Reviews (2)

Strange, twisted, and funny
The second I heard the song, "Crows," I knew I had to own this album.I know nothing of Lemony Snicket books, but I've a been a Magnetic Fields fan for awhile.So, after very awkwardly browsing the childrens' section at the bookstore, I was able to find a copy of this really great album.I was very happily surprised to find that this CD is more in line with Merritt's great early nineties albums (like Holiday, Wasps' Nests, and The New Despair) rather than i or (shudder) Showtunes.This is a great mix of synths and traditional instruments (if you consider an electric sitar "traditional").The lyrics are very depressing/weird/funny/moving depending on the song, though some are all four.
The Gothic Archies' strongest outing yet...
...and one of Stephin Merritt's most memorable, and by far the funniest.On this album he is doing what he does best: being a glum old curmudgeon-popster with tongue wedged squarely in cheek.No knowledge of the Lemony Snicket books is needed.There are a number of direct references in several of the songs, but the lyrics stand on their own quite well, particular in numbers such as Freakshow, Shipwrecked, How Do You Slow This Thing Down?, and A Million Mushrooms.Expect an expertly crafted mixture of glum yet surprisingly catchy arrangements coupled with more of Merritt's hilariously morose lyrics.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

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Reviews (56)

To Expand Your Musical Horizons (Or At Least To Expand Mine)
I adored this CD. Being a huge Gilmore Girls fan I asked for this for my birthday as I had no money, and have not regretted it. I can listen to it over and over without getting sick of it, and I never want to skip a track, though I have my preferences (Clear Spot, One Line, I'm The Man Who Murdered Love, Human Behaviour, Where You Lead I Will Follow, I Don't Mind, It's Alright, Baby, God Only Knows). I was pleased to hear that I agreed with Rory on Child Psychology - I liked it because it made me 'gloomy'. I also love Sam Phillips and the 'la-la' music from the show, and the cues make great transitions on this CD, just as they do in between scenes. I'm ashamed to say I hardly knew any of this music before watching Gilmore Girls, but this CD has made me want albums by every artist on here, so that's probably what my next birthday list will consist of.

Our Little Corner of the World: Music From Gilmore Girls
The CD provides the themes heard on Gilmore Girls and that is interesting. However, I was looking for something more such as music referred to by Lorelai, Rory and Lane. As an example, it might have had "Shadow Dancing". It is not a CD I would RIP to a hard drive for inclusion with an evening of music. I would have a hard time playing the CD more than the three times I have played it.
Gilmore Girls Rock
I loved the CD. The main reason I bought the CD is that my 8 month old daughter loves the music during the episodes. I own the 1st 4 seasons on DVD and we are just about out of shows to watch. She loves the opening song and the closing credits. The only thing I was upset over was that the closing credits were not on the CD. Otherwise, it is a CD that will rock in our household for years to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop Underground    6. Pop/Rock    7. Power Pop    8. Soundtrack    9. Soundtracks & Film Scores    10. TV Soundtracks    11. Television Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

With songs equal to those on Read more

Reviews (205)

Deathcab for Snoozie - whining set to music
I'm an indie rock fan but I guess I'm just not at all an "emo" fan.Every time I hear emo I think of whining set to music.This disc has a few catchy songs ("Title and Registration", "The Sound of Settling" stand out) but the rest of it is just so slow as to put me into a coma.If that's the desired effect then OK, but just not for me.I don't mind slow songs and think most good discs have a mix of uptempo and downtempo songs but the downtempo is just too heavy here.It doesn't suck by any means, just not my sort of stuff.The lyrics are good, but it doesn't overcome the overall mood.I worry about this generation if this sort of music represents their overall mood - things aren't that bad - wait til you get older and you'll see.Go listen to punk rock or something...

meh
Pure magic my a%!.This CD like the other Death Cab has a couple fantastic songs but it doesn't make the album 5 stars.Get the singles from the apple store and you're set.Don't waste your money on the full album unless it's 50% off.

The crossing to Atlantic
Does anyone else find it ironic that DCfC's album before they switched to Atlantic Records is called Transatlanticism?Oh well....
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Dream Pop    4. Indie Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Shoegaze    10. Twee Pop   

Reviews (3)

Brilliant
This CD is brilliant! Six stars! It perfectly melds classical music with rock. I can't recommend it highly enough. Shara Worden's lyrics and vocals are gorgeous.

Original, and bright
While driving recently, I was lucky enough to hear a large part of Shara Worden's new CD, Bring me the Workhorse. I don't often listen to rock music--these days, classical is my preference when I'm not stuck in the car, glued to my kids' rap and hip hop--and I can't remember the last time I bought any. But this is one CD I'd consider. It's so original, and, well, musical.
A Surprising Debut!
My first impression of Shara Worden came when she was syncopating "I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S" to Sufjan Stevens' "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the dead!! Ahh!!" It should come as no surprise, then, that I envisioned Shara's voice to be cutesy and poppy. Add in the fact that my first time to actually lay eyes on her was in a cheerleading uniform, performing as an Illinoisemaker, and it really just seemed to fit. My Brightest Diamond is Shara Worden; a very different girl than I imagined.
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Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Music doesn't come more touching than this. With their debut single alone, the emotion-fortified "Shiver," Coldplay prove they can shift between elated and crushed in a breath, as singer Chris Martin pours out music's oldest chestnut (unconditional yet unrequited love) with the shakiest of voices and a backdrop of epic guitars. For 10 tracks on Read more

Reviews (631)

Classic
I'm really late on this review.Parachutes is a classic album and my personal favorite from Coldplay.

Nice debut
I really am shocked by some of the things said by metalheads against this album... And then they go as far to say things such as "Try [insert bad metal band here], they're so much better than this pussy band... Chris Martin has no testicles!"
SCHUBERT NOSTALGIA
Lyrics and Mood are extremely important when considering songs! This is perhaps the best showcase of song writing since... When I hear this album I am saved-I realate it to the intensity of Schubert and the wit of Wolf. This is darn intelligent, thought provoking and praise worthy song literature! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. Indie Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Hot on the heels of their shock UK No. 1 single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", Read more

Reviews (152)

Good Stuff
I just bought this on itunes mainly because I saw them play "a certain romance" on saturday night live and it inspired me to play my guitar along with the recording. the rest of the album is good but i still think "a certain romance" is well beyond anything else on the album. i actually find the single "i bet you look good on the dancefloor" kind of annoying but some of the other tracks are great!

great sound, should be getting more cred
arctic monkeys rock. litteraly. they are a great alternative rock group that cant help but make you want to turn up the volume and just start jamming. these guys are much better compared to many other upbeat rock groups that are trying to make it out there. these guys are definately legit. songs that i have enjoyed on this cd include fake tales of san francisco, a certain romance, and i bet you look good on the dance floor. like i said these guys are great and are bound to make you feel happier and more energetic when you listen to them. definately a good cd.

A Lesser Imitation...
...of much better bands. The Arctic Monkeys have been quickly labeled as a brilliant, breakthrough band by their fans and a great deal of the British media. The NME has hailed "Whatever People Say I Am, I'm Not" as one of the best British albums ever, ranking it at #5, just below The Beatles, The Smiths, Oasis, and The Sex Pistols and ranking higher than Blur, Pulp, The Clash, and The Libertines!The NME has earned quite a reputation for seizing upon certain new bands and shoving them in everyone's face; they did this with The Libertines. The difference is, however, that The Libertines were worthy of this recognition because they were actually a fantastic band and have been a major influence for newer bands. Some people, obviously, may disagree because musical genius is up to personal interpretation...but, to me, the Arctic Monkeys merely sound like the leftover scraps, bits, and pieces of their contemporaries. I thought "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" was rather catchy, so I bought the whole CD. I can't say I was disappointed, because it was exactly what I was expecting; more of the same! Though that particular song is a highlight (as well as "The View from the Afternoon", "Riot Van, and "When the Sun Goes Down"), the rest of the album is VERY forgettable. I've listened to it several times now, but I really don't recall most of the other songs off-hand until I hear them again. This album got to #24 at it's peak in the US and #1 in the UK (where it had the fastest first week sales of an album in UK history). It's not a particularly unfortunate thing that they're popular; they are, at least, a decent band. The problem that I have is that they're kind of stealing the thunder from some bands (like the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party) that are far more polished and memorable than the Arctic Monkeys. It's also easy to pick up the hint of influence of The Strokes and The Libertines lurking within many of the songs. Perhaps this band's originality will finally come through in their second album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Now that Beck has effectively exorcised his personal demons with 2002's hyperconfessional Read more

Reviews (253)

Uninspired .......... and boring
I just can't figure Beck out -- This album offers very little entertainment. You could always count on Beck for something different each time out--- but not with this album. The songs sound like tunes that were from previous sessions and just left of off earlier albums.
4.5 Stars - My Favorite Beck album
How you could not like this album is way beyond my comprehension.Beck absolutely rocks on this release.The comparisons to Odelay are hard to avoid because it is a fun, upbeat album full of "Beckisms"...goofy lyrics, gatchy grooves and ryhmes you can't get out of your head.
Great album, but not Beck's best
Guero is definitely enjoyable to listen to, but it still doesn't match Odelay. I like pretty much every song on the album, but some of them are kind of boring to listen to. I don't know why, I just didn't enjoy this album as much as some of Beck's others. Here are my ratings for each song:
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Club/Dance    4. Experimental Rock    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (94)

Awesome Stuff but a bit uneven
This is an excellent album but, as a whole, its a bit uneven to listen to all at once. I'd recommend burning a few songs on a CD at a time or shuffling a few on the mp3 player.
Great Work!
I don't know what's more entertaining, the album or the negative reviews from indie snots bent out of shape because the "unwashed masses" are listening to this CD.
The emperor has no clothes.
The Decemberists are wonderful performance art, an exercise in demonstrating just how gullible the indie crowd really is. Will they swallow a precious, pretentious, pseudo-english, neo-prog, ren-faire-reject band that delivers lines like "Meet me on my vast veranda / my sweet untouched Miranda / And while the seagulls are crying / we fall but our souls are flying" with perfectly nasal ernestness?
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Something extraordinary is afoot in Albuquerque. The Shins' first big-timerecord, Read more

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Reviews (272)

Best Song
My Favorite is The Past And Pending... check out the words... after 100 or so listens, you'll know... you're hooked!!

I love the Shins!
This album is great - if you're already a fan, you can't go wrong with "Oh, Inverted World." As Natalie Portman so accurately put it, "The Shins will totally change your life."

The Shins: An Indie Rock group thats going places!
I've never been one to jump all over "Indie Rock". In fact, until a couple years ago I had never really paid attention to that genre, I figured it was probably underground alternative rock (it is) that I probably would not enjoy or find sounding to much like a lot of the new crap that plugs up my FM dial (I was wrong, so wrong). After opening my mind and checking out some Indie Rock albums, I settled on purchasing this album by "The Shins". I couldn't believe the strength they had with their light approach to guitars and yet still belt out some fun, sometimes enlightening, and sometimes haunting music. The first description I found of this band was that they did their music in the "tradition of the beach boys". I figured that can't be all bad, and it's not. Some 60's sounds do emit from this eleven-track debut, but coupled with the other fresh and often eclipsing sounds from this band (I'm also hearing some folk presence if ever so lightly) I don't think we are dealing with any rehash here. It's genuine. For some reason this band that came out of New Mexico as a sort of revamped project from some of the members previous band, isn't coming up on the radar much. Just as well, sometimes the best-kept secrets are worth keeping.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

This Seattle-based band was formed from the ashes of the incredibly talented Carissa's Wierd [sic], whose mopey and self-deprecating songs were like some magical and baroque combination of the Magnetic Fields, Cat Power, and Leonard Cohen. Longtime friends of Iron and Wine, few fans in their native Pacific Northwest could understand why Carissa's weren't huge. But they weren't, and after three albums and few folks really caring, they naturally broke up. Band of Horses, led by ultra-charming CW bassist Ben Bridwell, is a remarkably different, though just as radically excellent, brand of indie-pop sulk. These songs are anthems to ambivalence, and Bridwell's lovely high-pitched trill will please any fan of Built to Spill, the Shins, and Modest Mouse. It takes a few listens to sink in, but Read more

Reviews (31)

Yawn
This is boring faceless alt country indie rock. These guys have less outlaw cred than John Kerry at a 1000 dollar a plate dinner. Normally I don't knock bands for doing their own thing, but here the affectation is too much."when we leave this place and drive back to carolinaand down to savannah and
Dreamy, Sad, Happy and Smart
I would hear a fantastic song on our local station KEXP (truly the greatest music station to ever exist) and after a couple more songs played, they would say that fantastic song was Band of Horses. This happened several times, then I saw them on Letterman and realized how incredible this band actually is. The vocals and echoey quality does sound a bit like My Morning Jacket. People have compared them to Neil Young (I don't really see it). Maybe a little of Flaming Lips thrown in. Possibly Arcade Fire. But they stand on their own. I can't listen to the CD enough. If you like dreamy, beautiful, well-crafted indie pop, or are just an open-minded music lover looking for something new and different, then buy the CD. I cannot imagine you'd be disappointed.

**1/2
Despite all the other opinions, I find that they sound much more like Porno for Pyros (Perry Farrell's post-Jane's Addiction band) than My Morning Jacket.They are much poppier and, IMHO, more boring than MMJ.This is very run-of-the-mill stuff that doesn't stand up to repeated listenings.I liked it most after a single spin, and my enthusiasm has shrank with each repeat to the point that I can't imagine a mood that would warrant another listen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

David Gray's glorious fourth record explodes in a wellspring of spacious, electronica-tinged folk-pop. He uses his bright growl of a voice to memorable effect, chewing on vowel sounds while spinning odes to lost love, the resiliency of young hearts, and the pain of experience. Gray's work finds the universality at the heart of folk music and tweaks it just enough to make it relevant for alternative audiences. Read more

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Reviews (384)

A nearly perfect alt-pop album
If you can get only one David Gray album, this is undoubtedly the one to get.Although he has been around a long time and recorded a lot of good music, he has unfortunately not been as good at putting together albums filled only with his best work.FLESH, still his second best album, indicated great promise, but subsequent albums had superb material placed along some quite weak songs.They all show that he had talent; you just had to wonder why he either didn't substitute better songs for the weaker material or wait longer to write a stronger group of songs.WHITE LADDER is the glorious exception.There isn't a weak cut on the disc and there are several that are as good as anything he has ever written.I believe that at some point it will be one of the two must-own David Gray albums.The second will be some future anthology of all his best work.Though of course we all hope that he also records more albums as strong as this one.
Hooked
..and captivated. Not only to the music itself but by the lyrics this artists has delivered. I'd heard the song 'This Year's Love' from the movie Crazy/Beautiful and thought of it fittingly cool to listen to. Outstanding and superb is all i can say with this great recording by David Gray.

What a great CD
As a musicman supreme, it's hard for me to accept I'd never even heard of David Gray until the immortal "Babylon", which I played for about an hour straight after I purchased this Cd. It's years later, it's still a tuff groove, and I'm listening to it right now as a matter of fact. However, once you slip past that track, more gems await. This is a great piece of work that will stand the test of time without a doubt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. Wales   

Reviews (364)

A Pleasant Change
In the atmosphere of so much music labled as particular genres like "rock" or "pop", here comes a very different sort of band that doesn't seem to care about such distinctions. The band was luckily able to gain recognition, due to some promotion on MTV's "Advance Warning" program and radio play on alternative stations. Though "The Funeral" was released in 2004, it could've very well been released in any other era. It carries with it a sort of timeless quality that's not modern, but not entirely antique either. This effect is achieved through the variety of musical instruments, use of lyrics of a poetic quality, and the sincere earnestness found in the vocals.
It works for me
Some bands you have to dig for, or Amazon suggests to you and you buy...Either way its a joy to find these gems.This album is a great listen from beginning to end.Love the melodies, love the lyrics, love the passion.If you find great pleasure, as I do, from music that moves your soul you must get this album today.

need to be nice
I just trashed a bunch of other bands, so I figured I ought to say something nice. This is a great album. It has an intensity that seems impossible, given the amount of chaos going on in within it. The singing is a bit weak, but the band's enthusiasm makes up for it.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Rock/Experimental    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

On his first eponymous effort, Ben Kweller sounds wise beyond his years--and younger than ever. Some songs come on mature and understated, like "Nothing Happening," others surge with youthful enthusiasm, like "I Gotta Move." Then again, Kweller is at that midway point between 20 and 30. His lyrics trod the same fine line between young and not-so-young. Rhyming "losing control" with "rock and roll" ("I Don't Know Why") seems pretty facile, but then he busts out with the infinitely more original, "I'm-a just a penny on the train track / Waitin' for my judgment day / Come on baby girl let me see those legs / 'For I get flattened away" ("Penny on the Train Tracks"). It takes dexterity to combine humor and longing without letting both sides down. Repetitive, if heartfelt ballad "Thirteen" messes with the momentum, but Read more

Reviews (11)

not a kid
I think ben kweller is a great artist, He is very consistent with his work. very lively and uplifting. This album has many great songs on it. Like penny on a train track and sundress. Most of these songs are very realistic and you can tell they straight fomr ben kwellers heart. i think that this would be great album to listen to if your feeling down. It's such a happy sound.

Should go down as a classic
Ben Kweller's latest effort is outstanding, and should perhaps be listened to multiple times before judged. On the first listen I liked it about as much as On My Way, which gets only a moderate amount of play time on my playlist. Now I like it as much as Sha Sha, if not more.
Kweller is Growing Up...
First off i liked "On My Way" alot. I thought there where alot of stand up tracks, but also some crap. Whereas this album doesnt have the songs that blow your hair back the first time you hear them (except maybe "Run") it has songs that reward you listen after listen. I find it to be alot better than "On My Way", because it cuts the fat and is filled with alot of gems, i dont know why Ben would release "Sundress" as his single there are alot of contenders. Some of my fave tracks are "run" "i gotta move" "thirteen" "penny on the train tracks" "i dont know why" "until i die" "magic" and "this is war".So basically this album is the sound of Ben Kweller growing up, i am excited to hear what comes from him in the future, this is a really great album!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

With Read more

Reviews (76)

Music Lives!!!!!
They have turned my negativity about music as-of-late completely around. I could loop it 24/7 and only love it more.
Best Band in the Land - the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California at this summer's Download Festival (next to Google's headquarters).Heard of them but never heard them before.Came to see the headliner, Beck.Was completely blown away by the YYY's.They definitely outshined everyone else on the bill.Beck's opening remarks about this year's festival being the best lineup of bands he had played with in some time and how he was honored to be playing alongside them was clearly aimed at the YYY's and specifically, Karen O, the lead singer of the YYY's.She absolutely rocked and the band was incredibly tight.Some have criticized the band for that polished quality on their latest album but pay no attention.I can't think of a more creative band at the moment.After the show read up on the band and saw a quote from Sonic Youth saying that singers like Karen comes along only once in a decade.Can't wait to see their next show.This is the best album I've heard since Odelay.

Just good fun music
This is a great album.It is perfect for doing chores at home, driving in the car or plugging away in the cubicle.I took a chance on this ablum because I enjoyed "pins" and "maps" from fever to tell and I am glad I did."Golden Lion", "Way Out" and "Cheated Hearts" are my favorites. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Drums    3. Garage Punk    4. Guitar (Acoustic)    5. Guitar (Electric)    6. Indie Rock    7. Keyboards    8. Percussion    9. Pop    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop    12. United States of America    13. Vocals    14. Vocals (Background)   

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Reviews (10)

lemonadeby: G. Love
this is a great cd. yes, a couple of the songs are mediocre at best, but the rest make up for it.Missing my baby is a true groovy ballad. Holla, a bit queer sounding at first, is a really fun and tight song.beautiful is an awsome song as well. Get the cd!

fresh, new,a little funk and soul
this is my first cd by G-Love, I like it and I think it has some
Smooth like GLASS
Solid offering from G. Love.Start to finish, nice record for anyone who like G. Love or Jack Johnson. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Rap    3. Blues-Rock    4. Indie Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

The fifth proper album by the Chicago-based roots-loving group is their slowest, weirdest, and best. Some of these hazy songs are pretty little pop jams, while others are more experimental things stitched together haphazardly, all the wires showing. If you want to hear a group that "pushes the envelope" while never forgoing the pleasure principle, Califone is exactly that. It's so nice to hear people who could so easily form a (really good) jam band forego such lucrative tendencies for more foreign, complex, and subtle pleasures. "Black Metal Valentine" and "A Chinese Actor" are stitched-together Read more

Reviews (2)

fresh and old califone
this a very good collection of songs that have elements from every type of califone album.While I dont think it is their best ever..its a lot better then HKB.This album is an excellent sampler to califone. I like all their styles so I am happy with it, hasn't left my car cd player since i got it. The 3rd listen is when the beauty really emerges. go get it! viva la 'fone!

Another amazing album from an amazing band...
If you have enjoyed previous Califone albums you will enjoy this one as well.No need to review this, it is a perfect album.Go buy it now! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Florida’s brilliant singer-songwriter Sam Beam expands Iron & Wine from solo project to a gaggle of friends and family on slide guitar, percussion, and backing vocals on his second album. Fans need not worry--the hushed immediacy and rich melodies remain the focus--but new flavors abound. For instance, the strange "Cinder And Smoke" sounds like a collaboration (with banjos of course) between America, Robert Wyatt and Low. Meanwhile, "On Your Wings," "Free Until They Cut Me Down," and "Teeth in the Grass" showcase a brooding, earthy, Southern-rock-on-laudanum side that the band had previously only demonstrated in concert. It's rare when an artist who's become known for bedroom recordings makes the transition to the studio to produce work that's better--Daniel Johnston, Lou Barlow, and Liz Phair all made their defining moments crouched above a cassette recorder at home. But Beam is the exception to the rule, as he has easily bested himself on the second Iron & Wine album. Read more

Reviews (117)

ZZZZZzzzzzzz...
Oh my, what can I say about this whispery little train wreck.It's third-rate coffee house music that struggles to be heard over conversations (as it should be).In the quiet sanctuary of my den, it's revealed for all it isn't.It isn't clever, musically or lyrically, and just drones along seemingly forever.My audiophile friends would like it because the sparse notes and little extraneous noises would make their overly analytical and fatiguing systems sound magical.
There are things that drift away
Our Endless Numbered Days is a quite marvellous album. Sam Beam's gentle, poignant songs about love, life and the changing of the seasons are simplicity itself. Played out mainly on picked acoustic guitar or banjo, but with added piano and percussion when the occasion calls, the strength of Our Endless Numbered Days is undoubtedly Beam's gorgeous, hushed voice. It infuses the album with a wistful sense of loss and longing, and is beautifully underlined by the interplay with the (female) backing vocals. Lyrically there is an elemental, almost biblical, resonance to the songs which I haven't come across before. The album's timelessness can certainly be attributed to the fact that it could have been written at any point over the last hundred years: there are no references to late 20th or 21st century life that I can think of.
Just drift away
this album ( and his other albums) make me feel the way Norah Jones did a few years back. this is the type of sound that you want to listen to while you drift away with aglass of wine. absolutely amazing ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The Rapture wasn't the first band to revisit the clanky dance-punk sounds of bands like P.I.L. and Gang of Four. But with its DFA-produced debut, 2003's Read more</