“Between You and Me”/“Dreamer” (Independent)

Sometime last year, local-scene vet Jody Glenham told the Georgia Straight she was going to be focusing on a solo career, noting that she’d fallen in love with vintage gear and the idea that tastefully applied reverb can be a powerful thing. Based on the 7-inch single “Between You and Me”/“Dreamer”, her infatuation hasn’t dimmed much since then.

What you get here are two songs acting as a teaser for Dreamer, an EP recorded in Los Angeles with Raymond Richards (the Parson Red Heads) that’s due out next year. A smouldering exercise in coal-coloured country-noir, “Between You and Me” is the next best thing to meeting Julee Cruise for drinks at the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, the Sgt. Pepper–swirled organs adding a nicely surreal touch to the proceedings. The slow-building “Dreamer”, meanwhile, hits its stride halfway through, when Glenham’s dream-hazed vocals end up multitracked, turning lines like “Climb every mountain/Howl at the moon” into a ghostly Midnight-Mass mantra.

So why do you need to hop on this vinyl release now, instead of waiting for Dreamer to hit Zulu Records next year? That’s easy: last time we checked, vintage Wurlitzer jukeboxes, which sound best in empty bars rolling out songs like Glenham’s, only play 7-inch singles.