Autumn of the Seraphs

Pinback

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2007)
• Original Release Date: September 10, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Touch & Go Records
• ASIN: B000TIXH80
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,771 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Fueled by Rob Crow's trenchant if depressing lyrics and his sweet, high pitched vocals, Pinback employs the old sad-words-plus-pretty-pop-music dichotomy to the best effect yet on Autumn Seraphs. In the three years since Pinback last released an album, nerdy, self-deprecating, sensitive indie-rock has continued to climb in popularity, from mid-sized concert halls to the stadiums. The San Diego-based duo's fourth release is really their poppiest and most accessible to date, as even the most cursory listen to the obvious single, the Heatmiser-ish "Nothing to Nowhere" will attest. Perhaps they can get their songs onto Gossip Girl or The Hills and be playing Madison Square Garden next week? You get the sense that Zach Smith and Rob Crow would be making their levitating pop music whether it was for a drunken house party crowd or in some giant dome. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description
Their fourth full-length and second on Touch And Go contains melodies that are more dynamic and aggressive. This record is tighter, the drumming more immediate and crisp. "Autumn Of The Seraphs" is for both rabbits and people, for good days and for bad. A bonus disc will be packaged with the first pressing of the CD, featuring three new studio songs not found on the LP.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another classic!, September 28, 2007

By	Johnny Utah (from the band "Blues Hammer") - See all my reviews

Like all of Pinback's work, with the possible exception of the song "Penelope" (depending on who you ask), this album doesn't slap you across the face screaming "I AM THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD". That aint what this band is all about. Their music is layered and subtle. Chord shifts and tonal progressions you may not notice at first reveal themselves over time. Your ears will suddenly pick up on neat little instrumental flourishes that were invisible before. And that's precisely what makes these guys so great.... their craftsmanship, subtlety, and attention to detail, not to mention top-shelf musicianship: it goes without saying that Zach is an incredible bass player, but Crow is also a very underrated guitarist. Like the band itself, his guitar style is subtle and understated, with a welcome LACK of ego and a focus on playing what is right at the right time.

Is this album as good as Summer in Abaddon? Yep, but it's apples and oranges. The mood is different here, and the songs tend to be a bit more immediate. The addition of a live drummer on most of these tracks is a much welcome change. They needed to evolve this way; the programmed beats on Abaddon were starting to stick out as the weakest link. I will say this too, though, the most obvious drum-machined track on here, "How We Breathe" is one of the prettiest songs they've done in a long time, right up there with "Loro".

So yeah, this album rules. It might not kick you in the jaw with its over-the-top killer riff@ge, but that's not the point. As another reviewer said, "chill out" and enjoy this music for years to come, because as with ALL of their stuff, it's the type of album that you will probably get a LOT of mileage out of. I don't know about you guys, but I still listen to all of Pinback's older albums quite frequently, years later, and there aren't many other contemporary artists that I can say that about.

On a final note, do yourself a favor and listen to this on a primo set of headphones!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Follow-up to Summer in Abaddon, September 12, 2007

By	Jeffrey E. Scheid "selected scheids" (West Linn, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Pinback continues with the trademark mathematical rhythm blend of guitars and bass and essential but mimialistic drum beats. I first listened to this CD- then right away, listened to it again. Even the cover artwork is great...kind of makes you actually want to buy a CD instead of a download.

This album mixes in solid guitar riffs, for example on Blue Harvest the guitar riff is a deviation from other PB albums but a great addition. The songwriting becomes better and better with each PB album and this is a notch above Summer in Abaddon which I consider a 5 star album. Pinbacks trademark harmonies are strong and compliment the great array of songs on this album. The last song on the CD, "Off by 50", is a powerful anthem of synthesizer, guitar and tremedous harmonies. Other 5 star tracks; From Nothing to Nowhere, How We Breathe, Walters, Torch, Bouquet...hell they're all great.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chill Out To Pinback! , September 12, 2007

By	Brian C. Shapiro "Deftones Worldwide" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my second Pinback album (my first was Summer in Abaddon) and it meets, if not exceeds my new album expectations! First before I review the content of the music, I would also concur with another review who recommended buying the c.d. instead of downloading for the great cover art. Indeed the album art, c.d., and linear notes are beautifully drawn and will make the rest of your album collection look good (at least in my humble opinion). Now on to the music. The music is awesome!!! Pinback has a sound that is all their own. Like Summer in Abaddon, Autumn of the Seraphs is full of beautiful fresh melodies, relaxing chilled out beats, and nice warm soothing vocals from talented singer Rob Crow. The songs are usually soft yet strangely engaging and work well with the lyrics which are clever and interesting. The song "Walters" is my favorite song on the record right now, which is a song about a man who rides his lawn chair into the sky! How cool is that? When I first got the album, "Good To Sea" was my favorite song because of it's wonderful wave sounding melodies. Anyways, Autumn of the Seraphs is all good and will definitely satisfy a true Pinback fans Pinback lust and is, what I believe, a good place to start for new listeners. And! what better time to buy it than now when you can get a free limited edition bonus disk with 3 additional Pinback tracks: I'm A Pretty Lady, Kylie, and Autumn of The Seraphs!! Well, hope that was somewhat informative (especially that last thing I said), thank you for reading! Now listen to Pinback and be happy.