Vocalist Julie Guther has a voice which can easily carry a song or emotion. And assisted by multi-instrumentalist Berend Intelmann,
Guther (also the name of the group) are able to create very smart, highbrow pop as they do with the ambling "Still in This Town," which could be mistaken for
Björk fronting
the Beautiful South. It's a dreamy, catchy opener which leads flawlessly into the up-tempo adult contemporary sounds of "Statements," which brings to mind a very rowdy
Nico or
Dido. Meanwhile,
Guther branch out slightly with the alternative rock ditty "Many Frames Per Moment" that has some angular rock moments in it and a flute thrown in for good measure. However,
Guther hit their real stride with the delightfully barren "Throwing Thoughts" which is an extremely strong number. Just as promising and pleasing is the lean yet layered pop/rock driving "Trick or Treat," a song which is much more of a treat than a trick.
Guther do not gather enough steam to make the winding, twisting "Afraid" a great track, resembling a song that
Feist make have slightly better success with. This tone is revisited with the Parisian themed "No Need to Mention," which is very dreamy. In fact, it might have fit perfectly on the
Lost in Translation soundtrack. Perhaps the most adventurous of the near dozen offerings is the jazzy pop of "Even When It's Not" that could be a cover of
the Cure. ~ Jason MacNeil