This album is a road trip journal if I EVER heard one. Want to know what Ohio's like in the rain? Listen to #9. Do you know which state is nicknamed the Beehive state? Listen to #1. Did you know that an alt-country twist to indie rock can be a good thing? Listen to the whole album.
Limbeck calls Southern California home, but if "Hi, Everything's Great" is any indication, they're not home much. Each song takes you on a different part of their tour across country. Just think of this album as an electronic "Hi, wish you were here!" postcard from the band as they invite you into their lives on the road.
It starts off with Limbeck traveling on 15E toward Utah and the singer is wistfully wondering if a friend of his still lives there. A few songs later, we're hearing about his friend Julia, who's an ex-goth kid. Things slow down a bit when the singer recounts his memories from Ohio, including sitting in the rain on some steps and conversations with Emily, who claims to be from Virginia, Milwaukee and Ohio. At the end, we hear his thoughts as he travels through Arizona while his bandmates are asleep in the back.
As I mentioned before, there is definitely an alt-country feel to the whole album...a big departure, so I've read, from their 2000 release "This Chapter Is Called Titles" which apparently had more of an indie rock feel to it. I won't claim to be an expert...I've never heard of these guys until their cd showed up in my mailbox. But after listening to "Hi, Everything's Great" on several roadtrips and realizing I was singing along by the third listen, I knew this is a band to keep an eye on.
The only thing that bugged me (and apparently it's only me because no other reviews mention it) was a sound clip of a dog barking before "Brand New Orange". I'm not a fan of sound clips and this seemed to disrupt the entire flow of the album, but who knows? Maybe they have a very good reason for putting it in there and I'm just a jerk for pointing it out.
This is a very highly recommended album on my list and according to their label, Doghouse Records, they're the "perfect mix of Jets To Brazil and The Weakerthans, but with a lot better sense of humor." So take that as you will, check out their site (where you can hear some sound clips) and I'm sure I'll pass you on the highway listening to one of this summer's best driving records.
A-
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