Oh, how right that is.

A distinctly modern melange of nue wave, dance, alterna-pop, and synth, I'd best describe Postal Service as "Electro-indie". If you're a child of the 80s like me who grew up with New Order, OMD, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, no need to read further--you'll immediately love "Give Up".

In the midst of NYC's current electroclash craze which is so overhyped at times (gosh, just lay down some minimal synths and have some bored models chant vocals), Postal Service is the outstanding contender as the smartest electro band of the year with an album that's so emotional (melody-wise and lyric-wise), so beautiful, and so well-produced that it puts bands like Fischerspooner to shame. Jenny Lewis' angelic, trance-like girlish voice enhances Gibbard's boyish vocals. Catchy, simple-sounding but beautifully complex, every single track---and I mean every single one--is up to par.

notable faves are:

1- "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" - Angelic and soft, gradual fades of breakbeats, staccatos and instrumentals with enchanting melody and lyrics that speed up and slow down. Gorgeous.
4- "Nothing Better" - Electro pop at its finest. This duet is so unbelievably catchy, melancholic yet bubbly, sweetened with a bouncy bass line and perfectly placed tweaks and twiddles.
9- "Brand New Colony" - An emotional track intertwined with the twinkly theme from Super Mario Brothers. Brimming with nostalgia, you can hear the gold coins spinning and ka-chingin' as you make Mario jump.
10- "Natural Anthem" - A fierce, drum 'n bass-influenced track in the style of Aphex and other IDM'ers. The junglist in me loves this. A great way to end this five-star album.

But you'll find your own favorites. Every track was just so satisfyingly good, I nearly cried at the end. You just don't hear people making music like this nowadays.


Junkmedia.org Review- Such Great Heights   April 17, 2003
 134 out of 153 found this review helpful

Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard knew they were on to something good as soon as they finished collaborating on the track "(This is) the Dream of Evan and Chan." That compelling combination of Tamborello's melodic knob-twiddling and Gibbard's literate vocals and forlorn delivery was the triumph of Dntel's acclaimed 2001 release Life Is Full of Possibilities. Not long after that first collaboration, The Postal Service was born. The relative strangers began recording in December 2001, swapping tracks on CD-Rs through the mail.

Listening to the act's debut brings back the same sort of giddiness inspired in me by New Order's Low Life when I first picked it up a decade-and-a-half ago. The Postal Service expertly channels that adolescent spirit with an awkward blend of dance beats and melodic songwriting. However, the duo has updated the sound for the millennial set, pleasantly mixing Depeche Mode beats and bass lines, Pet Shop Boys melodies and Warp Records-styled twinkling tones and clicks. Orchestral samples and pseudo horns add an unusual flavor to "Clark Gable." Chunky, monophonic Casio-sounding keys tie the vocals to the beat in "Nothing Better."

Two of the album's highlights appear right at the front end of the record. The first song, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," leads with brooding organ, before beats saunter in and steadily cruise through the first verse and chorus to a clean, ringing guitar riff. A second chorus pumps even harder and defies you to not sing along. This despite a characteristically bumming realization repeated by Gibbard: "I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving" (Christ, Benny, just stick a fork through my heart, why don't you?). Track two, "Such Great Heights," has already been released as a single. The catchy number apes Rod Stewart's "Young Turks," especially the beat and understated arrangement, albeit in an electro fashion.

The remainder of Give Up is solid, though Gibbard's lyrics are less potent by the middle of the record, and Tamborello burrows perhaps a little too deeply into some of the thinner sounds of the cold '80s era that inspires him. "Sleeping In" stumbles a bit with Gibbard's trite invocation of the JFK assassination, but the murmured chorus, "Don't wake me, I plan on sleeping in," that drapes over a quiet acoustic guitar phrase is strong enough to carry the entire song.

Perhaps the only shortcoming of Give Up is that the adherence to pop shuts out some of the more interesting electronic elements explored on Life Is Full of Possibilities. "Natural Anthem" is probably the most adventurous Postal Service tune, utilizing a relatively heavy break-beat, a looping string sample and more aggressive production, but clearly the duo's strengths are geared more toward hit-making than trailblazing. So, while the record isn't necessarily an instant classic, the unabashed embrace of simple pop sensibilities, both old and new, make it a record that is hard to stop listening to.

Jay Breitling
Junkmedia.org Review


Something Different   June 5, 2003
 22 out of 48 found this review helpful

My friend told me about these guys about a week ago, and since then, I haven't stopped playing them. I haven't heard much like this before, but I do love it. Even if you don't like the beats, get the CD simply for the lyrics.

Background info: Singer [Ben Gibbard - DCFC] and DJ [Jimmy Tamborello - Dntel]. Named "The Postal Service" because they communicated by mail.
Best song: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Lyrics: 5 out of 5
Beats: 4 out of 5
Sounds like: a warped version of Radiohead

Definately add this to your collection if you like variety, or any kind of techno/electronica stuff (or, if not, if you're looking for great lyrics and can tune out the music). Plus, as an added benefit, you can always play it to make your parents and people on the street think you're strange... :)

Overall: 5 out of 5


Electroni-Pop Confection   April 8, 2003
 21 out of 27 found this review helpful

Postal Service: Give Up (Sub Pop Records).

Admit it. You've got a copy of that Justin Timberlake solo album hidden in your dresser, between the mattresses, or under your bed. You get it out when you're all alone and strap on the headphones and let that syrupy, saccharine white man electroni-soul ooze into your ears like so much cola that's sat in the sun for too long. You give yourself all you can take before you rip the headphones violently off of your head and fling them across the room before collapsing into a grotesque, nauseated heap, all the while repeating the mantra, "never again, never again..." But what's worse is the guilt, oh the guilt this shameless activity dumps on an ordinarily self-respecting music appreciator like yourself. The hairshirt, the ice-cold baths--you'd think you'd learn. But you don't. Within two days you're back swimming in the Timberlake (it's made of Kool-Aid) and it's the whole ordeal all over again.
Hey, I know. You want your pop, you want to shake it--and we all do. It's a human weakness. This is why Give Up, the debut album from the collaboration known as the Postal Service is such a revelation for kids like you and me. Yes, it's guilt be gone! Throw that Timberlake in the--well, you know. See, the Postal Service combines all the good elements of electronica, indie-rock and good old schlocky pop to make what is for the most part warm, ingratiating, intelligent music, guaranteed not to leave you too sticky. The Postal Service are Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab for Cutie's Benjamin Gibbard, who come from their seemingly unrelated musical poles and meet wonderfully in the middle. The collaboration was originally conceived as a one-time project for a song on the debut album from electronic act Dntel. The result was the sublime "The Dream of Evan & Chan," a song that left people clamoring for more. During the months that ensued, Tamborello and Gibbard worked independently on the project, with each completing a part or idea and mailing it to the other (hence, the name).
Tamborello, of course, took care of the musical programming while Gibbard contributed lyrics and vocals. Fans of Death Cab for Cutie will instantly recognize Gibbard's boyish croon, although the setting here is anything but indie-rock. Instead, contemporary comparisons can be made to recent groundbreakers in the electroni-pop marriage like the Notwist or the Magnetic Fields, with roots traceable to Low Life-era New Order and the Human League. Gibbard has in fact said that one song in particular on Give Up ("Nothing Better") was inspired by the Human League's "Don't You Want Me." The result is a back and forth that's as old as anything: the guy begging for another chance to make it right like he knows he can and the girl (here played by indie songstress Jen Wood) replying with a cool denial. The result isn't Shakespeare, but it strikes a certain something (she: "so please back away and let me go..." he: "I can't my darling, I love you so...").
Elsewhere finds Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis contributing background vocals that serve as the perfect match for Gibbard, most notably on the dense but undeniable "We Will Become Silhouettes." Lyrically, Gibbard turns in the kind of romantic, idealistic numbers that would sound corny over his regular rock & roll gig. He's a veritable Lord Byron on songs like "Brand New Colony," "Clark Gable," and the designated single "Such Great Heights." On paper, a line like: "I am thinking it's a sign/ that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images/ and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned..." sounds as cheeky as anything you'll get from J. Tim or J. Lo. Maybe it's the earnest delivery, maybe it's Tamborello's complex beats, but it actually works and eventually leads into what is easily one of the sublime chorus melodies of the year.
Give Up is by no means a perfect album, but it's certainly already achieved elevated status as far as collaborations go. What's more, no more sneaking around like a hormone-charged teen in the night to get your pop fix. No more hiding and guilt and shame. Give Up is an album you'll be proud to display on your living room coffee table, not to mention your stereo speakers.

Pure electroni-pop confection that lets you forego the Pepto Bismol. 8.1 out of 10


How could anybody not like this album?   January 3, 2005
 15 out of 44 found this review helpful

Well a couple turnoffs include the sickeningly dull, totally non-poetic lyrics and weak, emoish singing style. No not beautiful so much as realllllllllly sappy. A couple of the melodies are kinda memorable but in an annoying way. And come on people, can we maybe stop with the "anybody who loves music" will like this s%@*. I happen to LOVE music but not this. It's also insulting to bands like the Shins or New Order to be compared to this. For cool "warm" electronic check out Plaid's "Not for threes" or for cool catchy music try the Shins, the Strokes, the Pixies, Spoon, early Cure, the Smiths among countless others . Don't get duped into wasting money on one of the most overrated/hyped products around.