As a member of legendary New Zealand pop bands
the Clean and
the Bats,
Robert Scott's position in indie rock royalty was cemented for all time. Apart from this already impressive pedigree,
Scott managed to do time in scads of other great bands and very patiently pursue a solo career, beginning with the mostly instrumental offering
The Creeping Unknown in 2001 and following it up a decade later with the more traditionally crafted pop of 2011's
Ends Run Together.
The Green House follows the trend of low-lit, melody-saturated pop of that album as well as the best of
Scott's signature songwriting with
the Bats.
Tiny Ruins vocalist
Hollie Fullbrook joins
Scott on the lion's share of these songs, her airy style adding a layer of mystery and a gorgeous counterpoint to
Scott's deeply anchored singing. The merits of this pairing are in full focus on the first few tunes. Both "Lights Are Low" and "Lava" find
Fullbrook and
Scott winding vocal lines together over soft-spoken, slow-burning guitar patterns and subdued percussion. It's the kind of reflective, unassuming songwriting that made the Dunedin sound as influential as it became. Much of
The Green House tends toward hushed, beautiful, and slightly spooky fare, as on the pastoral drone of "Hear the Hondas" or the pretty melodics of album closer "Right from Wrong." When
Scott isn't feeling sleepy, though, there are a few moments of rock magnitude to tie together the softer tunes. "Month of Sundays" and the fuzz-laden instrumental "Where the Frost Lies" both come on with a laid-back stride, sounding like the best of
Yo La Tengo's mid-'90s experiments with grooves and guitar repetition. The most lively number here is "Vertigo," a guitar fest with optimistic hooks on par with
Guided by Voices in their prime. Continuing his evolution of introspective pop experimentation,
The Green House finds
Scott in fantastic form, offering up more evidence of a songwriting talent decades into refinement and still churning out classic songs.