Ultimatum [EP]

The Long Winters

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: October 11, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Barsuk
• ASIN: B000BB18IQ
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,279 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Seattle-based smartypants rock group the Long Winters leap into a less indie-rock void on this excellent EP. Imagine a swarthier and keyboard-driven Death Cab, or a less mournful Eels wrapped up in Mellotron goodness. While some fans might still bemoan the lack of funnyman Sean Nelson's presence in the band, Laura Veirs' producer Tucker Martine helps Roderick achieve a new greatness. As Rodericks's charming and idiosyncratic voice becomes ever more central to the Long Winters' music, so do his lyrics. They're a beguiling combination of post-collegiate songster poetry ("Crave translates into slave, no one can harness the rain"), post-Pavement slacker nonsequitur ("The weight of this hairstyle's making me lazy") and post-marijuana sci-fi treatment ("I won't eat a machine / But what if it asks me? / What if it says my name?") The twenty-five minute EP ends with two tracks of Roderick performing solo. It's all pretty great. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Four brilliant new songs recorded in the studio are complemented by two live recordings of solo performances by frontman John Roderick. The band's first release since 2003's acclaimed album, "When I Pretend To Fall", this EP is the preface to a new full-length due in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars keep me holding on. , October 17, 2005

By	Grant Balfour (West Palm Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This EP makes me want to live in a place where seasons change and where every girl I've ever loved remembers me with the same kind of smiling sadness. Maybe it's the vintage keyboards or that 70s-ish singer-songwriter vibe that sort of encapsulates that feeling of nostalgia. Maybe it's the songs themselves.

There's a quality of sonic virus (the earworms, catchy, catchy earworms) about them -- enough so that you have plenty of time with the songs running through your head to puzzle out the lyrics (once you realize who the Commander is in "The Commander Thinks Aloud," I can guarantee you'll have to sit very quietly for a moment or two to collect yourself.

I did. And I want to do it again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately ultimate, October 17, 2005

By	M. Heidenreich "Well, Well, Well" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

So we didn't get a new Long Winters album in 2005.... Big deal. Get over it. Instead, we get this EP with four delicious, newly-recorded songs and two superb live performances from leader John Roderick. On this EP, The Long Winters--who have become one of my favorite bands since I found out *current* Harvey Danger singer Sean Nelson did backup vocals on their two albums--carry on the beautiful musicianship that was ever-present on their "acclaimed" albums 'The Worst You Can Do Is Harm' and 'When I Pretend To Fall'. And despite the fact that I don't really see either of these four new tunes ranking in my top ten Long Winters songs of all-time, they do however pose as a fine appetizer for their third, unnamed album, due out in early 2006.

The first track, "The Commander Thinks Aloud", is different than the version on the Future Soundtrack For America compilation (dubbed the 'future mix'). Here it is extended by over a minute, although the two songs are very similar, musically, and feature the same lyrics. The title track, a striking reminder of "Cinnamon", has some nifty guitar work alongside Roderick's patented, quirky lyrics. You could say it's classic Long Winters material; because it is. "Everything Is Talking" is notable for some catchy 'do-do-do's in the background and the 'I'll miss:' stanza. The final new song, "Delicate Hands", is likely my favorite on the EP. It's actually an early Western State Hurricanes (John's unknown first band) reworking, for whatever that's worth. The two live tracks are solo performances by Roderick, of "Bride And Bridle" and "Ultimatum". "Bride And Bridle" might actually be my least favorite Long Winters track among their albums; however, the brilliant drumlessness in its appearance here cause me to like it a bit more. And the title track, being played with the soft spots of John's fingers, makes for a decent finale to this disc.

You simply cannot compare this EP to their LPs, albeit you can certainly say these songs are on the same level as the songs on those terrific albums. So it is needless to say that this six-song release is worthwhile--if you liked the 'future mix' of "Commander" you will like the version here; if you liked "Cinnamon" you will be in love with "Ultimatum" after a few listens; and if you like The Long Winters you will ultimately be spinning this disc in your car or in your CD-player for (at least) weeks on end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Righteous and true, October 17, 2005

By	Louise Brooks (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Um, yeah, it's an EP, so complaining about "Ultimatum" 's length is akin to whining that a novella is too short.

That said, the four studio tracks are haunting and spectral. If this version of "The Commander Thinks Aloud" doesn't break your heart wide open, you're already lying in a cold pine box.

The two live cuts showcase John Roderick's powerful voice and deft musicianship and will hook veteran Long Winters fans and newbies alike.

Rock this.