Customer Reviews

End Is Near

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

 

 

If buying a Kadane/Kadane record were comparable to buying a car, you could pretty much rest assured you were getting a quality piece. The song writing is well crafted and, for the most part, solidly constructed. Or to extend the car metaphor, the songs don't come with a lot of extraneous garbage which need preening; it's all elemental (although, almost inexplicably, a couple of songs do introduce minor new elements, like acoustic guitar and even piano, I think).
There are more than a handful of songs here which would feel at home on a Bedhead record: "Disease," for instnace, crushes you with every note, and "18" is more evidence of intricate guitar work made to sound pretty simple, as is "Sinking Ship" just a good song.
The greatest departure, I think, is that the new material doesn't always pummel you in the ways which Bedhead songs did. The more upbeat passages work to homogenize the sound, and the audible vocals work against The New Year, making them come across like some kind of marginal indie rock outfit, when Bedhead seemed to transcend genre and eschew easy labels. Check out the song "Stranger to Kindness" as an example. This is clearly the worst song they've ever written, with an embarassing virtuous rant, and a horrible string arrangement at the end, evocative of total crappiness.
What's redeemable, though, is that with the audible vocal approach, you can sometimes hear subtle references to other songs, and that's dope. In "Disease" for instance, there is this imagery of "trees" which can be heard elsewhere in Bedhead songs, and "Plan B" becomes a companion piece for "Simple Life" on the "Newness Ends" record.
Another thing I like which I don't see many bands experimenting with is the package design. And while you couldn't really claim that the text or simplicity of the design is anything new, which it is not (a lot like the actual music, for better or worse), the sleeve which the CD comes in, as with the "Newness Ends" record, seems to protect the jewel case and further delay any "oldness" of the cd. Check out the subtext in reference to the titles of these two records.
So, all in all, this is really good stuff for people who remain categorically depressed, following in the tradition of Bedhead. I'm down with that.

These guys just can't go wrong. It's almost frightening how consistant the Kadane brothers are. 'The End Is Near' builds upon what they did in Bedhead, as well as their last New Year record. There are a few changes here, as always. This time they seem to have used some piano and even strings, along with more up-tempo songs. The result is even more beautiful than expected. The songs seem to get better the more you listen to them. It's often the little things about The New Year's songs that really make the songs special in the end, so repeated listens are recommended. Nice recording by Steve Albini.(again)
His approach seems to fit The New Year very well. Overall this is probably their best record to date. Don't miss this one.

The New Year consists of two members from the Texan slowcore band Bedhead. I assumed that this, their second release would be a continuation of that type of sound. The good thing is it isn't. I'm not saying that this is an album of terrace chants but there is a sort of jauntiness in this album (especially in `Chinese Handcuffs') that was missing from the previous band.
There is room for reflection in these tracks but some happiness glimmers through as well. I also like the fact that it is brief, to the point and doesn't meander at all. A great Sunday afternoon album.

This record reminds me of some of the earliest Bedhead recordings, the first two "7 and WhatFunLifeWas. It's been in my player nonstop since I bought it on Tuesday. Beautiful, honest and intimate, the Kadane brothers write songs unlike any others, and they just keep getting better.

It pains me to complain, but this release is only 33 minutes long. Not a full length CD, in my opinion, yet it's definitely priced as one. It was a sad surprise.

I'm sorry "not a full album" you need to loosen up. Just because the album doesn't fit into the 45-70 minute range doesn't mean it's incomplete. The short length simply means that the material they came up with happened to be condensed and to the point, the way rock music was meant to be. May I remind you that David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust..." is only 38 minutes long, only five minutes longer, and that is considered (and rightly so) one of the best albums of the 20th century. Also, The Strokes' "Room on Fire" is only 33 minutes long, and that's clearly a full album. Not to mention plenty of other respected artists who make records under 40 minutes, The Hives, The Ramones, The Ravonettes, Nick Drake, and the Pixies. Now I realize that you could easily tear down these arguments by saying that you're not a fan of any of these bands, but I would be very suprised if not one of them sparked you'r fancy. Sorry if I was harsh but denying that a someones work is an album based solely on it's length is just unfair. P.S. If you actually don't listen to any of the bands I mentioned you should check them out, they're very good.