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Post by Carl Winslow on May 19, 2008 19:34:17 GMT -5
So far, the reviews have been mostly positive--not as strong as "Broom," but what do you expect? However, after listening to Pershing several times (probably close to triple digits), I have a few thoughts:
(1) Surprisingly, my favorite songs are the songs that reviewers talk about the least: Beach Song, Some Constellation, Heers.
(2) Heers is a great song, there is a definite Eliott Smith vibe. I wish more people would talk about it. The reviewers should focus on it more and it should be released as a single, although I know it won't.
(3) Beach Song is a great song for the summer. The same way that Travel Song is a great roadtrip song, Beach Song has a relaxing, day-at-the-beach playful attitude.
(4) Oceanographer is a definite departure from the rest of the CD
(5) You Can Write A Book is great!
(6) Modern Mystery, I Think I Wanna Die, and Glue Girls are great, but I think they overshadow the rest of the album (see points 1-3).
(7) I think the marketing of this album (the video, the poster and airheads, etc.) are PURE genius!
(8) Overall, a B++, not Broom's A-/A, but still a great album. Completely worth the money.
(9) SSLYBY is an amazing band, I wish they could release a single a week.
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Post by ray m. on May 19, 2008 20:28:04 GMT -5
You pretty much hit it right on. I disagree with a few things though.
Some Constellation, I feel, is the weakest song on the album. I'm not saying its not good, but compared to the rest of the songs, it just doesn't fit. Even Heers, another softer song, has that Pershing feel. Some Constellation would have been better off on a future album.
Oceanographer definitely is a departure from the rest of the album, but it still has that springy upbeat warmth to it. Its a departure that still fits on the album, if that makes any sort of sense.
Glue Girls is the first song on the album so it sort of has to be a big thing for SSLYBY. Pershing was the biggest funnest song on Broom so I think they were just trying to continue with that. I Think I Wanna Die, yes, I agree it does overshadow the rest of the album. But then again most albums have their hits and their... not-so-hits... Modern Mystery Would have overshadowed the album a LOT more if they hadn't slowed it down from the demo.
I give it an A compared to Brooms A-
I wish SSLYBY could release a single a week too. Bishop Allen kinda did that. They released an EP a month for 12 months straight.
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Post by jolie on May 19, 2008 21:01:43 GMT -5
I loooooved Bishop Allens Calendar Project, it was so good. but not as good as Pershing or Broom.
for some reason I always feel like there are 30 seconds of a song that I like the most (not necessarily the chorus). In the case of pershing I don't think I'll ever get sick of the last 30 seconds of glue girls and think I wanna die, about 1:45 - 2:15 of the beach song and the first 30 seconds or so of Heers. I think Some Constellation is really good though.
I agree with ray and give pershing an A compared to brooms A-
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Post by El Zilcho on May 19, 2008 21:24:08 GMT -5
I give it a Super Awesome compared to Broom's Sashimi Grade Awesome
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Post by sarahw on May 20, 2008 4:29:36 GMT -5
The first time I heard Pershing I thought it was just as good as Broom, though for some reason all of the songs sounded too much alike - as opposed to Broom that I felt had more variety. However, it didn't take more than 1-2 more listens to prove me wrong. I sort of already told Will this, but I found the instrumentation (like guitar fingering, pedals used, beat patterns, etc) to be more complex, so that the more I listen - the more I appreciate the details of it. There are some songs on Broom that I tend to skip over part of the way through listening to them. That's the way with pretty much any artist - even my favorites. However, I've not had that experience with Pershing. (Maybe by the time their third album rolls around I'll have done overkill on listening and will feel like that  but I sure hope not). After a couple days of listening to Pershing I figured out that for me it was the overall song-for-song consistency of strength that made me feel like, at first, that all of the songs sounded the same - because there was no lull in my enjoyment of the album.. There was no song I liked less that made the songs I liked more stand out more prominently. Of course NOW I do have my favorites, but I'm really pleased that there's not a single song I don't enjoy listening to over and over again. Yeah, I'd probably give it an A and Broom an A-, but I'm no expert. Thank goodness, right? We have no agendas or bosses or audiences we have to write for when we review these things. It's just pure fan opinion from people who spend a lot of time listening to SSLYBY music. |
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Post by Carl Winslow on May 20, 2008 17:01:23 GMT -5
I guess the reason that I rate Broom higher than Pershing is that I think Broom has such a solid consistency from track to track. Although only two songs stand out as singles (Pangea, Oregon Girl), I think each track is amazing.
Pershing is certainly more diverse from track to track and represents the span of their musical talents. Like several great bands, this second album shows their amazing range (writing, composing, etc.).
What I like better about Broom is the rawness of the album and the sound (I don't have the remastered/rereleased Polyvinyl edition). Broom is so perfect as a great lo-fi album recorded on a low budget, but that's where the appeal is. Pershing is much more polished, which is a good thing, but... The rawness of Broom is what makes it so endearing.
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Post by ray m. on May 20, 2008 17:05:14 GMT -5
your karma just went up.
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Post by jolie on Jun 4, 2008 21:58:47 GMT -5
what is this karma business and how do I make mine go up? does that make you a junior/senior member or whatnot? because I am tired of being a junior member even though I am a junior in high school.
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Post by jolie on Jun 4, 2008 21:59:47 GMT -5
oh wait I'm guessing the number of stars has to do with the ammount of posts you have. I am an idiot, and that is why I'm still a junior memberr.
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Post by jolie on Jun 4, 2008 22:04:08 GMT -5
oh and while were on the subject of me being an idiot, how do you get there to be a picture in that little box thing? I don't know what an avatar is so if someone could tell me I would really appreciate it.
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Post by ray m. on Jun 5, 2008 12:55:48 GMT -5
it has to be a really small picture. find the picture that yo want, go to profile at the top toolbar, select modify and then just scroll down untill you find the place to upload the picture.
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but I sure hope not). After a couple days of listening to Pershing I figured out that for me it was the overall song-for-song consistency of strength that made me feel like, at first, that all of the songs sounded the same - because there was no lull in my enjoyment of the album.. There was no song I liked less that made the songs I liked more stand out more prominently.