Retsin and the Sonora Pine: Indie Intertwinings

To complicate matters, Truckstop comprised members of various indie-rock outfits, two of whom -- former Rodan bassist Tara Jane O'Neil and Ruby Falls frontwoman Cynthia Lynn Nelson -- have gone on to form a "real" band called Retsin, who will headline a show at the Middle East this Saturday night. And Egg Fusion, Retsin's homespun full-length debut on Simple Machines, is only one of two new discs that highlights O'Neil's talents as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She's also featured on a homonymous release by the Sonora Pine (Quarterstick/Touch & Go), a moody foursome she formed with former Rodan drummer Kevin Coultas, Lungfish/June of 44 guitarist Sean Meadows, and violinist Samara Lubelski. (Completing her hat trick, O'Neil joins Coultas as the rhythm section on Near Life Experience, the new disc by the Boston band Come, which is due from Matador on May 21.

There's a naturalness and emotional clarity on Egg Fusion that transcends its lo-fi origins. O'Neil and Nelson achieve a kind of effortless symbiotic chemistry that fuels the sublime moodiness of the disc and balances spare, confessional folk against rough-textured rock without settling into the bland void of folk rock. Think of it as what the Indigo Girls might have sounded like if they'd been raised by Sonic Youth, or a musical marriage between Dusty Springfield and Dinosaur Jr.

"From the city's mouth to the falls of the Ohio," the two women harmonize against a Spartan backdrop of naked acoustic guitars on the disc's opener, "Fly South." That's an accurate reflection of the territory covered by O'Neil, a native of Louisville, and her New York City-bred counterpart. And it's an indication of where their music is headed when drummer Greta Ritcher joins them on the next track; the hootenanny spirit gets an edgy injection of rattling snare and noisy electric guitars, and the lyrics a shot of urban grit. (Bassist Todd Cook of For Carnation fills out Retsin's live line-up.) Elsewhere, O'Neil and Nelson pepper their poignant songs with street noises and ominous feedback ("Duck Out"), surreal echoes and dreamy vocals ("Barefoot & Stones"), and a little country twang and city-girl attitude ("Kangaroo"). They create a warm atmosphere permeated by understated charm and wistful beauty.

A darker, more ominous current flows through the debut by the Sonora Pine, who coalesced in New York City in the fall of '94 when Meadows arrived from Tennessee to hook up with O'Neil and Coultas. The CD was recorded a year later in Louisville by Shellac's Bob Weston on an eight-track at O'Neil's house. The disc opens with a funereal instrumental featuring O'Neil on pump organ and little else. When Meadows's angular guitar and Coultas's forceful backbeat kick in on "Compass Lure," the Sonora Pine recall the edgy intensity of Rodan. When O'Neil steps forward with her lovely voice and Lubelski's violin settles into the meditative backdrop on "The Gin Mills," "Goldmund," and "The Hook," the Sonora Pine generate a sophisticated kind of simplicity -- an engaging cohesiveness that makes it hard to believe this won't be a "real" band until June, when they'll regroup to tour with Come.

-- Matt Ashare

(Retsin headline the Middle East Saturday, April 27.)