Hiding? / Pinback

Has it been this long? Have I been this busy? Well, yes and no. Life certainly hasn't been ordinary recently, and while the parties have been proper (this weekend was a blast), it hasn't all been rosy either. Made some ace new friends, and lost a dear one. Saw some great gigs (Interpol, JMC, Daft Punk). Finally escaping the smoggy town to soak up the summer sun in Sweden, providing a much needed battery charge (thanks UK Passport service! About time....)

So anyway, to recapitulate, I had a break. And now.... time for normal service to resume.....

Who likes new music? Come on down kids.


Picture courtesy of baonguyen

* Here's one that's not out until September, but too tasty not to preview. Pinback's last album, 2004's Summer in Abaddon was one of the most refreshing indie records for many a year. Simple, stripped back harmonies, on-point drumming, and Rob Crow's off-kilter vocals made for something more than the sum of its parts, and certainly scored props from the indie mafia (Pitchfork, The OC etc.)

The follow up, Autumn Of The Seraphs, seems a much more contemplative affair. While Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV continue to mine the same territory that made Summer a staple on the Urban Outfitters stereo, the melancholy that surrounds Autumn makes for a more satisfying listen. Tracks such as Subbing For Eden and Walters don't hit home until the third or fourth spin, giving them time to burrow deep and plant their seeds. The metronomic Devil You Know is one of the many nautically-based songs on Autumn ('We crash into the rocks below') alongside Good To Sea and How We Breathe, conjuring images of sunken treasure, sand between toes, and rising tides. Those wanting something more substantial will be served well by the bookend tracks From Nothing To Nowhere and Off By 50; indeed it's almost as if both tracks came from splitting Summer's closing bruiser AFK with an axe. More of a side-step than a distillation of Pinback's 'commercial' efforts, Autumn shows Crow and Smith continue to perplex and beguile in equal measures.

Pinback - Subbing For Eden

* Let's go shopping. I'll take these kicks please.


And this tee.


Oh, and I'm sure I could find a new cap here.

And some rekkids? Sure, I'll just head over to Brick Lane. Well, in a week or so (July 20 to be exact).

Phew!

* More tomorrow. Until then, why not become addicted to the strange world of cat lolz? I could browse I Can Has Cheezburger for days....