If
TERRY's first album seemed like a holiday for members of
Dick Diver,
Eastlink,
Constant Mongrel, and
Mick Harvey's band, by the time of their third album they are well established and a reliable source of fun-and-furious guitar pop.
I'm Terry isn't as off-kilter as their first album or as wild as their second, but it shows
TERRY to be settling into their collaboration and sounding more sure of themselves. It means the record isn't quite the ramshackle delight the first two albums were; it trades that looseness for songs that take longer to reveal their charms. Once they do, however, they sink in more deeply and strike more of an emotional chord. It's possible that the people who liked their earlier work might find that a less than optimal result, yet it's a good one for those who like their noise pop to have a long shelf life. Not that the record is some kind of academic snooze, since all the elements that made them great are still there, like the brightly economical guitar lines, the shaggy drums, and the meandering melodies. And for every thoughtful ballad like "Bureau," there's an amp-rattling rocker to match. "The Whip" is the hookiest of these, with the rollicking "For the Field" not too far behind. The quartet also stretch their template a little this time, adding bouncing sunshine pop ("Oh Helen") and delivering their first great ballad ("Ciao Goodbye"), on which
Al Monfort and
Xanthe Waite duet in heart-melting fashion. The amplification of their strengths as a group and the new avenues they travel make this the
TERRY album that rewards a deep listen most.