TUATARA

East of the Sun

2007-07-03

Forget everything you remember about “Tuatara’s” sound on previous albums—much has changed since we last heard of them in 2003. The core lineup of Tuatara is Peter Buck (REM), Scott McCaughey (REM, The Minus Five), and Barrett Martin (The Screaming Trees), but the supporting cast is equally impressive: Mark Eitzel, Mark Olsen & Victoria Williams (before they broke up?), John Wesley Harding, and Ottmar Liebert! “AllMusic” calls them “one of the more surprising and slightly ridiculous supergroups in rock history,” but this release takes an obvious turn toward the slightly less ridiculous. -Pete