ENTRY 3
Jeff Rosenstock - POST-
Genre: Power Pop, Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Prog Pop
So one of my favorite artists of all time has decided to drop a new album out of absolutely nowhere once again. I hear this one is quite a bit more strange than then anything else he's ever recorded and just looking at the tracklisting I see a 7 minute song and an 11 minute song, so I'm not expecting just the usual power punk affair. I don't really have patience to write any more of an intro because I just want to hear this album, so without further ado.
Track 1 & 2: Mornin' and USA
Mornin' is a 5 second track, so I'm including it with the first actual track USA. Alright this has come in incredibly strong, the chord progression is classic Jeff, but the tempo has been slowed a lot than usual. Some great lead guitar work here as usual. About 1 minute in and we're already going through some sort of interlude/build up. Yeah I can see why this is strange for him. And suddenly this heaven-high crescendo out of absolutely nowhere. The song almost feels like it's ending, but there's at least 4 minutes left. OH finally, Jeff has given into his electronic impulses, this is pure chiptune goodness. Really beautiful atmospheric synth stuff, just looping on these two beautiful major 7th chords. Alright seem to be building back into some more uptempo, oh I see. So the angelic crescendo I was talking about earlier is back, so it seems to almost act as chorus in this song. This is absolutely ridiculous, this outro. Okay stop reading this review now and just go listen to the album this is nuts man.
Track 3: Yr Throat
Alright back into more familiar territory song length wise. Really liking the galloping drums here in the beginning and raw recording quality of SOME of the instruments. Alright this feels like something off of WORRY, but a bit more interesting chord-wise. Apparently Jeff is now afraid of the verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure because I have yet to hear it on this album yet. He's instead adopting a "I will write and structure songs however I damn please" method.
Track 4: All This Useless Energy
Wow that is some weird production on that acoustic guitar. Strange production choices on this whole album, but not in way that cheapens the record or makes it worse. Really cool tune on this one, and is this a normal pop structure I'm hearing???? If this kind of quality keeps up this might do the impossible and beat out WORRY. In love with the "so in the background synths you can barely make them out". Man I could talk about the chords Jeff uses all day man, so strange.
Track 5: Powerlessness
This is the first track that even remotely has a punk feel to it, but the way is mixed it doesn't really feel like a punk track, more like a sped up singer/songwriter thing at least here. Alright here's all the instruments. Another good tune, but easily the worst I've heard on this album. By no means does that mean bad, it just means something I've heard many a time listening to Jeff Rosenstock records. The chorus is pretty damn sticky though, can't get enough of that.
Track 6: TV Star
Absolutely beautiful start up from this synth and piano. Dream-like feel to this one. I like the transition into more standard singer/songwriter with the "generic" drum fill. Loving the instrumentation on this record quite strange even for a Jeff Rosenstock. This is a wonderful song through and through. I love this little acoustic guitar run through some sort of synth to give it this wash over sound that feels so out of place, but it works somehow. This track is giving me flashbacks to When You're A Ghost, but it definitely has its own identity.
Track 7: Melba
Alright I believe I heard some sort of version of this song went I went to see Jeff live, I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like I've heard this song at least in demo form... somewhere. I at least recognize the title. YES HE PLAYED THIS LIVE! This is a damn great song, pretty basic power pop ****, but that in no way is an insult. When listening to Jeff you have to remember his most generic ranks up with the absolute best of any other power pop artist. Great bridge here. Loving the subtle organ that pops in and out of the background. Love this one.
Track 8: Beating My Head Against The Wall
So I have heard this one already, Jeff released it on some compilation last year and while I loved the song I did not think it would be on his next album. From the demo version I heard it seems like a more standard punk/power pop song than I'm used to hearing from him. It's also a very short song, so hopefully this new version kicks my ass. Alright it seems about the same except everything is actually recorded properly. The synth actually adds a lot to this one, gives it some more harmony in general and makes the song a bit more interesting. Great little song.
Track 9: 9/10
Second to last song, and last before the 11 minute epic. Another synth start to this one. Kinda feels like a synthpop song right now, that's not something I've ever felt I could say with a Jeff Rosenstock song. The vocal melody in the chorus is so damn nice. Wow this genuine beauty, there's a lot going on in the prod that I can't really properly describe. Really beautiful near-jazzy guitar solo. Jeff I'm glad you've finally indulged yourself in some more experimental production again, it's been a while. Yeah this one is blowing me away.
Track 10: Let Them Win
Here we go. Loving the double tracked bass here, gives this a really heavy feel to it. This is the kind of production I'm always looking in records, production that feels like a sonic experience as much as the songs themselves. Love the stop start rhythm in the A section here. This is the first album where I'm hearing a lot of jazz influence in the rhythms and some of the guitar playing. This record just feels absolutely massive compared to his other records, for whatever reason this also feels like his first truly proper album if that makes sense? This is the first time everything has felt entirely professional in sound and presentation. Also this guitar solo is absolutely kicking, holy **** man. The entire is just building and going to war with itself while this lone guitar just soars on top of everything. Man this is only halfway through the song too. That acoustic guitar just sounds beautiful... now a lone synth? Uh is this about to become a progressive electronic piece? It seems to be... This is actually really spacey and beautiful. I'd like to hear him really indulge in his more electronic side like this some day. Idk I feel like we could get a power pop Kid A out of this man. So this is really the rest of the track... I'm completely digging this. Amazing song, amazing closer.
OVERALL
I mean... damn Jeff really good job. Really good job...This is his best yet.
8/10