No, Really, Give Up

So 5dots was all “you’ve gotta listen to that Postal Service album; if anybody I know will like it, it’s you.” I get up, move all the way from the living room to my room for the good speakers, and have myself a listen. And I get where the big 5’s coming from: it has most of the things an al3x, in theory, would like: synths, beats, indie vocals, shimmery production, a New Wave vibe, etc. You’d think I’d be down. You’d think wrong.

Maybe I’ve just taken a liking to the Dntel (the programming behind TPS) solo album too much, but I can only think of one thing when listening to Give Up: shut up, Ben Gibbard. Shut up and stop ruining these shimmery electro beats with your goofy-ass songwriter storytelling.

That’s not entirely fair, of course, as Gibbard’s songwriting has its moments. But his voice seems like more of an annoyance than anything else after the first few tracks. No, that’s not because I’m one of those techno fans who doesn’t like voices in his music. It’s because Gibbard needs to mature as a songwriter and explore a bit more as a singer.

Dntel’s shit is pretty much perfect. Maybe the rest of it will grow on me, as albums tend to do.