Tim Sendra
The band deserve all kinds of praise for pulling off the somewhat rare feat of being both musically adventurous and emotionally gripping on Only You Left; it feels like the destination to which all their previous excursions were leading and is a fine example of indie rock at its all-around best.
2mo
Is it their best? It's hard to top Southern Harmony and Musical Companion or Amorica, but Feathers comes damn close and that's enough to make it something quite special.
2mo
It's admirable that Palermo doesn't want to stick to just one sound, and some of the experiments work well, it's just that, ultimately, the misfires far outweigh the moments of promise.
3mo
Heavenly have done a fine job of delivering what their fans might expect -- indie pop at its finest -- with enough curveballs, gentle bite, and brilliant songs to make it sound 100% brand new, exciting, and impossible to write off as just another nostalgia trip.
3mo
This record, and Light Verse, show that he is still searching, still working hard, and still able to imbue his albums with the same deep feeling and unstinting beauty that he has from the beginning.
3mo
It's a perfect way to finish a really strong album, one that finds the band circling back to the reasons they started the group while also exploring new, very interesting territory.
3mo
3mo
Apart from the handful of filler-y oldies here, it's clear that the band -- Brian especially -- were striving for a pure form of expression free of the hit making machine. Even though they lost the battle in the end, the fight they put up was valiant and left their fans some truly wonderful music.
3mo
The whole record is made up of perfectly crafted gems authentic enough to fool a soul music snob, while still pushing the boundaries of the style in some very fun and interesting ways.
3mo
The overall sound is perhaps less exciting than previous albums, where one was never sure what the next song -- or even the next few minutes -- would bring. Here, there is a more cohesive, concentrated approach to the playing, arranging, and production.
6mo
Balloon Balloon Balloon is pure pop music for now and then people, skillfully crafted from bits and bobs of the past, then melded together into a sound that is exactly what the smoothed out, homogenous mid-2020's need.
6mo
They are fine additions to another set that -- minor quibbles, like a lack of true deep cut rarities that are alleged to be in the vault, aside -- is, if not quite the equal of the three that came before, still something any Beatles collector would want to own.
6mo
