Pinback
Autumn of the Seraphs
September 11th 2007
Touch and Go Records

For me Pinback represents everything that is good about “California” music. By this I mean they sound how I conceive California to sound in my head. Autumn of the Seraphs is possibly their most “California” album to date. In Devil You Know, a hip hop lilt pacifies what otherwise might be considered a thrash metal riff. Some readers may question my hardcore connection, but just listen to that dark beat. It is death metal smoking chronic in a custom hydraulic hooptie banging The Police along Pacific Beach at 15 miles per hour. It is quintessentially Pinback, although Sting practically wrote the intro to Blue Harvest (!!!Sendin’ out an SOS!!!).

Autumn of the Seraphs is a record far more produced than previous efforts. However, it does not sound as if its achieved warmth was fabricated post production. Conversely, the drum sequences add a methodical cadence to the already imminent beats. Pinback’s strength and uniqueness have always come from the interplay between the bass and drum. How We Breath sounds as if the band were trapped in a clock smith’s workshop. They, after hours of isolation, set into motion pendulums, chimes and other metronomical instruments, culminating into a beautiful concordance of time keepers.

Autumn of the Seraphs’ best track Walters suffers from a deep melancholy. As the song progresses the tempo increases and piano melodies are added until it erupts with heavy handed toms and snares along with unexpected distortion. Delicious! Pinback has the consumability of a toasted marshmallow stuffed with all the indie-pop you can handle. With synthesizers, and a healthy dose of vocal layering, this San Diego duo has made a record that is moody, pervasively sultry, and irrevocably cool. Pinback did not set out to redefine themselves with Autumn of the Seraphs, rather they have obviously sought to further elucidate their signature sound. Autumn of the Seraphs is nothing new, but it is a great addition to their heavily influential and highly regarded catalog.

6/9

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Other Music
Pinback- 1999
Blue Screen Life- 2001
Some Voices EP- 2002
Offcell EP- 2003
Summer in Abaddon- 2004