Newborn Driving

Spanish for 100 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2003)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Icarus Bob Records
• ASIN: B0000AKMVY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,276,500 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the drums up, Spanish for 100 is looking at the seams of the song.

Based in Seattle, the band is comprised of Aaron Starkey, Bob Rees, Ross McGilvray, and Corey Passons, working in the two-guitar, bass, and drum format. The heart of the group is collaboration based off the whispers of heart-born, acoustic songs.

The result? Granite, alkaline rock songs that take you right down Highway 1.

Newborn Driving was produced and engineered by Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Pretty Girls Make Graves.) Tracked at the infamous Jupiter Studios during the winter of 2003, Spanish for 100 has produced a debut work that sings with enthusiasm and moves with the passion of your favorite Pixies tape.

Throughout this recording, Corey Passons’ vocals evoke a Neil Young-like truthfulness with energy that cuts a swath of sincerity through a wall of guitars not heard since the heyday of Walt Mink.

Embodying the tradition of indie songwriting but sidestepping it’s conventions, Newborn Driving pays homage to the art of strong pop melodies, english amps, and thinline telecasters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great debut album, September 9, 2003

By 

"tavarua1" (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Newborn Driving (Audio CD)

Edgy guitars, dynamic bass and drums, tight, dead-on changes, potent vocals and engaging lyrics (posted on the band's website).... these guys rock. They completely avoid the typical indie music traps: no silly showmanship or self-absorption, no angst poses, nothing overly-stylized or forced. This debut release definitely sets them apart from the throngs of other Seattle indie bands. Inventive hooks-- damn catchy riffs and choruses and plenty of charged-up guitarwork. And then there's the lead vocal.
Passons' voice will grab you: alt-country grit, Neil Young-flavored drawls, soaring emotive powers. He's hauntingly good. The more you listen, the more you'll hear him saying. This guy sings without pretension or vanity and it gives the whole band an authentic, no-BS sound.
The album has great production value (of course-- Phil Ek does it again). You can HEAR everything: the drum and bass combo is not just background, it's dynamic and potent and right up front in the spotlight with the guitars. YES. A great debut album.
3 of my favorite tracks on the album:
NEWBORN DRIVING- the title track begins by laying down a dreamy, wide open, hypno-guitar audioscape, then the chorus crashes in with full cymbals, full-arm strumming, power-harmonies, and then back to the dreaminess... lots of attention to momentum and build. Seriously good stuff on this one.
MOOD IN THE CLOUDS- a compact little powerhouse of a tune-- lots happening in a short timeframe. A charging, lyrically driven song, and I can't wait to see it live.
SWEET, SWEET THINGS WHEN YOUR GONE- incredible. The explosive opening seconds show you what's simmering just below the surface during this poignant, melodic tune. After getting your attention, the song eases back and lulls and sways, the vocals take over and tell you a story (great lyrics); then it builds and rises, taps back into that opening energy and ends with a harmony-layered emotional climax. It really showcases their songwriting talent.
Overall, there's a lot of fresh, inventive stuff on this album, and yet there's also a much-appreciated preservation of rock?s primal appeal: that basic foot-stomping, fist-pumping, raw quality has not been compromised to achieve the intelligence and depth displayed in these songs.