MARC CHOQUETTE
Online Content Manager
San Diego indie rock band Pinback has epitomized what can be called the “limbo phenomenon” in today’s increasingly expanding genre of rock, which is loosely labeled “indie.” With pop melodies, frequent harmonizing and ambient rhythms, the band’s stylings in past albums like the 2001 “Blue Screen Life” and the 2004 “Summer in Abaddon,” have turned heads and earned favorable responses, with the latter cracking the Billboard Top 200.
Yet, despite fantastic singles like “Tripoli” and “Penelope,” along with a spot on the soundtrack of TV show “The OC,” it never seemed to break out of their musical shell and into the limelight, or even find new territories.
Thus, Pinback has stayed in rocker limbo, a place where you get the respect and the reassuring feeling that you will never be labeled a sell out, but not quite the money or fame that goes along with the next step up.
But, the band’s latest release, “Autumn of the Seraphs” (2007) attempts to propel Pinback out of the background and far from what is perceived to have been holding it back — tendencies for its music to be labeled too empty, lethargic or indecipherable for the mainstream.
Pinback’s first release in four years opens with the first track “From Nothing to Nowhere,” with its fast, driving tempo, wastes no time indicating a move in a different direction from previous works, as it is a direction that perhaps will shed them of their “lethargic” label.
This wake-up call of sorts represents an obviously fresh, more focused direction for the duo. While earlier albums were solid from top to bottom, tracks sometimes lacked direction and sounded empty at times. It was as if someone had built a strong foundation and first few floors, yet never had time to complete the roof and bring the project full circle.
Pinback has traditionally been known to gravitate towards the sound some have coined “math rock,” which is characterized not by student bands at Cal Poly, but by edgy rhythms and tight tempos. Yet, the band has been known to give a unique twist to this approach, adding a sense of tranquility to the mathematical edginess with spacey vocals, frequent harmonizing and simple guitar and piano riffs.
With experimentation into song structures more characteristic of the progressive rock genre (downbeat heavy rhythms, faster tempos), this new direction would in theory seem like a good way to build on Pinback’s spacious, but at times empty sound. It certainly worked on tracks such as the epic “Off by 50” and electronic-heavy “Bouquet,” which combine a pulsating beat with slow synths and soft vocals to show a whole new side of the band.
But, despite this new influence, sounds of classic Pinback are still prevalent throughout the album, especially in the first single, “Good to Sea,” which features a simple, yet catchy acoustic riff surrounded by melodic pop-tendencies and falsetto choruses.
“Walters,” perhaps the most memorable track, features soft, looped acoustic guitars below a beautifully simple piano progression. The lyrics tell the story of adventurer Lawrence Walters, the “Lawn Chair Pilot,” who in 1982 traveled from San Pedro to Long Beach in a lawn chair from Sears tied to 45 helium balloons, his makeshift ship called Inspiration I.
“He said it was amazing,” Crow repeats in the chorus. But, he could have also been talking about the switches in tempo in the song, where a slow start gives way to a Police-like rhythmic urgency, and again to a harder finish, all but showing that Pinback has come far from 1999’s self-titled album.
Yet, for as much experimentation and blending of old and new styles that exists on “Autumn of the Seraphs,” it seems that Pinback still suffers from what has always plagued it: its inability to write a memorable, catchy tune.
While songs often get ridiculed for being “catchy,” there is that magical element that attracts us to a song (I mean, what else can it be called?) and, although Pinback strives to get songs to that level, only a few tracks on the album will really jump out at the listener, at least in the first few listens.
Friends often tell me they love Pinback, but it seems like they are habitually doomed to be background music. This assumption sells the band short, but “Autumn” will not necessarily do much to change minds.
The album represents new horizons for Pinback, but do not expect it to be a breakthrough album for the band. But, good news for those familiar with the older material — the new directions are worth a listen.
09-27-2007
