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Rainy Day Music
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Rainy Day Music
Current price: $42.99
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Barnes and Noble
Rainy Day Music
Current price: $42.99
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' seventh album backs away from their "super-
" releases like
and the underrated
and looks back to their earlier, rootsier sound. The band has whittled itself down again following the departures of keyboardist
and longtime guitarist
, leaving behind core songwriter and vocalist
, founding member
on bass, and longtime drummer
assisted by newcomer
on guitar. Produced by
(and overseen by
),
goes back even further than the band's first albums, channeling the ghosts of
,
, and
, and interpreting their '60s
jangle and lazy, sunny harmonies through
' own sweetly awkward formula.
in particular, gives the listener a sense of
, sounding like a long lost
demo, and the chiming Rickenbacker 12-string guitar of the leadoff track,
could've been lifted right from the master tapes of
The first six tracks are all vintage
gems -- trembling and honest, with warm melodies and hooks for days. Unfortunately, the album stumbles in the second half with the inclusion of two
compositions (which try too hard to evoke
's world-weary mumble and
's nasal whine), and an unsuccessful stab at heartland
on
Although the summertime love song
and the waltzing
provide bright spots near the end, the album never fully recovers. This is a real shame, since the whole affair starts so strong, and it seems as though if side B could've been trimmed by about four songs (and 15 minutes),
would stand alongside their strongest albums. Still, fans who complained that their last two albums were "too poppy" or "not rootsy enough" should be pleased with this direction, and it's certainly an album that gets better with each listen, so it may yet prove to be worth its weight in acoustic gold. ~ Zac Johnson