Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
another classic!, September 28, 2007
Like all of Pinback's work, with the possible exception of the song "Penelope" (depending on who you ask), this album doesn't slap you across the face screaming "I AM THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD". That aint what this band is all about. Their music is layered and subtle. Chord shifts and tonal progressions you may not notice at first reveal themselves over time. Your ears will suddenly pick up on neat little instrumental flourishes that were invisible before. And that's precisely what makes these guys so great.... their craftsmanship, subtlety, and attention to detail, not to mention top-shelf musicianship: it goes without saying that Zach is an incredible bass player, but Crow is also a very underrated guitarist. Like the band itself, his guitar style is subtle and understated, with a welcome LACK of ego and a focus on playing what is right at the right time.
Is this album as good as Summer in Abaddon? Yep, but it's apples and oranges. The mood is different here, and the songs tend to be a bit more immediate. The addition of a live drummer on most of these tracks is a much welcome change. They needed to evolve this way; the programmed beats on Abaddon were starting to stick out as the weakest link. I will say this too, though, the most obvious drum-machined track on here, "How We Breathe" is one of the prettiest songs they've done in a long time, right up there with "Loro".
So yeah, this album rules. It might not kick you in the jaw with its over-the-top killer riff@ge, but that's not the point. As another reviewer said, "chill out" and enjoy this music for years to come, because as with ALL of their stuff, it's the type of album that you will probably get a LOT of mileage out of. I don't know about you guys, but I still listen to all of Pinback's older albums quite frequently, years later, and there aren't many other contemporary artists that I can say that about.
On a final note, do yourself a favor and listen to this on a primo set of headphones!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Follow-up to Summer in Abaddon, September 12, 2007
Pinback continues with the trademark mathematical rhythm blend of guitars and bass and essential but mimialistic drum beats. I first listened to this CD- then right away, listened to it again. Even the cover artwork is great...kind of makes you actually want to buy a CD instead of a download.
This album mixes in solid guitar riffs, for example on Blue Harvest the guitar riff is a deviation from other PB albums but a great addition. The songwriting becomes better and better with each PB album and this is a notch above Summer in Abaddon which I consider a 5 star album. Pinbacks trademark harmonies are strong and compliment the great array of songs on this album. The last song on the CD, "Off by 50", is a powerful anthem of synthesizer, guitar and tremedous harmonies. Other 5 star tracks; From Nothing to Nowhere, How We Breathe, Walters, Torch, Bouquet...hell they're all great.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chill Out To Pinback! , September 12, 2007
This is my second Pinback album (my first was Summer in Abaddon) and it meets, if not exceeds my new album expectations! First before I review the content of the music, I would also concur with another review who recommended buying the c.d. instead of downloading for the great cover art. Indeed the album art, c.d., and linear notes are beautifully drawn and will make the rest of your album collection look good (at least in my humble opinion). Now on to the music. The music is awesome!!! Pinback has a sound that is all their own. Like Summer in Abaddon, Autumn of the Seraphs is full of beautiful fresh melodies, relaxing chilled out beats, and nice warm soothing vocals from talented singer Rob Crow. The songs are usually soft yet strangely engaging and work well with the lyrics which are clever and interesting. The song "Walters" is my favorite song on the record right now, which is a song about a man who rides his lawn chair into the sky! How cool is that? When I first got the album, "Good To Sea" was my favorite song because of it's wonderful wave sounding melodies. Anyways, Autumn of the Seraphs is all good and will definitely satisfy a true Pinback fans Pinback lust and is, what I believe, a good place to start for new listeners. And! what better time to buy it than now when you can get a free limited edition bonus disk with 3 additional Pinback tracks: I'm A Pretty Lady, Kylie, and Autumn of The Seraphs!! Well, hope that was somewhat informative (especially that last thing I said), thank you for reading! Now listen to Pinback and be happy.
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