Posted: 26 Feb 2003, 08:24 PM

Well, blow me if someone hasn't finally joined my tiny genre of camp electrofolk…

The Postal Service is Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello from Figurine and Dntel plus additional vox from Jen Wood and Jen Lewis from Rilo Kiley (another band I've been going on about for a while).

With that kind of pedigree this is the closest you'll get to emo synthpop this side of… well, most synthpop 😉

It's a good album, lovely melodies. The best track is 'We Will Become Silhouettes' because it's that most difficult songwriting feat: a very happy song that doesn't sound smarmy and smug. Okay… the lyrics are sad but the music is bouncy, bouncy joy. It's got a great opening line:

I've got a cupboard with cans of food,
filtered water and pictures of you,
and I'm not coming out till this is all over

Clark Gable' has a very 70s Kraftwerk start and again, is very strong melodically. The thing that strikes me is that although people call this album electronica, it's not: it's songs. The songs happen to be framed by electronics but you could just as easily play them on an acoustic guitar. Something you couldn't say about DAT Politics or Hrvatski, as much as I love the buggers.

So, if you like sweeping, emotional songs with lovely lyrical imagery, buy this album. If you're after emo-by-numbers, don't buy it,
love and kisses,
Jyoti