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Avg: 4.0 (169 ratings)
- Date Released: October 7, 2008
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Merge Records
A varied fourth album from Tarheel indie-rockers
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We Say...
As far as indie-rock couples go, Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp — the songwriting duo behind Raleigh, N.C.'s Rosebuds — have evolved from Mates of State-style immediacy to a Yo La Tengo level of bliss. But from the hook-a-minute guitar-pop honeymoon that was 2003 debut The Rosebuds Make Out to 2007 new-wave excursion Night of the Furies, the Rosebuds haven't followed anyone's fakebook but their own.
Their fourth album Life Like is the band's most varied collection to date, balancing the stylistic tendencies of singer/guitarist Howard and keyboardist/singer Crisp: They spent formative years absorbing anthemic '90s indie rock (Guided By Voices, Superchunk) but, deep down, they're Cure-loving Southern goths. The title track slinks in with an Interpol bass thud and bleak guitar chime, while "Black Hole" finds Crisp cooing in an echo chamber of drum machine and synth. At times, it seems as if the Rosebuds have made a shoegaze album without actually using the genre's vertigo-inducing effects pedals. The ethereal-pop vibe rarely persists more than a couple songs, however, before the album is grounded with a sing-along acoustic-guitar strummer such as "Nice Fox" or the carefree, whistled-melody score "Hello Darlin."
So what, if anything, holds Life Like together? The songs are loosely inspired by family stories and local folklore; parse the lyrics to the title track, for example, and you can interpret it as a song about a Sasquatch/wildman living in the Carolina pines. Beyond that, Life Like is bound by a persistent air of dark mystery, creeping romance and dream-state reverie — which, oddly enough, is not like real life at all. -
They Say...
On their fourth full-length album, Life Like, the Rosebuds take a step back from the nearly overwhelming gothic darkness of Night of the Furies and return to a sound and feel reminiscent of their first album and EP. Not that the lyrics suddenly became all sweetness and light, they are still delving into gloomy matters and tackling murky emotions with abstract and poetic language. The fact that the musical backing is less synthetic and heavy than that of Furies makes Life Like an easier listen though, some of the tracks even have hit potential. "Cape Fear"'s hooky melody and Kelly Crisp's snappy vocals make a tale of man-eating catfish and third-degree burns palatable, "Bow to the Middle"'s bouncy beats and singalong chorus are tailor-made for indie rock dance clubs, and "Another Way In"'s somber Cure-ish atmosphere would fit well on late-night rotation. The glimmers of sunlight that break through the clouds intermittently on Life Like don't make the record any less of an emotionally charged affair, as Ivan Howard still sounds like every word he sings means the world to him, the arrangements still have plenty of drama, and the album has impact, both lyrically and musically. The subtlety with which they handle a song like the lyrically powerful "Nice Fox" is commendable, another band might have piled on the dramatics and instruments and made a pretentious mess of things but the Rosebuds don't. They show restraint and the album succeeds because of it. Indeed, their light touch and unfailing ability to deliver un-telegraphed emotional punches on Life Like make the album a strong addition to the Rosebuds already impressive catalog.
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| 01. |  |
Life Like |
3:14 |
|
| 02. | |
Cape Fear |
2:27 |
|
| 03. | |
Border Guards |
3:38 |
|
| 04. | |
Bow to the Middle: Religion Of Politics |
2:30 |
|
| 05. | |
Nice Fox |
3:28 |
|
| 06. | |
Another Way In |
3:10 |
|
| 07. | |
Concordia Military Club |
5:01 |
|
| 08. | |
Hello Darlin |
2:13 |
|
| 09. | |
Black Hole |
3:49 |
|
| 10. | |
In the Backyard |
3:51 |
|
10 Total Tracks, 33:21 Total Length
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Credits
- Chris Stamey - Mixing // Brent Lambert - Mastering // Wesley Phillips - Drums // Jim Brantley - Assistant // Eddie Pellino - Choir, Chorus // Daniel Hart - Violin // Kelly Crisp - Choir, Chorus // Zeno Gill - Assistant // Sarah Pasell - Choir, Chorus // Maggie Fost - Design // Maggie Fost - Layout Design // Justin Vernon - Guitar // Justin Vernon - Assistant // Matt McCaughan - Drums
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