Hip-D Top 20 of 2006 » #5 » The Long Winters - "Putting the Days to Bed"
So, we all know that The Long Winters are a turgid (thanks, Dad) band fronted by a total prick (thanks, Jasmine). But man, are they intricate. On Putting the Days to Bed, the third full-length from the ever-changing Seattle quartet, John Roderick and Co. return with their quizzical brand of indie rock and one-liners, bathed in a sea of cacaphonous...nay, orchestral string accompaniments...
Oh, never mind. It's guitar, drums, bass and the occasional keyboard. The riffs are short and sweet ("Rich Wife" has maybe the best 12-note guitar part I heard all year) and the lyrics are occasionally perplexing and always amusing. There's nothing even close to monotonous on this disc and they've thrown in enough minor key changes and just the tiniest amount of dissonance in the melody to keep from lulling you to sleep with music that, without the subtle quirks, could easily be perceived as boring or "same as all the rest."
"Teaspoon", the third track on the album, has just the right blend of warm-up, with the soundcheck-style intro that explodes into a mess of horns and high hat at the chorus. You'll find that most of the LW tracks are like that, just a bit off, without being outright weird. You can sing to them, dance to them, even play them at parties. Much like Fountains Of Wayne, they probably are a little more cerebral than they appear, but with songs like "Ultimatum" and the aforementioned "Rich Wife", they dont have to impress us with their intellect. This is easily some of the most fun I've had listening to a record in a while.
-- Patrick
Patrick's Favorite Track: "Teaspoon"
This album appeared on the following staffers's lists:
- jasmine (#2)
- FT (#3)
- Patrick (#12)
by Bob Bland | 12/27/2006 07:03:00 AM
1 Comments:
You had me at "fountains of wayne".
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