Very cliche to say this but this album really is "more than the sum of its parts". Certainly, you can hear extremely solid post-punk instrumentation elswhere, as you can depressing and vague lyrics and some tortured barytone. But on this record, these elements come together and create something enchanting and almost hypnotic. Great album.
EDIT 05/26 95 --> 90: Still great but I was overly excited. Not the biggest fan of "Peoria Lunch Box Blues." Probably shouldn't have beat this album to death.
Extremely close to perfect. Never has an album made me feel quite like this. This is like being guided through communing with the apocalypse and some ghostly apparitions by a gentle voice. Very precious.
Very, very good. Doesn't reach the heights of his debut but I don't think anything could. It's still lush and warm and the new approach the percussion really elevates the whole experience.
Sincere, both musically and lyrically, almost to a fault? David Berman is at his best when diagnosing the world. Nights That Won't Happen or Margaritas at the Mall are my highlights. When it comes to being confessional and raw, I feel like he can't make up his mind whether to be self-pitying or self-deprecating. Neither of these positions really fits him as a songwriter.
Musically, I like the americana call backs but there isn't a single song where I think the music goes beyond ... read more