** Drunk

TABLESIDE MANNERS

(Jagjaguwar)

On the surface, Tableside Manners sounds as austere and chilly as its sleeve's wintry snowscape. Although the fourth full-length from this Richmond (Virginia) ensemble is also their most cohesive, these 11 songs are far from uniformly dreary. With just a slight increase in tempo ("Queen of Venice") or a sweetened cadence ("Upholstery"), the mood can remain cool yet turn refreshing -- it's like finding shelter from summer's swelter in a darkened basement. The overall pace is glacial, yet a sense of forward motion propels this outstanding 37-minute album. Singer Rick Alverson keeps his lyrics exceedingly simple (the aforementioned "Venice" is just seven lines long; "Mutual Friend" is only five), and his well-chosen words sketch vivid images. By elongating his delivery of key passages, à la Mark Hollis on late-period Talk Talk albums, Alverson transforms these phrases into expansive stages on which multiple interpretations may strut and fret (mostly the latter). Discreet touches of cello, saw, mandolin -- and particularly the vibraphone work of bassist Bill Russell -- illuminate the silvery sonic patina with vibrant, ear-catching tone colors. And whereas "Dorothea" invites comparisons to Lambchop, Drunk have shed most of their earlier Southern Gothic trappings.

-- Kurt B. Reighley