Birds Make Good Neighbors

Rosebuds

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B000AMJDBA
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,513 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Do you love tightly wound pop tunes but lack enough hours in the day to deal with art school pretensions of, say, the Arcade Fire? Ease over to Merge label mates the Rosebuds. The Raleigh, North Carolina indie rock band is fronted by Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, who reportedly played their first show together just a week after they got married. How's that for fuss free? Even better are the tunes on its second album, Birds Make Good Neighbors. A little more subdued than the songs on its firecracker debut, Make Out?, yes, but hardly lacking brains or bite. Besides, those Kinks influences still shine through on the swooning "Hold Hands and Fight" and the shout-along "Shake Our Tree." It's reassuring to know someone is still making noise for college radio without crash helmets. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description
Raleigh, NC's Rosebuds are back with their second full-length, marking an astounding growth in stylistic range and songwriting maturity from their 2003 debut, "The Rosebuds Make Out". Incorporating influences as diverse as The Kinks, The Go-Betweens, The Smiths, and The Zombies, this husband and wife team have perfected the three-minute pop songs they rolled out on "...Make Out" and have taken adventurous forays into a denser, more lush soundscape. A beautifully realized pop album that will have you dancing, laughing, crying, and ultimately left breathless.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a matter of personal opinion., September 18, 2005

By	Kevin Satterwhite (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

And my opinion claims that this album is one of the best this year, right there with the likes of Bloc Party, The Bravery, Maximo Park and Franz Ferdinand. The problem is that The Rosebuds will likely get the least recognition. Which is not fair, as this album could be successfully argued the better album of all the former mentioned bands.

"Birds Make Good Neighbors" starts with what is now the best Rosebuds song to date: "Hold Hands And Fight". The song starts soft and melodic, after one minute however it picks up and enduces one of the most melodic vocal melodies yet by The Rosebuds. The song makes the best use of the expression "whoa" ever.... ever. It's enchanting, really. "Boxcar", the next track, is another really good track. The song starts off a lot similar to "Back To Boston" from "Make Out", but proceeds to differentiate itself with the rest of the song. "Leaves Do Fall" is an amazing song, which has husband and wife, Ivan and Kelly, trading vocal duties. "Shake Our Tree", which is the second best track on the album, has a nice beat with an ambiance of clapping that would in fact provoke clapping. It also has an extremely good chorus. The album ends with "4-Track Love Song", which has a slow 80s sonic guitar sound. VERY nice, it definitely finds itself on multiple repeats from me. Other notables are "Outnumbered", "Warm Where You Lay" and "The Lover's Night".

With only a few months remaining in the year, this album is without a doubt one of the best yet. It's nearly perfect if not for two songs, which is not unlike any other great release this year, but "Bluebird" and "Wildcat", which seem repetitive to me, could have seen a change up or two. In a year which as seen so many great releases, The Rosebuds just proceeded to cemented themselves on the top of the pile.

Pick this one up for sure, and look out for the new releases by Rogue Wave, Franz Ferdinand and especially 31knots.

P.S. 31knots sounds nothing like these other bands, I just wanted to mention them as I am obsessed with their music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this album really I do you should know that I really do, December 12, 2005

By	Jasper Mcworthy (USA) - See all my reviews

This is a band that makes you wish the music industry would take a hint once in a while, but what are you gonna do huh? Honestly if you're looking at this to see whether you should buy the album or not, let me just say. This band is good, they are very easy to like, both interesting for their innocence as well as their passion to make you like music for the good old fashioned reasons you know because of love and having a good time. Whatever happened to music like this? They care to charm you, and maybe you should care too once in a while.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets better every time., January 7, 2009

By	A. Cano (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the first Rosebuds cd I purchased and four years later I still absolutely love it. Every time I listen to it, I find something I new to marvel at. 4-Track Love Song itself is worth the entire price of the cd.