Customer Reviews

Blue Screen Life [Vinyl]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a "crusty old goth" with a penchant for emo-core and all things swirly and mopey (including delta and chicago blues, incidentally), my review should be read with a certain suspcion toward my aesthetic credentials. Even so, other reviews on this page are really misguided in even the most partially negative assessment. This sophomore effort finds Pinback have found the perfect way to settle into the odd pop chair, finding their sweetspot: delicate melodies punctuating with a twingly (is that a word?) percussive baseline, sweet male voices that oscillate between quirk and caresses. The stand-out song here is "Penelope," which, is simply a miraculous in its ability to commuicate a sense of "caring" (in the sense of "holding out," or taking that paternal risk); with headphones flying from Salem OR to Minneapolis after a long and stressful visit looking for work, deeper listening brought me to tears. Of course, we invest all sorts of personal things into music that are not "in the music." But we all tend to gravitate to music that is investible, and this band produces some excellent stuff for mending memories and making moments. If you enjoy emo-core--from Neutral Milk Hotel to Trembling Blue Stars, the Sea and the Cake, and similar ilk--this is a must have. Blue screen life will be hard for this band to top. It is mature and visonary pop, worthy of its cute song titles in a non-commercializable way (someone keep VW away from this!). Good and solid stuff

I was very hesitant to purchase this cd. i had only heard maybe two songs on the local independent station and it had been a long time since, but what i heard had resonated so clearly with me that for the next 5 months every time i was in a record store i picked up this album looked it over, counting the track numbers trying to decide if it was worth the [$$$] price tag. i couldn't remember, and listening to song samples on-line didn't help much. finally i bought it. it has been a few months and i now own a signed copy of a tour ep, two shirts, their first full length and i'm purchasing the "some voices" ep today. when i got in my car i immediately tore the obnoxious plastic wrap and that rediculously sticky bar code label off the cd and popped it in. the guitars in the first song, "offline pk," start out like a hail storm on a tin roof. then when the vocals come in i immediately noticed their incredible tone despite the way they seem to try to sneak the words in between the guitars as if they're trying not to disturb the interplay. so i assumed it was going to be a joan of arc-ish, artsy album. but in each line a little more guitar and a little more vocals are added to complete the picture of the chorus. before you know it you're there and the pieces have come together so well that even upon first listen you realize you've stumbled upon something incredible. the rest of the album follows a similar pattern although concrete seconds and penelope are so right on the money that you feel like jello and can't help to sing along..."and everything i say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway." -so true, so true. prog has emerged as my current favorite but that has changed so many times that i can't really say one is better than another. it's like a completely different language is being spoken in each. i cringed when i first heard the funkadelic bass line thinking it was going to be a stinker. but i forgot what i had learned. they are artists at peeling away what doesn't work guiding you down a path to what does, and what does tickles something in you that not much else ever has. the overall feeling of the album is both dynamic yet soothing. i can't remember the last time a band could make me feel both ways at once. the only thing i can compare them to is american analog set as i haven't heard much of armistead's or rob's other stuff. but they have so many more layers than american anolog set. where american analog set excel at minimalism pinback excel in every direction. seville and tres are the most underappreciated songs on the album. when seville starts out i can't help but to picture the white lane lines on a freeway ticking by to the beat. there's something cold and lonely about it. but then the guitars start charming in like an approaching rainstorm and they sync up with the bass line right before the drum beats decide the soothing rhythm. some songs start with many layers that are peeled away to reveal a few amazing melodies and harmonies yet other's add layer upon layer never taking away from the one prior. what makes this work are the incredible vocals that frame the instruments perfectly and tie it all together. this album is a paradox but it's not. as with many of the lyrics, at times things don't make sense but when it's all over you feel as if somehow it did. it's hard to describe why i love this album, all i know is that i can't get enough of it and it was definitely worth the price. i've bought plenty of cd's since, yet this is still the one that remains the warmest. it may take a week, but this album will remove the crust from your eyes to show you what good indie-pop should be.

Pinback BLOWS me away. I consider my taste in music to be very diverse, with a tendency to love obscure indie rock-pop, from the last three decades (talk talk, split enz to elliot smith and death cab). Pinback delivers some of the best, most consistent music I've heard in YEARS. I started with Summer in Abaddon and was weak in the knees, then I acquired their debut album and could barely stand...and now, Blue Screen Life has about knocked the breath right out of me. I haven't gotten through the entire back catalog because I can't stop listening to the three albums I have in my hands. Words cannot express how fascinating this band is - intricate & complicated with a simple, straightforward delivery. Their transitions are SICK. They put their contemporaries (death cab, the shins, the killers) to SHAME. I love all of the aforementioned bands, but Pinback slaughters them in delivering well conceived, perfectly executed, diversified albums that you can listen to from front to back, over & over. How many albums can you say that about? They are heavenly. The standouts are XIY, Boo, Concrete Seconds, Bbtone, Prog, Pene... oh, screw it - every song is GREAT!

While driving, I noticed the frigid, moonlit night looked unbelievable at 3am. Somewhere, between here and home the sounds were perfect, and I stopped by a frozen lake to smoke a cigarette, my back on the hood, counting constellations, this cd leaking out the windows. Once in a while you find cd 's that remind you why you love music in the first place. This is one of them.

A jab in the face of stagnant music, this album is fresh, intelligent and bold. Two people are responsible for what you hear on this record, and it's a true testament to human creativity. From the very first few notes on this album to the last musical exclamation, this album is consistent in painting a unique picture of thoughtful observation, while somehow being so inexplicably catchy and unforgettable. Soothing and yet dark, beautiful but somehow unsettling, complex but not too complicated, this album explores everyday muses and remote philosophical ideas, never being too conceptual for its own good. It is almost frightening how proficient Zack Smith IV and Rob Crow are at being able to create an atmosphere you can lose yourself in completely. Also striking is how the bassist does most of the work on this album, blowing away anything you ever thought you knew about the instrument.

This band has redefined a sound with this honest, ambient and introspective record in the meeting of beauty and loneliness, maybe on that lake that night.

When I first heard "Offline P.K." I listened to it repeatedly. It was an excellent track that covered new musical territory with its layered vocals, soothing harmonies, and unusual production techniques. "Offline P.K." and the track that follows are alone worth the price of admission to this CD.

My complaint: a good band traces new musical territory; a great band traces new musical territory and then probes deeply into that territory's boundaries. (check Built to Spill or ace-fu-label-mates Ex-Models). I feel that Pinback is basically content to stay near the center of their musical terrain, which makes most tracks on the album sound... about the same.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good album and Pinback is a good band... but they're not yet at their creative peak. I look forward to their future releases.

I feel very proud to have grown up in the same city that pinback was created in, San Diego, CA. I bought their cd several months ago and fell in love with it one night with my dog sitting on my lap. It took me a couple listens to really get into any song other than "penelope" which they played on my local "independent" radio station. I love the clapping sound that pinback has in that song, that's what hooked me.

I bought the cd hoping i'd like it and now i actually love every single song on the album. My favorite song pretty much changes weekly, last week my favorite song was "offline pk" and now i'm really enjoying "prog". I'm trying to convert all my friends into pinback fanatics but they all seem to think it is too "emo", to me it's not at all emo, but then maybe i don't have a clear idea of what exactly emo is. If it sparks emotions and moods in the listener, which it does, then yes it is emo, I guess.

I went to their concert and got the two vocalists and the drummer to sign my album, they were very humble and truly nice to me. To my surprise, their performance was punk with high energy and yet an intimacy with the audience at the same time.

Their lyrics are clean and a bit cryptic, but that adds to my fascination with them. I feel energized and soothed after a full listening to their album. I hightly reccomend the purchase of this album.

After becoming extremely jaded with the current emo-rock scene, Pinback's latest release, Blue Screen Life, combines acoustic guitar, enchanting vocals and riveting melodies into a healthy combination of indie and emo rock. Bright voices in the genre, the duo managed to put out a fresh release into the year without deviating from their previous style.

The basic Pinback style remains intact: articulately picked guitars, dual vocal lines and sweet harmonies. While it can be argued that they did the same thing on their debut, this record helps to accentuate their skill as musicians and singers. Songs such as "Boo", "Penelope," "Talby," and "X.I.Y." particular come to mind as enchanting tracks with both musical and lyrical brilliance.

In a year that was run by the re-emergence of a once-great emo-rock giant, Pinback's strong outing really rings out. Pick up the album as soon as you get the chance and prepare to be amazed.

A friend lent this to me when I,over 30 and woefully ignorant of what's going on out there (I lost track after Nirvana and dove headlong into jazz and world music), asked "So, what's new with the young people?" "Pinback" said he. "Say what?" said I. His description of the genre underscored my cluelessness ("Sort of a cross between [gobblygook] and [blah blah blah]", and references such as "Thingy" and "Heavy Vegetable" made me think "more indy nonsense." Boy, was I humbled. These guys are amazing. Sure, many of the lyrics are nonsensical (sweetly so), but the music is beautiful and the singing passionate. Buy this.

I can't stand most "mellow indie/alt rock". Too much of it is pretentious, self aware, whiney, or preachy music that either annoys or bores me within a few seconds (e.g. counting crows). Aside from that, my ears usually attracted to the heavier/edgier aesthetic when listening to rock music. Then, along came Pinback...

A good friend of mine told me I had to hear the song "Penelope", because it was about a goldfish. I didn't really understand why I should want to hear a song about a goldfish. Of course, when ever someone mentions something to you that you've never seen/heard, suddenly you see or hear it everywhere. When I was driving home from her house, that very song came on the radio...and I loved it! It took a while, but eventually I picked up the "Blue Screen Life" CD. Then I bought a copy for my brother. Then I bought a copy for my best friend. Then I burned it so I could keep a copy in my apartment, and a copy in my car. Can you tell that I liked it?

This CD is fantastic. It stays true to itself. It never compromises the sound. There is no pretentiousness here. I really don't know how to put it into words. It is the ultimate chill CD. (Finally something aside from Portishead to listen to when I want to relax.) The feeling "Blue Screen Life" evokes is similar to the slow version of "Wave of Mutilation" by The Pixies stretched out for an entire CD. The musicianship is fantastic. Even though the songs are mellow, there is a tension in the writing that keeps the listener very interested. There is a consistent feeling from the music without being repetitive or boring. I can't recommend this CD enough! One of my most worth while purchases in a long time.

going in with high expectations, "blue screen life" did not disappoint. rob crow and absiv weave their lush guitars, bass and vocals together with the same tranquil groove heard on the debut album, however here they up the ante with more complex song structures at times and more sweeping pop hooks at other times. the album also seems to have a wider range of tempos and moods to boot. "penelope" is this album's "loro", an absolutely amazing song... this is a band that makes both math rockers and indie pop fans happy. do yourself a favor and check them out.