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August 18 - 25, 2000

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*** The Posies

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T FEEL LIKE PLUGGING IN

(Casa Recording Co.)

Posies It's been more than a year since the Posies announced they were calling quits after a more than decade as Seattle's reigning kings of guitar pop. But 2000 is turning out to be a busy year for the not-quite-defunct band, who have been pared down to the core duo of singer-songwriter-guitarists Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Along with In Case You Didn't Feel like Plugging In, a nicely edited, cleanly produced, live acoustic performance that Auer and Stringfellow recorded earlier this year at a Seattle club, there's also a new Posies' greatest-hits set, Dream All Day, out on DGC/Interscope, as well as a four-CD retrospective titled At Least . . . At Last due later this year from Not Lame Records.

Auer and Stringfellow bring an appealing mix of energy, enthusiasm, and natural talent to the table on In Case You Didn't Feel like Plugging In, and they clearly relish the chance to page through the Posies songbook. The dry and dour "Precious Moments" finds the duo slipping into tedious introspection, and "Suddenly Mary" is too repetitious to support the stripped-down acoustic treatment. But Auer and Stringfellow more than make up for any missteps with a sublime version of the hook-laden "Flavor of the Month," where they showcase the resonant harmonies that have always been a Posies signature.

-- Linda Laban
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