The Postal Service
Give Up
Sub Pop
I came across this side project from Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello after reading Sub Pop's FAQ entitled " I AM MAKING A SHORT FILM FOR COLLEGE THAT IS GOING TO A SMALL FESTIVAL. I ONLY HAVE A SHOESTRING BUDGET, CAN I USE THE ENTIRE SUB POP CATALOG FOR FREE IN MY FILM? OR MAYBE JUST A FEW SONGS BY NIRVANA AND THE SHINS? PLEASE, I PROMISE I WILL THANK YOU?", to which they replied "...to acquire a license for a Sub Pop artist, excluding The Postal Service, The Shins, or Nirvana, which you aren’t going to get..."
Having previously heard whispers about both Nirvana and The Shins, but having never, ever even heard of The Postal Service I found myself instantly intrigued by the 'stay away and don't be so predictable' warning. I pretty soon found myself checking them out - and it caught me off guard. Having never heard Death Cab For Cutie (who by name alone I had assumed were as bad as Hootie and the Blowfish) or Dntel, it was not what I was expecting at all.... but I did quickly realise it was one of the highlights on Sub Pop's Songbook of Songs compilation from 2005. Status restored. I heard heard of them after all and even made a mental note to "check out that band on track 14"
Sounding like beats from in-a-good-mood-Aphex Twin crossed with the storytelling, upbeat style of Ben Folds, the first couple of tracks are superb. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight has all the beeps and squeaks in just the right places, and a building, restless energy. The energy continues into Such Great Heights, which is probably the stand-out track on the album. Not that I know for sure, as at this point I pretty consistently doze off. It's just one of those albums that works like a big glass of red wine - relaxing and easy to listen to in the best way possible. Literal, story telling lyrics over gentle pulsing beeps.... ahh. They also do a great cover of guilty pleasure Against All Odds, but unfortunately that's not on the album.
For the purpose of this review I have done a mild bit of further research, and things do become a little less memorable towards the end of the album, without being bad - just less striking. There's a definite side-project vibe to the album, although hopefully it's success will help bulk things up with a follow up. Ben Gibbard's voice can get a little too sweet and sccahrine, and I think I just start tuning him out. I guess that's where the FAQ comes in, as there is no doubt these guys would sit very comformably on the soundtrack to a Zack Braff movie of your choice.
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26th Jul 2007 - Tumblr
3.5
