’ The Departures EP (January 2006) that feels very much like “Every Day is Sunday” and Viva Hate from Morrissey. It’s the mournful, strident, synthetic, Britrock orchestration, that leads me to make quite a different comparison that I would overall. I described the group’s Vol 1. album as “singer/songwriter music out from some indie cavern lit by flickering candles and echoing with the instruments that are lined up against the wall like stalagmites.”

The Departures’ “Talk Me Down” has all of the Indie, College, Art Rock charm, but again is driven by that Britrock rhythm. The reverse cymbal loop on “Let’s Start Over” coupled with the line, “I don’t know what is worse/Living once or in reverse,” is brilliant while adding an off-kilter feel through the song—which is a tremendous musical cue for the lyric’s emotions. [Ed: I was informed that the highhat is recorded normally, which makes the "reverse-sounding" effect even more incredible].

Thanks to Meredith Bragg & the Terminals and The Kora Records for the review copy.