Blue Screen Life by Pinback

Pinback
Blue Screen Life
2001
Indie
Ace Fu

1. Offline P.K.
2. Concrete Seconds
3. Boo
4. Bbtone
5. Penelope
6. Talby
7. X. I. Y.
8. Prog
9. Your Sickness
10. Seville
11. West
12. Tres
(Also included is a 500x500 album cover .jpeg)

Oh, Penelope
Are you filled with air
Swallowed oxygen
That makes you float up?
Is it Dropsy?
Will your lungs swell?
It's depressing me
To see you struggle

-"Penelope"

Pinback is a band that wouldn't have any problems playing a show in front of an angry bear or a swarm of bees. No sudden movements. They're a two man band whose music consists of clean electric guitars, harmonized vocals, drum machines (live drummers on some songs), and the occasional synth lead or two. The two singers often are singing two totally different verses at the same time, and each's guitar playing really compliments the other's.

Their songs usually start out very simple, and slowly add different elements into the mix in a very natural way that is very calm until by the end everything's crazy. The sound created is a very natural and stream-of-conciousness type of music that is really soothing. Not so much in a Sigur Rós way (I actually bought Blue Screen Life at the same time I bought Ágætis Byrjun, excpecting more of the same), but more of a The American Analog Set type of way.

I got into Pinback through a podcast that is no longer active called HiMyNameIsMark. It was a music show run by the former bassist of blink-182 and (+44) who, believe it or not, is a very talented guy who knows a thing or two about music. About the time this podcast came out was the time I really started developing my own taste in music, due to the incredibly wide variety of genres that this guy would play. I really got the chance to decide for myself what sounds I liked and didn't like. The podcast got me into some of my favorite bands, like Limbeck and The Dismemberment Plan.

Blue Screen Life is a pretty nice little collection of songs by Pinback. I wouldn't call it a great album, because there are some songs that are gems ("Penelope," "West," "Seville," "Concrete Seconds") and some that just don't do anything to stand out ("Offline P.K.," "Bbtone," "X. I. Y."). But I do really dig Pinback's style, and it really hits the spot when I'm in the right mood. I would say that Blue Screen Life is pretty accessible to just about anyone, so please, download away!

Be sure to pay close attention to "Penelope." It's a great song about a dead goldfish with some brilliant lyrics.

Click here to download part 1 (52.85 MB)
Click here to download part 2 (53.36 MB)

Buy it!
CD / Digital Copy