The second album from Speck Mountain finds the Chicago-based duo wonderfully stepping into their own. Singer Marie-Claire Balabanian's vowels are all drawly and take their time as they're surrounded by Karl Briedeck's raga-esque guitars. This is music that is not in a hurry to get anywhere, just perfectly content to lay down some atmospheric vibes and while the hours away. A must for fans of Mazzy Star and Spiritualized. Recommended!

It's particularly sweet when loyal customers make great albums. Though based in Chicago these days, the two principal members of Speck Mountain met in New York, and I remember when they were both fresh faced youngsters (actually, they're still fresh faced youngsters) picking the sales staff's brain for great releases. To my mind, both Karl Briedeck and Marie-Claire Balabanian were the ideal kind of customers in that they didn't just want to know what the flavor of the month was, they both really wanted you to dig deep into your knowledge and share those dusty corners with them. I really think a sense of that interest comes across on their new album Some Sweet Relief, which is their second thus far, and a gigantic improvement on their debut, which wasn't by any means bad, just maybe not fully formed yet. They're still going to have a hard time not getting compared to Mazzy Star in every review, but a more developed sense of purpose neutralizes that criticism, if it even is one -- saying something sounds like Mazzy Star is a pretty easy way to sell albums actually. The songs are all slow and hazy, with a bit of the cosmic gospel inflection you hear in Spiritualized, or perhaps what a grittier take on Beach House might sound like. Marie-Claire has become a much more confident singer, her vowels all drawly and taking their time, surrounded by Karl's raga-esque guitars. This is music that is not in a hurry to get anywhere, just perfectly content to lay down some atmospheric vibes and while the hours away. Great stuff, and I can't wait to hear what they do next.

-Michael Klausman (March 12, 2009)