Midnight Choir, Unsung Heroine (CD)

I have a real soft spot for Phill Brown's engineering, and he did a fabulous job with Unsung Heroine (2000). Midnight Choir, from Norway, write good roots-y songs and play them well, with less melodrama than the Tindersticks or Walkabouts, who would be their closest peers. The biggest thing that makes Unsung Heroine jump out is the sound. It's an incredibly organic, traditional sounding record, as if a 70s rock record were made with newer gear and a bit of modern insight/technique. The arrangements are smart too, with creative vocal doubling and tasteful use of a string section. The less memorable songs are carried by the sound, and the best songs jump out as a result. It's mastered subtly and quietly, which I think was an aesthetic decision here, because the clarity and balance are great.