Amelia

A Long, Lovely List of Repairs is the third full-length from Portland trio Amelia. Composed of bassist Jesse Emerson (ex-Decemberists), vocalist/drummer Teisha Helgerson and multi-instrumentalist Scott Weddle, the band specializes in a mournful, contemplative sound that draws equally from late-night jazz, emotive singer/songwriter fare and vaguely weird and rustic Americana. Songs driven by moody, Noir guitars provide balance to Helgerson’s pillowy vocals, and flourishes like these scattered throughout the album—a surf-y guitar lick here, a Latin rhythm there, a steel guitar's mournful wail too—elevate the band's sound above what could have otherwise been a more predictable collection of torch songs and lovelorn laments.

At 14 songs, though, the album contains too few of those lucid moments among its many ideas, and A Long, Lovely List of Repairs could have benefited from some more judicious editing, and perhaps become simply a Lovely List of Repairs. With just enough personality to let it stand out from the crowd, the album points in several promising directions while fully committing to none. Still, it is a worthy find for anyone looking for some dusky, moody tunes: clean, uncomplicated and to the point.

—Chris Hassiotis
05.21.08

Amelia isn't another pop singer missing her last name, but a quartet with singer-drummer Teisha Helgerson and multiple instrumentalists Scott Weddle, Jesse Emerson, and Mark Orton. With a breathy, mid-range vocalist and three multiple instrumentalists, Amelia displays a great deal of versatility on A Long, Lovely List of Repairs. Perhaps the title will seem a bit nonsensical, but it does a good job at suggesting the smoky Americana that the band delivers on songs like "Tragedy" and "Farewell." While the arrangements vary quite a bit, they work toward a similar spacious sound, creating lots of atmosphere. In this sense, Amelia generates a down-to-earth vibe that lands somewhere between the Be Good Tanyas and the Tarbox Ramblers (that might be thought of as neo-Americana). This works wonderfully when Amelia remembers to switch tempos from song to song, but less well when a mellow song like "After You" feeds into a mellow song like "Try." When this happens, A Long, Lovely List of Repairs begins to sound like an arty version of Norah Jones' Feels Like Home. This becomes more of a problem as the album reaches the halfway point, and one starts to realize that Amelia just isn't too big on up-tempo songs. Taken one at a time, many of the songs on A Long, Lovely List of Repairs might stand out on the radio; as a whole piece, though, the album lacks the variety needed to match its lovely atmosphere. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide