The Postmarks

postmarks.jpg

How lovely this sounds. Most of you are familiar with Swedish indie pop darlings The Concretes and The Cardigans, along with their use of sweeping orchestral arrangements and adorably light female vocals. It’s interesting to see that an American band from Florida is following in their footsteps, possibly with even more fulfilling and original results. The Postmarks handle their musical arrangements with a delicate touch, as backing strings, twinkling high keys, xylophones, and various other typically unoccasionally used instruments all make their contributions. The Postmarks cite Brian Wilson as a major musical influence (who doesn’t?), and the upbeat melodies do justice to the statement. Though it may seem to be a bit parallel, The Smiths are one of the band’s most vocal lyrical influences. This is shown in the bleak ‘Goodbye’, as singer Tim Yehezkely describes a rather cruel breakup, informing her ex-love that there is no particular reason to leave a key under the door mat since she won’t be coming back. That would be bleak, indeed.

‘Know Which Way The Wind Blows’ is sung in a light manner that reminds me a bit of Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura). The song has a bit of a Parisian theme once the first chorus hits, maintaining a melancholic mood throughout as Yehezkely carries the song over some beautifully woven keys and organ. ‘Leaves’ is just a remix of a Postmarks song, done by Roger O’Donnell (Psychedelic Furs, The Cure). The Postmarks will release their debut album in January 2007 on Unfiltered Records and I’m certainly looking forward to it.
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The Postmarks – Goodbye

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/pos-goo.mp3]

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The Postmarks – Know Which Way The Wind Blows

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/pos-kno.mp3]

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The Postmarks – Leaves (Roger O’Donnell remix)

[audio:https://obscuresound.com/mp3/pos-lea.mp3]

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Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

Send your music to [email protected].

4 Comments

  1. […] Ever since I posted about The Postmarks about a month ago (here), they have been critically acclaimed blog darlings. According to Elbo.ws, ‘Goodbye’ was the “#1 most blogged track” from September 11th to October 4th, however that would be calculated. This isn’t hard to believe though, as the song is simply irresistable in terms of overall catchiness with the very delightful Swedish pop-like sound. The group from Miami even scored a spot on Grey’s Anatomy and they haven’t even released an album yet! Their debut is scheduled for January 23rd on Unfiltered Records. In the mean time, they released a Remixes EP for two released tracks: ‘Goodbye’ and ‘You Drift’. Remixes for a band with only a couple of songs released? How does that happen? Well, it just gives you an idea how hyped this band actually is. To make it better, the songs were actually remixed by some prominent names, including James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins) and Tahiti80. It’s nice to hear at least something from Iha, who has released nothing since the Pumpkins’ breakup (sadly, he is not involved in their reformation). […]

  2. It was great getting James to do a remix, and his solo record “Let It Come Down” is a favorite of ours. Thanks for the support!

    Jon

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