Ben Gibbard has the honorary distinction of being the only artist to appear twice on this list. (He also sings and writes for Death Cab for Cutie.) Completed through the mail as a side project for each of the "band's" two members, Give Up became one of the surprise hits of 2003, and, in my opinion, the year's best album.
It is not often that a side project exceeds the original band in quality, but the Postal Service managed to do so by juxtaposing Gibbard's romantic-dreamer lyrics with Jimmy Tamborello's layered effects and quirky beats. The result is a sound that sonically name-checks 80's electronica acts like Yaz and the Thompson Twins while managing to sound strikingly 21st-century.
Thanks to Tamborello's superb production, each individual song takes on a life of its own and the album sounds completely different from track to track, with the songs' effects matching and enhancing their lyrical content. "Clark Gable," a song about making a movie, opens with a whirring sound evocative of a film reel. "This Place is a Prison" speaks of "guards at the onramps, armed to the teeth" and because of the subterranean, pulsing drumbeat, it actually sounds exactly like it would look.
In the end, however, Gibbard's romantic optimism is what wins the day. Whether he's planning on sleeping in, starting a brand new colony, or writing a natural anthem to "rally the workers on strike for better pay," his optimism is palpable and his idealism infectious.
Now, if only he and Tamborello would tour...
Article comments
1 - BrownBoognish
I like your choices, but Sea Change came out in 2002.
2 - visualsimplicity
It's funny how Nada Surf will forever be known by the "Popular" song, but they've taken to the road and put together 2 great albums since then, and sadly, none will ever reach the same fame.
Oh and for some reason, I love Beck's creativity, but I found Sea Change (which was I think the result of him breaking up with his longtime girlfriend) to be rather long winded and a tad boring (all the songs also sounded very similar to me). I tried to get into it, but it was far too melancholy for me.
3 - John Adams
Ah, darn it, Boognish, you're right. And well before 2003 (September). But still, the first single didn't hit the airwaves till March or April 2003.
4 - The Theory
interesting picks. I like seeing both Switchfoot and Damian Jurado on there.
5 - Eric Olsen
very interesting list well defended, John, thanks