In the About link to this blog, I mentioned that my favorite group of the moment is the Postal Service. There seems no better way to begin this blog than to investigate why I think that they occupy a special place in modern music.
The Postal Service - Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard
The group is an offshoot resulting from collaboration between Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and it's in this that we find the roots of the interesting combination that is the Postal Service's music. Dntel is an indie electronic band although, in songs like The Dream of Evan and Chan, they are already moving towards the development that finds its culmination the Postal Service.
Ben Gibbard is a lyricist and vocalist of rare talent and it is this meeting of electronic music and words that, by chance or intent, allows the Postal Service to set a new standard for subsequent electronic groups. The experiments of electronics have always been interesting but have generally held little meaning beyond the banal in the melodic or lyrical content produced. The Postal Service insists that it is time for electronics to grow up and enter the main stream of popular music. The result is that their music is both interesting and melodic, both catchy and possessed of a depth in the lyrics that is exceptional in any form of music.
The fact that the group has succeeded in making this breakthrough is extensively demonstrated by the number of covers to their songs on YouTube. Acapella groups in particular seem to be drawn to Postal Service songs but more traditional musicians are also having a go. The fact is that, for the first time, electronic music has become worthy of imitation and interpretation.
Take, for instance these few examples, culled from YouTube, of the Postal Service's best known song, Such Great Heights. The first is by Anaker and a violinist friend; not having the electronics, they have transposed the sounds to their instruments and produced a very effective version. Anaker's voice is light and subtle enough to capture the original feeling of the lyrics too.
In contrast, Alex has refused to mimic the electronic sounds, accepting that guitar alone cannot do so. Instead, he re-creates the song and makes it his own.
Finally, here is the Australian professional musician, Ken Folds, giving what I call the low tech version of what began life as an electronic piece of music. It is very effective in reproducing the feel of the original, yet is different enough to be worth doing.
There are multiple versions of this and other Postal Service songs littering the dark halls of YouTube, surely an indication that these are songs that bear repeating. At times, the acapella groups sound classical in their renditions and it all goes to illustrate the true strength of the original music. The Postal Service are not only experimental in what they do - they are also very gifted musicians.
The Postal Service - Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard
The group is an offshoot resulting from collaboration between Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and it's in this that we find the roots of the interesting combination that is the Postal Service's music. Dntel is an indie electronic band although, in songs like The Dream of Evan and Chan, they are already moving towards the development that finds its culmination the Postal Service.
Ben Gibbard is a lyricist and vocalist of rare talent and it is this meeting of electronic music and words that, by chance or intent, allows the Postal Service to set a new standard for subsequent electronic groups. The experiments of electronics have always been interesting but have generally held little meaning beyond the banal in the melodic or lyrical content produced. The Postal Service insists that it is time for electronics to grow up and enter the main stream of popular music. The result is that their music is both interesting and melodic, both catchy and possessed of a depth in the lyrics that is exceptional in any form of music.
The fact that the group has succeeded in making this breakthrough is extensively demonstrated by the number of covers to their songs on YouTube. Acapella groups in particular seem to be drawn to Postal Service songs but more traditional musicians are also having a go. The fact is that, for the first time, electronic music has become worthy of imitation and interpretation.
Take, for instance these few examples, culled from YouTube, of the Postal Service's best known song, Such Great Heights. The first is by Anaker and a violinist friend; not having the electronics, they have transposed the sounds to their instruments and produced a very effective version. Anaker's voice is light and subtle enough to capture the original feeling of the lyrics too.
In contrast, Alex has refused to mimic the electronic sounds, accepting that guitar alone cannot do so. Instead, he re-creates the song and makes it his own.
Finally, here is the Australian professional musician, Ken Folds, giving what I call the low tech version of what began life as an electronic piece of music. It is very effective in reproducing the feel of the original, yet is different enough to be worth doing.
There are multiple versions of this and other Postal Service songs littering the dark halls of YouTube, surely an indication that these are songs that bear repeating. At times, the acapella groups sound classical in their renditions and it all goes to illustrate the true strength of the original music. The Postal Service are not only experimental in what they do - they are also very gifted musicians.