The Postmarks : Memoirs At The End Of The World

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/thepostmarksmemoirsSm.jpg" alt="The Postmarks: Memoirs At The End Of The World" />Quite possibly the smoothest album of the year. ...
The Postmarks
8.5 Unfiltered
2009 

The Postmarks’ second original album, Memoirs at the End of the World, might be the classiest record you hear all year.  Putting San Diego to shame, the Miami-based trio loads it up with shimmering lounge-pop combined with clever twists and slick-backed production.  Memoirs… is a charmingly seductive affair: full of smoky melodies and a wonderful array of old school rhythms.

From the opening, 007-esque "No One Said This Would Be Easy", the band strongly establishes one of the album’s main themes: elegance.  Lush orchestration blends with a mellow rock movement while singer Tim Yehezkely’s dry delivery smoothly fills in the gaps.  From there, the album jumps around various levels of energy while maintaining a glamorous atmosphere.   The ’60s-twee romp "My Lucky Charm" is the most up-tempo offering on Memoirs… while "Run Away Love" and "I’m In Deep" shows off the threesome’s complex understanding of moods.  

On Memoirs…, The Postmarks subtly execute a substantial amount of experimentation without disrupting the ultra-cool vibe.  The harpsichord-and-digitally enhanced jam "For Better Or Worse?" is a powerful example of their ability to blend throwback and modern sounds with ease.  The slow acoustic dirge "All You Ever Wanted" is based on circularly strange (but fantastic) percussion while a sitar and swirling brass accentuate it.  The closing track "Gone" ends the album on a well-chilled note, as several layers of chamber-pop gorgeousness flow in a deep current.  

It’s almost guaranteeable that you’ll struggle to find a cooler album than Memoirs at the End of the World this year.  It’s sexy, innocent, careful and care-free at the same time and filtered through stratospherically skilled production.  If this is what the end of the world sounds like, we’ll all be pretty relaxed about it.

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