The Clean Age (Very) Gracefully
R. Mix | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 08/23/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"'Getaway' finds the Clean mining the shambling, slightly-left-of-center explorations of guitar and melody found on 1996's 'Unknown Country'.
"Stars", "Circle Canyon" and "Aho" build almost imperceptably to become swirling, free-flying epics. "Jala" contains a hint of Middle-Eastern psychedelia in its clipped rhythm accentuated by an utterly out of the blue harpsichord.
"Crazy" and "E Motel" are also typical of the recent Clean, featuring loping, hard-strummed melodies, the odd touch of keyboard and David Kilgour's half-sung, half-spoken vocals on the former and the Bats' Robert Scott on the latter.
Like 'Unknown Country', 'Getaway' features many short tracks that, in lesser hands, would feel like half-finished filler. But in the estimatable hands of the Clean, they serve to link songs and set moods.
While I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for anyone curious about the Clean ('Compilation', 'Vehicle' and 'Modern Rock' serve that purpose much better), this is a worthy and very welcome addition to the Clean's canon.
Low-key, intimate and unassuming, this is the musical equivilent of a Saturday night willingly spent alone. And like that time, 'Getaway' resonates with a quiet sense of fulfillment.
Let it sneak up on you."
A consolidating album from the old masters
Christopher Andrews | Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand | 03/26/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"the clean are something of an enigma to me - i've just caught them live on the 'getaway' tour and they still show the qualities that hold them in my heart as perhaps the finest live rock act i have ever seen. i've grown up with their music and they were an integral part of my continuing obsession and devotion to the new zealand music scene. "getaway" is only their fourth full-length album proper (along with their seminal early release album "compilation") in 23 years of existence and sees the band attempting to further refine their sound.if your familiar with the clean's past, you'll know that their 80's material was quite lo-fi and raw in its delivery. since then they've managed to develop a strong jangle-rock presence through their first two albums and then exploiting a more pop-centric and quirky side on the somewhat chaotic last album 'unknown country'. the 5-year gap leading into the 'getaway' has seen david kilgour deliver a speight of fine singer-songwriter albums of quirky intent, brother hamish has been keeping himself busy in new york with expatriate kiwi band mad scene, whilst rob scott has continued performing with his outstanding band the bats.though maybe not as immediately grabbing as their earlier singles, the best tracks off of "getaway" posses excellent melody and the natural flow that the clean has made all their own. album highlight's like the opener "stars" and the rob scott-led "e-motel" show what can be done with a minimal amount of chords and perfect execution of guitar feedback. the album differs from their earlier punchy efforts, concentrating on developing strong grooves laced in reverb and echoes at a leisurely-relaxed tempo. i think this album is more of a consolidation of the changes each of the bands three members have gone through over the past 5 years than a well-defined album. it does hold up very well as a collective piece though, as the songs (often just short vignettes of creative instrumentation, as they tried and failed somewhat on "unknown country") posses a common laid-back and quirky vibe. instrumental tracks like "twilight agency" find the band experimenting with less traditional instrumentation, as each of the band members have partaken in on their other musical outlets, particularly robert scott's 2000 album "creeping unknown", which was complemented by a great deal of lush electronic sound-scapes.guests ira kaplan and georgia hubley (both of yo la tengo) lend a hand on two tracks, adding guitar and drumming contributions, without really having much of an effect on the general scope on the sound. i'd like to see the clean produce an album that captures the somewhat ethereal magic that they produce as a live unit, as they're still missing an album that pushes the sonorous noise-rock limits as their live show does.the album does, however stand as an enjoyable, relaxed addition to their catalogue, but is by no means a leap forward in the style they had previously developed. as a point of note, it's probably their most cohesive and effective of their actual full-lengths (as their albums always tend to be somewhat reunion efforts) and is a fine purchase if your looking for melodic rock without pretense. to get a firm reflection on what the clean are about, i'd suggest tracking down the "compilation" album first (or catching their amazing live show), but "getaway" is still a fine purchase. 78%"
Big Bill's #16 of 2001
bigbill72 | Cincinnati Ohio | 12/31/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Music with a great flow. You want to know what this sounds like? Break out your Velvet Underground third CD and put on the track What Goes On and listen to the ending. The music on this CD is real similar to that. It just flows nicely. The best tracks are the opening tune Stars, #3 Crazy, & #12 Aho. This is only the bands 4th album since 1983."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1