Guilty Displeasure: Pinback "Autumn Seraphs"
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Pinback “Autumn Seraphs”
By Roxy S.
4 out of 10 Lets face it. These days, time is scant. In between dealing with days that end in “Y” or that don’t start with “S,” we hardly find the time to kick back, put up our feet, pop open a cold can of soda, and read a review. Now that you have, however, I might as well make it worth your time and that can of soda by cutting to the chase about my take on the SoCal band Pinback, whose album “Autumn Seraphs” is due mid-September. After listening to the record and collecting my thoughts on it, I’ve decided that the style of my review should reflect the album itself: simple, yet a tad unorthodox. Pinback was formed back in 1998, the brain child of musicians Armistead Burwell Smith IV (Zach Smith) and Rob Crowe. Initially formed off-handedly as Zach and Rob pursued other projects, namely Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable, Pinback realized its full potential once it got signed to AceFu Records. The release of their self-titled album marked their debut in 1999 and touring proceeded. Somewhat known for their tour-only EPs, such as “Arrive Having Eaten” and “This Is a Pinback Tour”, Pinback’s follow up album “Blue Screen Life” was released in 2001. In 2004, Pinback released Summer in Abaddon, its first album off current label Touch and Go Records. You may have heard them on the guilty pleasure I know you watched: The O.C. When asked about the upcoming album, Rob Crowe may have lost me with this: "That weird smell in the air when you somehow get outside in the morning of the harsh sun is baking the night off of the concrete. It makes you feel as if you've been missing something, and of course you have. One wonders how many experiences one will miss during their short time on earth just by doing what they would normally do everyday. There is almost always somewhere that you'd rather be, whether you know it or even think it’s possible or not... There are people for whom denying themselves pleasure makes them feel the most alive. I’m not sure if that would make life more or less difficult. This has nothing at all to do with Pinback's new album, 'Autumn of the Seraphs'." Well. My thoughts on the album are much simpler. They don’t involve the smell of sun-baked concrete, instead they take the form of an interview with myself on “Autumn Seraphs.” What do you think of Pinback’s new album “Autumn Seraphs”?I think it sounds like something I’ve heard before. Nice, but nothing extraordinary.
Did you like it?
It’s not particularly my taste.
Why not?
It’s not that it’s not a good album; I would definitely recommend “Autumn Seraphs” to someone who is just now breaking into alternative music. It’s just a bit simple sounding, as if the band hasn’t graduated to making music beyond teen TV soundtracks.
Does anything in particular stand out to you on the album? Any highs or lows you’d like to touch on?
My favorite track was “Good to Sea” with “Subbing for Eden” following in a close second. They probably stood out as two of the sunnier songs on the album. Other tracks such as “From Nothing to Nowhere” and “Devil You Know” are a bit more ominous than others such as ”Torch.” All tracks are marked by airy vocals and piano-like effects on the guitars with the occasional keyboards chiming in. I didn’t really care for the fact that EVERY sentence that was sung seemed to run on into the other due to a rise in pitch of the last word. Who would this album appeal to?High Schoolers looking to add some variety to their constant diet of rock radio bands like the Offspring, or Deathcab for Cutie.
Lyrically, were you able to identify with Pinback?No, I wasn’t really able to identify with lines like “You taste like tears/We share our soul.” Their lyrics seemed to go beyond the realm of the everyday and were teetering on the brink on transcendentalism with musings about life and the mind.Describe their sound:
A mixture of 311 meets Rooney or Interpol depending on the track.
Does their music have an obvious SoCal sound?
Maybe the brighter, poppier parts that remind me of Rooney, but certainly nothing that screams the Blink-182 SoCal sound.
What would you attribute their success to?They’re pretty easy to listen to, and they incorporate elements (however minimal) such as keyboards and layered vocals that make them both pop and alternative at the same time.
Overall, what were you feelings on Pinback with after hearing “Autumn Seraphs”?
All in all, I wasn’t too impressed. Personally, I don’t see myself going out and purchasing their cd. I don’t see myself downloading one or two token songs by them either. That's not to say I would get up and change the channel as I watched my friends Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer walk off into the sunset and off the O.C. set with “Autumn Seraphs” fading softly in the background. I’ve heard much better, and I’ve heard much worse.
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