The Postal Service

Item: Give Up
Author: Trae Cadenhead

Give Up

(2003)

Reviewed by Trae Cadenhead

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Sub PopThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

electronic indie pop synth pop

The debut full-length from The Postal Service is proof that strong songwriting can hold its weight in any genre. The Postal Service is a side project for Death Cab for Cutie vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Gibbard. Backing Gibbard up is Jimmy Tamborello with all of the electronic instrumentation.

Indeed, The Postal Service makes electronic music of a sort. But this is nothing like any other electronic music. The big difference comes in the fact that the songs seem to be written in the emo/indie rock vein and simply transferred to an electronic sound. To many, it may sound like this would not work, but rest assured it does.

Every cut on the album is strong, both musically and lyrically. There is a discernible effort to keep things interesting as well. "Nothing Better" is a good example, featuring an alternating duet (an electronic opera of sorts, if you will): "Tell me am I right that there could be nothing better than making you my bride and slowly growing old together/ I feel I must interject here, you're getting carried away feeling sorry for yourself with these revisions and gaps in history." And so continues a conversation between a guy and a girl about whether or not they're meant for each other. For the most part, the lyrics are an intimate look at thoughts and feelings about love and relationships. Thankfully, they steer clear of cliché in favor of honesty.

Many of the tracks have that nasty habit of sticking around in the listener's head. One of the best is "We Will Become Silhouettes" ("We will become silhouettes when the music's finally done"). "Clark Gable" is another strong song. "This Place Is a Prison" vies for best lyrics on Give Up: "I know there's a big world out there like the one I saw on the screen/ In my living room late last night it was almost too bright to see/ I know that it's not a party if it happens every night/Pretending there's glamour and candelabra when you're drinking by candle light."

Give Up is an album that has the potential to cross genre barriers. For those who like emo/indie rock, electronica, or just want to try something different, The Postal Service has packed together a top-notch collection of music for your consumption.

4.5 tocks