When I Pretend to Fall

The Long Winters

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 6, 2003)
• Original Release Date: May 6, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Barsuk
• ASIN: B00008XS3H
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,883 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Long Winters, May 12, 2003

By A Customer

The Long Winters have satisfied all of my expectations with this CD. More musically interesting than their excellent "The Worst You Can Do Is Harm", "When I Pretend to Fall" is wildly varied and cd-player-on-repeat addictive. Full-length samples can be found on the Barsuk website. It's hard to say enough about this Seattle label; every CD in their catalog is worthy of your attention.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indie rock and Seattle's best kept secret, June 30, 2004

By	Gray Alt "Gray Alt" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Why aren't they bigger? Sure, they've popped up on a soundtrack or two and found their way onto an O.C. compilation. But why aren't they huge? Modest Mouse made it, Death Cab is well on their way to repeated Rolling Stone covers, but not The Long Winters. This could be blamed on obvious things- Few albums, and big periods inbetween releases for example, but one thing is for sure, it must be only a matter of time.

When I Pretend To Fall, The Long Winter's second album, starts off with the groovy "Blue Diamonds", a piano-organ-synth driven song with often humorous lyrics that seem almost too-serious, such as "You're so good at waiting/ I'm just saying"

"Scared Straight", is a beautfully layered song mixing sax, organ and guitar that builds up into a poweful masterpiece.

"It'll Be a Breeze" is the quiet centerpiece of the album, displaying singer John Roderick's powerful voice over acoustic guitar, with seemingly fruity lyrics such as "Is it your kisses I'm feeling?"

Fans will agree, there is no best song, and if this band had released this album on a major label it would have been a hell of a job trying to pick a single. Which is precisely why fans rarely agree on a favorite song.

Hats off to the Long Winters, and thank you for not only one of the top albums of 2003, but of the last 10 years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Approaching greatness, December 4, 2003

By	Kevin M. Mathews (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Right from the ominous keyboard-driven Blue Diamonds, you know you're in for a thrilling pop ride. Eclectic to a fault, you get Memphis horns, REM jangle, Wayne Coyne cosmic whine, the Blue Nile's atmospherics & the kitchen sink in this work of genius. Up there with Grandaddy and Beulah for the year's best.