ARTICLES
Benoît Pioulard's Précis
Label: Dynamophone
Label: Hidden Shoal

ALBUMS
Aemae
A Lily
Arc Lab
Blotnik Brothers
Gui Boratto
Cagesan
Jeremy Caulfield
Loren Dent
Do Make Say Think
Eats Tapes
Enduser
Domink Eulberg
Explosions in the Sky
Michael Fahres
The Field
Frivolous
Maximilian Hecker
Hug
Hush Arbors
Jan-M. Iversen
Espen Jørgensen
Kattoo
O.Lamm
Bruce Levingston
Tobias Lilja
Lusine
Marcia Blaine School
The Missing Ensemble
Nebulo
Ölvis
Charlemagne Palestine
Palomar
Pornopop
The Postmarks
Propergol Y Colargol
The Retail Sectors
R/R Coseboom
Sankt Otten
Scratch Massive
Slow Dancing Society
Stars of the Lid
subtractiveLAD
Sunosis
Aoki Takamasa
Amon Tobin
Tokyo Mask
Kate Wax
Wes Willenbring
Windmill

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
Chaos.Lovers
Cryosphere
Hub: 2004-2005
Rufs
Satoshi Tomiie

3" /7" /10"/12"/EPs
Agnes
AM/PM
Arctic Sunrise
Audion
Characterize 1
Dartriix
Death is Nothing To Fear
Don't Be A Stranger
Einóma
Fusiphorm
Heartthrob
Human Nature
Infant Cycle / Antmanuv
Lilienweiss
Luci
Mauve
Paco Osuna
Ben Parris
Carola Pisaturo
Portable
Sutekh
System
Aoki Takamasa
Cortney Tidwell
Andy Vaz

The Postmarks: The Postmarks
Unfiltered

On the eleven songs of its self-titled debut, Miami trio The Postmarks drinks from the inestimably rich well of classic ‘60s pop created by Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and Brian Wilson and mixes in shots of lounge music and French pop for added flavour. Singer Tim Yehezkely and instrumentalists Christopher Moll and Jonathan Wilkins concoct a lavish nouveau mix of dreamy vocals, irresistible pop hooks, and lush arrangements that's pretty much irresistible (the album's note-perfect forty-minute running time doesn't hurt either). The mood is wistful and innocent, the material drenched in ennui and bittersweet remembrances of distant summer nights and faded romances (crashing waves and seagulls even appear during the closing seconds of “You Drift Away”). The melancholy mood reigns throughout: though one expects that “Watercolors” might be a painterly departure of sorts, even it turns out to be a metaphor for failed amour (“Watercolors bleeding from my broken heart”).

The excellent opener “Goodbye” exudes a breezy, Petula Clark-Burt Bacharach vibe (there's even Tijuana Brass-styled muted horns straight out of “A Taste of Honey”) as Yehezkely's blithe sigh minces no hint of sadness over departing. Conversely, palpable regret haunts “Summers Never Seem to Last” as she laments the fleeting passage of summer while a Theremin-styled melody warbles amidst guitars and Farfisa organ. The elegant vocal interweave of “Carried on the breeze” and “I'm fall, fall, falling for you” which ends “Winter Spring Summer Fall” is especially lovely, while electric guitar twang brings “Know Which Way the Wind Blows” into Broadcast's orbit.

In an era of over-emotive divas, Yehezkely's reserved approach is a refreshing blast of fresh air. Having said that, her delivery can sometimes be a little bit too reserved; a bit more passion next time around wouldn't hurt. Detractors also will cite the album's singularly dour mood as excessive and, admittedly, The Postmarks strays little beyond its preferred emotional territory. Still, within that circumscribed area, the songs range between balladry (“Leaves,” “End of the Story”) and buoyancy (“Let Go”). Regardless, melancholy never felt as good as it does here, especially when pop nirvana is reached when Yehezkely croons “You Drift Away” while harpsichords and horns swell into a pillowy cloud behind her.

April 2007