MARY TIMONY
the golden dove (Matador)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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Did her more restrictive tenure in Helium make the golden dove feel more together than Helium ever was? "I used to cry every day, but I won't look back. No way." The band as a unit were becoming obsolete anyway, and the golden dove is part of the continuum of her own thing.

"You know, sounds kind of like Mary, just Mary-- post Helium. Not just a solo in name, but a real step to the left and slightly ahead."

Tracks like "The Mirror" and "Dr. Cat" both benefit from your headphones in ways that simply turning it all up won't remedy. Helium appear, technically, to be on "hiatus," though the sing-song pianos and vocals Scotch taped to the increasingly dry guitars make me hope it could last at least another solo album. Al Weatherad, Mark Linkous of Sparkelhorse, and Timony herself sewed the tracks together without regard for an indie "hit," and I've always respected Mary (and Helium) for that. The longish ending of "Ant Dance" felt like a nod, a shift in the current. I wonder if she calls her old mates again. Does she need to?

RATING: A

© 2003 - Jason Thornberry