AMG Review of Getaway

Jesse Jarnow
All Music Guide

While the Clean's singles and EPs were unwaveringly focused -- and indeed the central point of a quarter-century career that saw less than a half-dozen full-lengths -- their albums were more sprawling affairs. Getaway, which followed their third half-decade layoff, was no exception. Clocking at a decidedly CD-length 51 minutes, Getaway features a good handful of tunes cut from the New Zealand trio's always charming combo of the Velvet Underground and the Beach Boys. On the disc-closing "Complications," the brothers David and Hamish Kilgour lock in over Robert Scott's melodic bassline and a wall of stabbing organs and strident guitars. The Pavement-like "Golden Crown" likewise ducks under the two-minute mark. But the ambling drone jams like "Aho" and "Jala" are a bit too twangy for satisfactory shoegazing, a bit too short for deep zone-out. The disc's highlights include a pair of numbers featuring longtime pals (and Clean mega-fans) Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo. The minute-and-a-half all-guitar jam "Alpine Madness" is distinctly Yo La Tengo-ish, and "Circle Canyon" is punctuated by Hubley's familiar harmonies. For as much concise popcraft as they exhibit, Getaway is defined by an enjoyable looseness that comes from being a rightfully legendary act that more properly amounts to a side project.