Peace Is Burning Like a River

by Jo-Ann GreeneWait a minute -- this can't be that Brian McTear, the singer/guitarist turned producer turned solo artist, can it? How can it be, when the set opens with the sunny "Once and for All," a bright piece of pop that simultaneously evokes the Boo Radleys and Big Star? But it is. Now utilizing the moniker Bitter Bitter Weeks, McTear's Peace Is Burning Like a River is far removed from his two moody, minimalistic previous sets. Only "Hanna" recalls his earlier works, and even that gently builds up toward a fuller sound. And the album's sound immediately grabs one's attention. Every note within shines, as McTear's production douses it in sunlight or starlight, sprinkles it with glitter, or brings forth its inner glow. The guitars sound almost otherworldly in their beauty, an aural impressionistic masterpiece that's a study in light and shadows. Jesse Gallagher's atmospheric organ, too, enhances the set's otherworldly quality, as if coming from a nebula far, far away, while the rhythm section of Mike Fleming and Ric Menck gives the set a leanly muscled feel. The songs themselves, however, invariably showcase McTear's sweet, high vocals and his and Amy Morrissey's grand guitars. ...