Not emo, just goodness
Logan Seguin | Michigan | 01/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am slightly embarrassed that i heard about this band when i was a Bright Eyes fan, but they are very good. They dont try to overly impress anybody with fancy guitar solos, they focus primarily on lyrics, and they do a great job with them. They have a very distinct style that i am drawn to because of its emotion, but not to the point where it is annoying. Their simple and pretty melodies put the listen in the perfect state to recieve their lyrics at the right frame of mind. And surprisingly, every thing sounds sweet, like the tone was set just right when recording, its truely beautiful."
I refer you to the cover
likearollinstone | Not Telling USA | 09/11/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"That just about sums it up pretty good. It's a low key album (with a few exceptions) that's good for autumn and the winter months. I really like the lead singers voice, for some reason it's very calming and compliments their style very well. What I found very surprising was the instrumentals on here; the guitar in Dances Fantastic is irresistable. Lucifer's Lament is another great song but goes in a slightly more acoustic folksy direction which works very well. Mainly i like this record because there are so many different sounds and styles on here yet they always keep their mellow-ish cozy sound. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is b/c there are a few fillers on here but they are by no means BAD songs. It's a solid record and very enjoyable. Oh and by the way I'm not emo and neither is this record. There really needs to be less labeling and more listening...."
Amazing Album - Top to Bottom
Mark L | Verona, WI USA | 11/28/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For the Record, I don't throw around 5 star (music) ratings...this is my first one here.
Amazing Album -- One of the strongest I've picked up in years -- Heard this playing from a vintage clothes store (yeah, I know...it was a sidewalk sale type of thing...I did find a couple nice shirts though ; )...Had to ask the kid behind the counter who it was...he mumbled "uh...Neva Dinova"...immediately went across the street and bought it. Loved it from first listen and treasure it now. ("uh...Thanks Kid!")
I was not surprised to find out they were on the Saddle Creek label... I've yet to hear an artist from SC that I don't like...(others on that label, Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Azure Ray)... It's probably no coincidence, there's likely a lot of cross-pollination going on - from the sound of it they have a very tight community of artists.
The Music -- It's surfy at times (e.g. Anita), dreamlike most times, retro and vampy (e.g. Anita, Lucifer's Lament) ...outstanding vocalist, fully fleshed out guitars, strong songwriting. Make no mistake, it can rock too (e.g. slashing guitars in "It's Worse When You're Young", "At Least the Pain is Real"...). It hits so many styles and hits them authentically. If I had to pick (only) one thing that really really makes this album work...it's the guitars...props to the engineer--there's no hint of compression...they are allowed to breathe and sound so organic, they almost sound alive.
"Meetings for Surrender" and "Jesus' Choir" are incredible... I'm listening to Meetings right now...without hyperbole, chills!
I wish I was a better writer to be able to do this album justice...
Bottom Line: I ADORE this album!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1