Tara Clerkin Trio - Somewhere Good

Tara Clerkin Trio - Somewhere GoodA blissfully dubbed-out Broadcast? A trip hop-infused Young Marble Giants?! Whatever! The Bristol-based group was one of the best totally-new-to-me things I saw at Big Ears this past spring. I don’t think I’d ever heard of them, but enough trusted heads told me to check ‘em out and those trusted heads were absolutely right. The TCT’s set was hypnotic, playful and mysterious, all elements that are in full effect on their new LP Somewhere Good. There’s a cool, homespun/handcrafted element here, as well as an openness to letting songs spin out and meander in various directions. Tara Clerkin, Sunny Joe Paradisos and Patrick Benjamin play by their own rules, balancing the dreamy qualities of the music with more earthbound lyrical concerns. In the process, the Trio have found their own little corner of the world — and it’s somewhere good, indeed.