‘well hello, little hellion. make yourself at home.’ so opens halloween, alaska’s debut album, the postal service’s older, more sophisticated (and interesting) brother. it’s a compelling and ultimately emotionally endearing little piece of ear candy. comparison’s the ben gibbard’s side project are perhaps inevitable (and even understandable), but anyone wanting to compare the two (or cast off halloween, alaska prematurely) does him or herself a serious disservice.

what strikes the listener in the intimacy and immediacy. James Dier’s vocals aren’t the strongest, but they womp you over the head with the emotionaly integrity and vulnerability blatantly absent from the majority of vocalists these days. the melodies, while not immediately memorable, manage to linger in your head and when you find yourself humming the melody three or four days later, it’ll sound familiar, but you might not be able to immediately place it. it’s deceptive in a way. it’s at once familiar and completely new original. this sort of beautiful and understated subtlety seems to be halloween, alaska’s mantra, and thank heaven’s for it. it’s almost as if fellow mid-westerners, Low, turned electronic.

in short, beautiful, lush, engaging music you can listen to repeatedly without ever tiring of it. in a day of throw-away pop songs, it’s not small feat. and you’d be well-served to listen to the album with headphones to pick up all the subtle nuances, bells, and whistles.

hopefully this is the beginning of a long and fruitful career.

-

Petzl Tikka LED Headlamp, Green #E43P2 Customer Review: Only flashlight I’ll ever buy These lights are amazing. Actually my experience with Petzl products has been very positive (I bought a piece for building a zip line). They are over engineered. They even calculate the break point for the head strap, intentionally having it […]

Comment on Photography and Digital Photography Tips and Information - Click Here by Classified Want Ads. Auto Sales, Sell Boats, Real Estate Listings, RV Sales and Many More Classifieds. RSS Feed Also Available. Blog Archive Electrolux Legacy Canister Vacuum Cleaner
[…] Comment on Photography and Digital Photography Tips and Information - Click Here by Classifieds, shopping Malls and More - Craigs List News and Articles - Craigslist, shopping Malls, Classifieds, Ebay and Amazon Classifieds and More - RSS Feed Available Blog Archive Hello Job Seekers and Employers, Great News! [ ] Photography and Digital Photography Tips and Information - Click Here Get Paid To Submit Photos To The Internet Easy Photography home Business! Digital Photography Secrets Profitable Photography Organize Your Photos Without Losing Your Mind Digital Photography Success Make Money With Your Digital Camera Get Paid For Your Photos Imagic Photo - Image Enhancement Studio Wildlife Stock Photos On Virtual Cd Powerful landscape Photography School Of Photography Online Courses Photography Posing Secrets Royalty Free Stock Photos 4 Your Web [ ] [ ] […]

The Carl Stalling Project, Volume 2: More Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons 1939-1957
The carl Stalling Project, Volume 2: More music From Warner Bros. cartoons 1939-1957 The second volume of the master Warner Bros. cartoon composer’s work downplays the head-spinning montage of the first in favor of just-as-head-spinning complete scores. They aren’t from the studio’s best-known cartoons but from some of Stalling’s most impressive tempo-warping, all-systems-go pieces, […]

adidas Originals Men s Stan Smith II Tennis Shoe
adidas Originals Men’s Stan Smith II Tennis Shoe Blaze your own infamous trail in the latest incarnation of a longtime tennis shoe fave. An updated version of the classic tennis shoe, the Stan Smith II Tennis Shoe features a full grain leather upper, new detailing and an embossed face logo on the heel. Perforated […]

There is no Social Security trust fund
The long-kept secret of the empty social security trust fund is no longer a secret, says economist Allen W. Smith who has been trying to alert the public to the trust fund fraud for the past five years. Smith, the author of “The Looting of social security: How The Government Is Draining America’s retirement Account,” […]

Redneck Comedy Roundup
Redneck Comedy Roundup Customer Review: Ashamed! Ok, after the first chapter i had to turn it off! it was incredibly stupid, childish, and nasty to see such white trash in our modern era. All these folks are an embarassement to modern “white” folk.. Please get an education and speak clear and bathe for god’s […]

Trials of Life: hunting & Escaping
Trials of Life: hunting & Escaping Customer Review: the ferocity of nature Anyone who thought chimps were vegetarians will be aghast to see a pack of them hunting down a cute black and white colobus monkey in a very systematic manner, and tearing it to pieces as it screams; it is disturbing to watch […]

Carry on Camping
Carry on Camping Customer Review: One of the finest Carry On’s Carry On Camping is the 17th film in the long running Carry On film series, which is the most successful and longest running comedy film series in Britain. 31 films were produced between 1958 (Carry On Sergeant) and 1992 (Carry On Columbus) with […]

Swiss Army Swiss Champ Pocket Knife (Red)
Swiss Army Swiss Champ Pocket Knife (Red) A Swiss Army knife with 33 distinct features Customer Review: The Champ When it comes to Swiss Army Knives, The Champ is the champ! My wife and I were each given one as gifts about ten years ago and we bought a couple to give […]

Coleman 4D Dual Action Widebeam Flashlight
Coleman 4D Dual Action Widebeam Flashlight The Coleman 5308-700 Widebeam 4D Dual-action Flashlight provides a bright, portable light for any occasion. This dual-action flashlight has a regular path light that gives you a center-spot of light with a softer perimeter of light, plus a seven-watt U-tube fluorescent area light to brighten a work area. […]

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 9:12 am and is filed under Rangerrob News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.