Three Imaginary Girls - Grand Archives

Win tickets to Army Navy (opening for Grand Archives) at the Croc! {11/18}

imaginary victoria — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:58:51 +0000

Super silly, can't-look-away, grown-up.post-twee.Fountains of Wayne-ish antics await you in the video above from Army Navy -- it's the official take for the band's recent single "Ode to Janice Melt," and it's about seventeen different kinds of cute! If you dig their sound, you're in luck: Army Navy has the main support slot at this week's upcoming Croc show, warming the stage up for the one and only Grand Archives. And we've got a pair of tickets to give away!

See Me River play album release tonight, with Grand Archives and S. at the Tractor

Chris Estey — Thu, 20 May 2010 08:37:58 +0000

{See Me River photo by Kyle Johnson}

Tonight is a three band deep jubilee of American self-expression as smart and intimate as a poem by Walt Whitman, and as big and overflowing with talent as a Seattle Carter Family.

The Tractor hosts See Me River's album release for The One That Got A Wake, their latest and best album so far. They're middle in the bill, but SMR's latest songs (among the best: "A Drink To The Kids," "Pasithea Will Try," and scopious character study and album opener "Heroine") are more ample in composition and have a flux in both lyrical insights and musical twists than ever. If you've often been blown away by the majestic pull and sweep of the Kerry Zettel and his dark-garbed collective of players' performances live but have been waiting for less minimalist and doomy undertones, the bracing, sobering wake up call of The One That Got A Wake will be the one that sucks you in. Check out the new songs and see for yourself, and I bet you'll be walking away with a copy tonight.

GIVE-ing season arrived this week -- with a 30+ track local artist compilation

imaginary victoria — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:24 +0000

Fresh off the presses from our inboxes comes this week's launch of GIVE -- 30 downloadable tracks from a variety of Seattle artists, who are donating their songs to benefit Arts Corps and local area foodbanks. The $7.00 (!) compilation, which was produced, curated, and funded by Caffe Vita, will be available online here. Physical compilations can be picked up at all Caffe Vita locations, Easy Street Records, Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile, EMP, Neumo's, and Sorrento Hotel. The in-hand compilations will include a physical card with a redemption code for the download, and a prettied-up sleeve to make it a ready-to-give present.

Here's the full track listing -- nearly all of which are exclusive to the compilation:

Keep In Mind Frankenstein

Chris Estey — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:44:28 +0000

8.1

http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Mind-Frankenstein-Grand-Archives/dp/B002GZQYAW/?tag=threeimagi-20

grandarchives.jpg

Keep In Mind Frankenstein was recorded at a studio called Paradise Sound in a spiritually and economically crippled town called Index, WA. This berg was no paradise though, with many necrotic mining town incidents, including a rumored double suicide somehow helping to inspire the album's dim, moist feel.

What was supposed to be Grand Archive's glory-to-glory follow up to their assured self-titled Sub Pop debut was instead swallowed by spontaneous new material, sung in first takes in nocturnal bursts of inspiration as the band were isolated in the loony-boonies. (I won't imagine the libations, but absinthe and opium seem possible.) The Furies-style haunted backing vocals of Sera Cahoone and Jenn Ghetto returned to help previous bandmate and Grand Archives leader Mat Brooke (singer, songwriter, guitar) create something as beautiful as it is disturbing. Everything that had been prepared for Frankenstein had been jettisoned save for "Dig That Crazy Grave," which, despite its title, is placed in the middle of the second half of the album as some relief to the gorgeous Washington State Death Trip swooning and moaning around it.

The first song after all is "Topsy's Revenge," in which it seems the ghost of the elephant who was filmed being electrocuted by Thomas Edison craves the burning down of the carnival town he was sacrificed in. This is one of those pretty little vocal-based numbers that creep up on you, seeming like perfectly pleasant contemporary indie folk-rock until you realize that Brooke is channeling a world of angst and his mournful repeated finish feels both more compelling and threatening on repeated playing.

With recording help again by the hotly-buzzed about producer Ben Kersten (The Lights, Panda & Angel, Blood Brothers), Brooke pulled in an old Radio Shack Theremin, and designed destruction into the creation of the album by making an enormous glass harp out of wine glasses, which he smashed to bits after putting the unholy sound in songs like the melodically gripping "Oslo Novelist." Touches like these would mean little if this were just another freak folk album or bland singer-songwriter faire; but these are meticulously painted musical backgrounds for some astonishingly improvised performances, with excellent lyrics delivered with dark but restrained emotion.

I almost hate to push the black, weird elements of the album, as that might hinder commercial sales of a collection of songs simply superior to most in the band's emergent genre. I am into finely created depressive stuff, so I'm going to be playing this all year -- but probably wouldn't have if it wasn't both so well thought out and sounding as if it was created in a moment of uncanny possession. Frankenstein is no stitched-up sophomore album for the soft beard crowd; its layers may reveal a true masterpiece as we return to it again and again over the next few months. That I intend to says enough right there.

Grand Archives and See Me River at the Crocodile

Chelsea Werner — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:13:36 +0000

12 Jun 2009

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I’d like to register a complaint against the sound guy at the Crocodile on Friday. No matter where you were standing it felt like your ears were clogged, or your head was wrapped in cellophane. Having never seen Grand Archives live before, I wrote off a lot of their shortcomings to the poor sound quality. However, upon reflection, I have to say it was truly just a boring show.

Packed chock-full of indie musician stars, Mat Brooke’s follow up to Band of Horses with drummer Curtis Hall (The Jeunes), bassist Jeff Montano (The New Mexicans), and guitarist/keyboard player Ron Lewis (Ghost Stories), this band’s reputation precedes it. But for a band touted for their innovative use of unique instruments, this four-piece did little more than strum and bang. Since when did lap slide guitar become something unusual? Maybe they were referring to the harmonica at the beginning of “Birds?” Doubtful.

Most of their old material sounded flat, lacking in variety or catchy hooks. “Sleepdriving” lost all the nuanced lulls that allowed the slightest of climaxes to be powerful. The violin on this song off their self-titled first album was missing, and it made for a completely placid song. My favorite song, the Bee-Gees inspired “Index Moon,” was also watered down and ended early, while other songs dragged on for too long.

“Orange Juice” was one of the few songs that didn’t feel like labor. In fact it was a short period of respite in their almost entirely slow and mundane set. “Torn Blue Foam Couch” was saved for the encore as if it was a reward for the people left in the slowly thinning crowd.

Their new material like “Fireworks,” a song heavily steeped in country and slide, was hard to pick out. “Silver Among The Gold” was the only exception to this, and felt like the only upbeat song played that evening. The bridge was overwhelmed by a danceable drumbeat that felt completely out of character, but at least it was enjoyable.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like this band’s first album and I'm looking forward to Keep In Mind Frankenstein, due out in September. They offer a nice amount of variety while having a strong and consistent identity in relevant country and folk rooted rock. However I think they should reconsider their set list.

I found See Me River more compelling. They played songs off their new EP, a precursor to their upcoming release, Time Machine, out this summer. Their unique sound derives from the interplay between singer Kerry Zettel's dark and baritone vocal melodies and the instrumental combination of an impressive lineup. Joe Arnone (Charming Snakes and Band Of Horses), Aaron Everett (Das Llamas), Kellie Payne (Charming Snakes and Weirdlords), Tosten Larson (Thorstone, Solo), and Ben Cisner (Tiny Vipers and Windsor For The Derby) are perhaps lesser known on the indie scene than the band members of Grand Archives, but they actually delivered.

Even if they did have three guitarists and a fourth 12-string. Even if the bassist’s antics were offensive and sometimes they really leaned into that cowbell or got nostalgic for the 90’s, even with all this, they were more entertaining than The Grand Archives.

Noise for the Needy choice for Friday night: Grand Archives, See Me River and more...

Chelsea Werner — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:11:29 +0000

Grand Archives, a group of veteran indie rockers, is touring for the upcoming release of their second full-length album, Keep In Mind Frankenstein, due out September 15th. That’s the day before my birthday. I’ll think of it as Mat Brooke’s (Band of Horses) present to me.

If you’re enamored with the idea of five part harmonies echoing out over an array of unexpected instruments, then you should probably check out this show. Their dreamy melodies manage to throttle into rollicking, knee-jerk inducing crescendos. And other times they stay subdued, and sometimes they fall into different eras but they always find a core in their folk rock roots.

They are playing The Crocodile tonight, Friday 6/12 with Seattle-based See Me River, touring for their March 2009 EP, a precursor to their upcoming summer release, Time Machine. Their acoustic sound rests on the crest of the New Wave and crashes into a gothic country ocean.

The openers for the show, The Curious Mystery, also a Seattle band, released Rotting Slowly this May on K Records. Listening to Shana Cleveland’s vocals tripping along the curb of a pot-hole ridden road, is like skinning your palms for the first time since you were ten; a bit unexpected and nostalgically pleasing.

Check out “Ed Jackson” from See Me River on KEXP’s song of the day blog.

Lumberjack Rock

heather b — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:55:24 +0000

Chris B's Schmindie News Roundup and it's ensuing comments lit a fire under me to write this little blurb I've been meaning to get out for a while. While some, Chris B included, may feel this way:

I'm regularly asked to define schmindie, so, to me, schmindie is boring indie rock that gets the benefit of the doubt because it's "indie". Generally, if it has guys with beards and/or acoustic guitars, you're probably going to need to wake me when it's over.

I tend to disagree. I totally love me some good ol' acoustic indie-folk rock and I feel like there is so much quality stuff coming out of Seattle right now. For the past year or so, I've often found myself in discussions with other local music lovers regarding the post-grunge Seattle sound and I've heard it called several things: "Campfire Rock", "Trucker Rock", "Beard Rock" and now this "Schmindie" label.

Best of 2008: Top Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll Winners

three imaginary girls — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:08:31 +0000

Upset. The word of the our 2008 Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll is upset.

With the Fleet Foxes winning readers and critical polls alike, who would've thought they wouldn't get top honors in our humble little Northwest poll? But they didn't -- they placed a distant second to New Faces, another debut record from some very talented, very young Northwest fellas.

We had other surprises as well, with unsigned newcomers such as Hey Marseilles, the Kindness Kind, and Kaylee Cole cracking the top ten, beating out Northwest heavyweights such as Death Cab for Cutie. We did not expect that. And we love it when you surprise us, dear readers.

We imaginaries like to champion the up-and-comers from the Northwest, and our results indicate that you do as well. We think you all also have fabulous taste, as always. Thanks to everyone who participated in our poll. We couldn't be more proud or thrilled to present the top 50 winners on your behalf...

Winners of the TIG Top Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll:

50. Michael Vermillion - Last Night on Earth {info}
49. Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Caffeine, Alchohol, Sunshine, Money {album review}
48. Destruction Island - Destruction Island Preaches the New Wilderness
47. Boy Eats Drums Machine - Booomboxxx
46. The Apple War - Alarm Bell City {live show review}
45. The Hungry Pines - Golden You {info}
44. Hypatia Lake - Angels & Demons Space & Time {info}
43. All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It {live show review}
42. The Dandy Warhols - ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... {info}
41. By Sunlight - By Sunlight
40. Blue Scholars - Butter and Guns {info}
39. Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements {album review}
38. Your Heart Breaks - Love is a Long Dark Road
37. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt {info}
36. H is for Hellgate - Come for the peaks stay for the valleys {info}
35. Andrea Wittgens - In The Skyline {info}
34. Common Market - Black Patch War {album review}
33. Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live! {album review}
32. Chris Walla - Field Manual {album review}
31. Head Like a Kite - There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere {album review}
30. Lake - Oh, the Places You'll Go
29. BOAT - Topps {info}
28. 31 Knots - Worried Well {info}
27. Gutter Twins - Saturnalia {album review}
26. Moondoggies - Don't Be A Stranger {info}
25. Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands - Cody's Dream {album review}
24. Tea for Julie - The Sense in Tying Knots {album review}
23. Central Services - Central Services Presents... The Board of Education! {info}
22. These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower & Dove {info}
21. Speaker Speaker - Call It Off {info}
20. Sera Cahoone - Only As the Day Is Long {album review}
19. Dutchess and the Duke - She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke {live show review}
18. The Saturday Knights - Mingle {album review}
17. Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams {album review}
16. Helms Alee - Night Terror {live show review}
15. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head - Glistening Pleasure {live show review}
14. Death Cab for Cute - Narrow Stairs {album review}
13. Voyager One - Afterhours in the Afterlife {album review}
12. Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies - Hey Lazarus {album review}
11. Black Nite Crash - Array {info}
10. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees {album review}
9. Blitzen Trapper - Furr {album review}
8. Grand Archives - Grand Archives {album review}
7. Hey Marseilles - To Travels and Trunks {live show review}
6. Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead {album review}
5. Man Plus - Hungarian Suicide Songbook {album review}
4. The Kindness Kind - The Kindness Kind {info}
3. Kaylee Cole - We're Still Here Missing You {live show review}
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes {album review}
1. New Faces - Two Years {album review}

Bestof2008-180.jpg

Upset. The word of the our 2008 Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll is upset.

Best of 2008: Top Northwest Releases of 2008 TIG Editorial Picks

three imaginary girls — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:10:11 +0000

TIG staffers are a lot like you -- coming up with our list of faves for the year is a fun and gripping process. After comparing/contrasting/debating our individual favorites, we figured the sum of our imaginary parts would make for an interesting list.

While ChrisB and Keenan, among other things, brought in the power-pop elements, Chris Estey stood by the smartie subtle elements of this year's Northwest offerings. Imaginary liz, as usual, loved the lo-fi and indie-pop songs, while imaginary dana spent much of the year obessed with Throw the the Statue and of course, the Fleet Foxes. And nearly all of us agreed that the Saturday Knights album was a force to be reckoned with. Here's our our staff votes tallied up...

Top Northwest Releases of 2008, TIG Editorial Picks:

25. The Nextdoor Neighbors - Magic Vs The Machine {live show review}
24. The Dead Science - Villanaire {album review}
23. H is for Hellgate - Come for the peaks stay for the valleys {info}
22. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underdround - Kay Kay and His Weathered Underdround {live show review}
21. BOAT - Topps EP {live show review}
20. LoveLand - The Beautiful Truth {info}
19. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees {album review}
18. Common Market - Black Patch War {album review}
17. Chris Walla - Field Manual {album review}
16. Hey Marseilles - To Travels and Trunks {live show review}
15. Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Caffeine, Alchohol, Sunshine, Money {album review}
14. Grand Archives - Grand Archives {album review}
13. Man Plus - Hungarian Suicide Songbook {album review}
12. Wallpaper - On The Chewing Gum Ground
11. (TIE) Young Sportsmen - If You Want It {album review}
11. (TIE) Doll Test - Mosque Alarm Clock
10. The Pica Beats - Beating Back the Claws of the Cold {info}
9. Team Gina - Products of the 80s {album review}
8. The Kindness Kind - The Kindness Kind {info}
7. The Pharmacy - Choose Ur Own Adventure {info}
6. Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams {album review}
5. Dutchess and the Duke - She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke {live show review}
4. The Old Haunts - Poisonous Times {live show review}
3. All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It {live show review}
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes {album review}
1. The Saturday Knights - Mingle {album review}

Peruse some of individual staffer favs:

Amelia Gydé
ChrisB
Chris Estey
Erik Gonzalez
keenan dowers
Kyle Johnson {his photos} {other's photos}
imaginary dana
imaginary liz
Shrie

skwinner.jpg

imaginary dana's top Northwest picks for 2008

imaginary dana — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:05 +0000

I'm a chronic procrastinator, so here it is, January 5th, and I'm finally ready to make sense of the musical chaos and wonderment that was 2008 and compile a list of favorites.

Don't even try to make me rank these releases in order, or I'll never, ever finish my list. Let's just say these were some of the very best local bands in my iTunes list this year, presented alphabetically.

IG Shrie's Top Ten Plus Plus!

Imaginary Shrie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:03:06 +0000

2008 was an interesting musical, and personal, year for me. I listened to a lot of indie rock, electronica and went to a shit-ton of shows (one of which was the best I've ever seen, thanks Of Montreal).

Best of 2008: Top 10 Albums from Becca Minkoff of the Triple Door

ChrisB — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:47:07 +0000

I had asked some music-related friends to send me their best of 2008 lists with the promise that I'd post them here. The first to send their list in is Becca Minkoff, the lovely and brilliant assistant marketing director and 3D webmaster for The Triple Door.

Grand Archives, Shearwater and The Dutchess & The Duke rock the Yule Benefit

imaginary victoria — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:54:00 +0000

12 Dec 2008

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As it has been for the last several years running, KEXP's 6th annual Yule Benefit was a roaring success. With a close to capacity crowd, Neumo's had no shortage on holiday cheer -- on top of the feel-good holiday buzz, there were tiny lights on the banisters, boys in tights and Santa-hats, and a few hundred cut-out snowflakes lining the walls. Sparkly and gorgeous, it was enough to warm the hearts of even the Grinchiest of Grinches!

Of course, the music didn't disappoint either: Friday night's set served up a helping of home-baked goodness with the sweet sounds of The Dutchess & The Duke, followed by the melodic large-guitar assault of Shearwater. And as if that weren't enough, feel-good headliners Grand Archives tied the whole night off with a bow.

Make sure to check out more shots in the flickr pool, and stay warm out there, everybody!

The Friday installment of KEXP's 6th annual fundraiser jingled our bells!

Win tickets to this weekend's KEXP's Yule Benefit

imaginary liz — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:23:23 +0000

KEXP know how to do it right. This year they are marking the holidays with not one, but two nights of yule goodness... and they are sharing the good times with us by giving us a pair of tickets for each night of Yule to give away to a lucky imaginary reader.

And in classic KEXP style, both evenings' line-ups are bumpin':

Friday 12/12 @ Neumo's

    * Grand Archives
    * Shearwater
    * The Dutchess and The Duke

Saturday 12/13 @ Neumo's

    * Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
    * Shearwater
    * Cancer Rising

You can enter to win tickets for each night, but you must enter each one seperately. To enter, email us at tig @ threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "KEXPYule-FRIDAY" or "KEXPYule-SATURDAY" before 4p (PST) on Monday, December 7th and you'll be entered to win.

***Please make sure to include your name in the body of the email***

Sub Pop 20: Grand Archives

imaginary stella — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:47:16 +0000

13 Jul 2008

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"So, this is our first reunion in 20 years," jokingly quipped Mat Brooke as Grand Archives took the stage and gracefully eased into the carefree "Miniature Birds."

Grand Archives were a great way to start this slow Sunday, helping me ease back into festival mode after a long and fantastic day yesterday. "Thanks for getting out of bed and coming to see us," said the band in gratitude. Their sweet vocal harmonies, lilting tempos, and quiet melodies awakened my senses as the mid-day sun began to filter through Marymoor Park's trees.

Most of the set, played to a very small crowd, contained material off the band's self-titled release, though they introduced one new song. I feel badly for the bands who get slotted on these early shifts, as folks are just trickling in, sparsely dotting the park grounds.

Missing from this show, as compared to the last time I saw GA at The Triple Door, was the gaggle of special guests to help the band on vocals and backup harmonies. I couldn't realistically have expected such stars to align yet again, but I can't deny that I ached for that special something. Without the wistful harmonies of Jenn Ghetto, for instance, some of these tracks fell flat here today.

The quietness of the bulk of the set helped quell the growing summer heat and keep the mood mellow. But when the band concluded with the rousing (and significantly louder) "The Crime Window" -- which last time I sugested should have been their closer -- heads began bobbing and folks seemed a bit more alert again.

Bring on the onslaught of quirky noise about to hit us from just-announced Blitzen Trapper.

Their sweet vocal harmonies, lilting tempos, and quiet melodies awakened my senses as the mid-day sun began to filter through Marymoor Park's trees.

Happy birthday, Sub Pop! Fave 20 releases of all time

imaginary stella — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:00:31 +0000

Here, in tribute to the Seattle label's 20 years of not going out of business, are my favorite 20 releases from Sub Pop from the past two decades. I encourage you to check out their catalog and provide yours, too.

Best of 2008: it's half-yearly check-in time

three imaginary girls — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:45:01 +0000

As of today, we're officially in the second half of 2008. Welcome! To gear you up for another fabulous six months of local Northwest releases, we here at imaginary headquarters have brainstormed an imaginary mix for all of you, containing some of our favorite songs by Northwest artists released this year to date thus far.

No promises that each of these will make our Best of 2008 Reader's Poll final list, but at least this way you have the next six months to follow-up and listen to these releases before you have to decide. To paraphrase imaginary ChrisB, we feel like this list is pretty unfuckwithable. But that doesn't mean that we didn't inadvertently overlook something great. If you have additions for our list, please chime in with your comments below.

Flickr photo(s) of the day: Sasquatch faves

imaginary dana — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:22:22 +0000

We had loads of Sasquatch photos posted to the TIG Sparkly Indie-Pop Photos pool, and we've selected a few faves to share with you.

Top 50 Imaginary keywords this month

imaginary dana — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:10:25 +0000

For the keyword curious, here's the full top 50 ways folks found TIG in Google last month.

Grand Archives

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:56:51 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Archives/dp/B0011HF5YW/wwwthreeimagi-20/

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Rising out of the ashes of Carissa's Wierd, and of Band of Horses more recently, Grand Archives gives us an intimate and promising debut on Sub Pop. This Emerald City quintet is shedding the forlorn idealism of some of their other projects, and instead are responding to, and propelling, their progress with a sense of hope and high spirits. Formed by Mat Brooke with friends Curtis Hall, Jeff Montano, and Ron Lewis, and later joined by Thomas Wright, Grand Archives are hell bent on banishing the darkness and stepping into the light.

Powered by illuminating pop and blunted by a Low-esque barrage of harmonizing vocals, Grand Archives are steadfast in their sound. They seem to know exactly where they've come from and exactly where they want to be. "Torn Blue Foam Couch" starts off as a ballad and comfortably ascends into a confident and breezy track. Muted brass and a sunshiny vibe make this an excellent appetizer.

Sounding a bit like a contented Archer Prewitt song, "Miniature Birds" brings us summer in a song. A down-home harmonica accompaniment coupled with cheery whistling and belting horns just melts my heart right into a puddle. When did Mat Brooke get so good? According to many Carissa's Wierd fans, he's just always been that way, and judging by this earnest album he won't be changing his ways anytime soon.

"George Kaminksi" drips like dark molasses out of Mat Brooke's mouth. Plaintive and stripped down, this track really showcases Brooke's heartfelt songwriting. "George Kaminski" references an incarcerated man who once held the record for collecting the most four-leaf clovers. For such a charming subject matter, this song sure does tweak the heart. Though a lot of the tracks hit the melancholy mark, there is an optimistic tinge to the whole album. It's well crafted, pieced together seamlessly and a thoroughly enjoyable record. That being said, there is a repetitive quality to these songs as well. Grand Archives have dug out a specific style and stick with the winning formula, which makes for a consistent but slightly arid selection.

The most standout track, in my opinion, is "Sleepdriving." It washes in and out, lulling with near perfection. The harmonies click together effortlessly to create an emotive, warm track. This is virile, real pop sung like it means something. Normally I'm not a fan of lots of strings in pop music but Sarah Standord's violin addition really sets the tone for this song. The organic, elegant lyrics that are repeated at the end of the song are heart-wretchingly beautiful — "Outside those crows in lines on those frozen roads and wire, sleepdriving away..."

Picking you up off of the floor and slapping you back into action, "The Crime Window" blows in with shouting lyrics and piano-banging rock. Grand Archives wouldn't dare leave you in a huff, despair dragging you down into the depths. Instead they finish with charming trombone and lilting vocals on "Orange Juice," which is a short track but an apt ending to a truly well made record. Ben Kersten, of Mysterious Red X Studios, really did a hell of a job producing this album and putting it together.

Though I hear Crosby Stills Nash and Young and a little bit of Polyphonic Spree sprinkled throughout, Grand Archives make their own special kind of blithe, atmospheric pop. The cover art on this album is delectable... the music is rich and engaging.... and I think next time I see Mat at the Redwood I'll tell him so.

Grand Archives are hell bent on banishing the darkness and stepping into the light.