FILTER ALBUMS
Deep Sea Diver
★★★★
Billboard Heart
SUB POP. CD/DL/LP
Former Shin lives up to ‘the new sound of Seattle’ hype.
A CHRISTIAN who alludes to her beliefs in Deep Sea Diver’s music, and ex of The Shins, Jessica Dobson is an intriguing proposition. For her band’s fourth album, she’s retained the jagged-yet-subtle ingredients which have carried them to Seattle’s Next Big Thing status, last year’s signing to Sub Pop and a tour supporting Pearl Jam: Dobson’s slightly wounded vocals and scuzzy guitar; a slick, keyboard-festooned backdrop and, even on the straightforward hushed Loose Change and the relatively spartan Always Waving Goodbye, a sense of galloping urgency. Madison Cunningham drops in to add guitar and Pierces-style harmonies on Let Me Go, but Dobson is the star of her own show, from the cascading choruses of See In The Dark to the title track’s stylish chimes, and in What Do I Know she may have found Deep Sea Diver’s key to crossover.