The Postal Service - Give Up (Sub Pop; 2003)

The fourth album in my all time favorites series is quite different. It’s a fairly recent release and it was created as a side project, not by a true band. It’s important to note that this is a full-fledged album. I read somewhere recently that OK Computer might have been the last great album in the traditional sense. Many seem to believe that the internet and digital music have transferred the emphasis back to single tracks, as opposed to whole albums. However, I disagree with this claim. I think that there are still great albums, even if tracks are pushed on the internet like egg rolls at a Chinese jumbo buffet. You just have to look harder to find the best albums, and you have to spend more time letting them sink in.

What stays with me the longest from my favorite music is the feeling I get ever single time I listen. Often those feelings come from pleasant associated memories (view all my seasonal mix CD’s for example), but sometimes it can be purely created by the album. The beauty of Give Up is that both are true. The music stimulates my mind with the catchy rythyms and emotive lyrics, but there are also many incredible memories evoked. I close my eyes and it’s the spring of 2003 at Michigan State University. The world is coming alive. I’m sitting outside with friends, barbecuing, having a beer. I have someone to love and who loves me. The Michigan twilight shines through the tree branches and I feel the grass on my toes. But enough of that…

The most vital quality about Give Up, in my mind, was its power in heightening awareness of independent music. I was introduced to it through MSU’s Impact 89 FM radio station, where the tracks “Such Great Heights” and “Clark Gable” were played in regular rotation. Then I returned home for the summer to discover (through my younger brother) that everyone at my old high school was listening to the same music. So Give Up was essentially a major step in the right direction for modern music. Many people’s attentions are beginning to turn away from commercial radio and towards something better.

The Postal Service is Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie, and Jimmy Tamborello, who has been praised for his ability to cross indie rock with electronica. They reportedly got their name from their initial method of music composition. They would exchange bits and pieces through the mail (although maybe it was email, which would further add to the progressive nature of the album). This indie electronica really rests in a world of its own. Sure, some of it could be compared to Bjork or even Radiohead, but not consistently. Gibbard brought in his quirky songwriting with regular influences like the Smiths, and Tamborello brought a unique blend of beats and sonic trimmings reminiscent of 80’s new wave. The result is something like Phil Collins vs Daft Punk (the group did cover Collins’ easy rock hit “Against All Odds”). Then add on backing vocals from Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) and Jen Wood, and you have all the ingredients for a damn good musical concoction.

So what about the songs? An album is made up of songs, right? Well, some bands lose focus when making such inventive sound and aren’t able to congeal their ideas into effective songs. Luckily, that is not the case here. “Such Great Heights” is one of the catchiest tracks on the album (and was later covered by Iron and Wine for the Garden State soundtrack). The opening beeps give way to scratchy drums and Gibbard’s guitars, and the tale of long distance love helps to make this a sure winner. “Nothing Better” is one of my personal favorites. It’s a sort of argument between Gibbard and Wood playing partners in a failed relationship. Gibbard’s character is still in love, but Wood’s is ready to move on and explore other things. She feels that his romantic idealism is contrived. Hopefully there will be a sequel (preferably on a second Postal Service album) where the girl realizes what she’s lost. “Clark Gable” is another amazing song. It’s both a bittersweet tale of a man looking for wholesome, mutual love and a parody of the way we live through movies, basing our hopes and dreams on them. Instead of fading out, the album keeps raising the stakes. “We Will Become Silhouettes” touches on issues of mortality before breaking into ambient techno for the finale, and “Brand New Colony” opens with a keyboard riff straight out of a mid-80’s video game. “Natural Anthem” is a fitting closer as the song explodes into a chaotic fusion of whirlwind noises.

Recently in someone’s MySpace profile music section, they exclaimed that they liked “anything that makes me feel…” This made me think about my favorite music. Give Up not only reminds me of certain times when I felt great, but it also makes me feel great every time I listen to it. It’s mystical but accessible, progressive but reflective, classic pop but also novel digital sound. Give Up is an astonishing album. It shows that you can keep your feet on the ground and face the sadness and joy in life, but once in a while you can escape to a place in your mind that only you will know. And it will be wonderful.