When Your Heartstrings Break

Beulah

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (373 ratings)

When Your Heartstrings Break album cover

01	Score From Augusta	2:54	$0.99
02	Sunday Under Glass	2:54	$0.99
03	Matter Vs. Space	3:00	$0.99
04	Emma Blowgun's Last Stand	5:21	$0.99
05	Calm Go The Wild Seas	3:01	$0.99
06	Ballad Of The Lonely Argonaut	2:29	$0.99
07	Comrade's Twenty Sixth	1:53	$0.99
08	The Aristocratic Swells	2:55	$0.99
09	Silverado Days	3:39	$0.99
10	Warmer	2:56	$0.99
11	If We Can Land A Man On The Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart	3:17	$0.99

Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Artist: Beulah (See All Albums by Beulah)
Date Released: Mar 25, 2000
Genre: Alternative/Punk, Style: Indie Rock
Label: BEULAH / Virtual

Total Tracks: 11 Total Length: 34:19

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eMusic Review 0

John Wray

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11

Beulah, When Your Heartstrings Break

2000 | Label: BEULAH / Virtual

Beulah excels at writing incorrigibly catchy pop anthems for the lovelorn milquetoast in us all, and their second record, When Your Heartstrings Break, is a grand collection thereof. No sophomore slump, this album expands upon the lo-fi sound of their first release with the welcome addition of some 18 guest musicians playing everything from tablas to French horns. At Beulah's core are songwriters (and former mailroom co-workers) Miles Kurosky and Bill Swan, who craft melodic and dreamy tunes that fit perfectly within the canon of their fellow bands in the Elephant 6 posse. Although they obviously share the now-predictable Beatles/Beach Boys fixation of their E6 ilk, Beulah manage to rise above the anxiety of their influences by infusing their songs with wistful humor. Their luscious orchestration shows to delicious effect on the mini-epic "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand," and the title of the final (and best) song on the record, "If We Can Land A Man On The Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart," sums up the bittersweet humor and longing of Heartstrings.

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Hope in brokenness

JakeR

If lines like "The lepers who claim to be pure cannot compare to the stupid summer days we used to share" from "Score from Augusta", or "They laugh and say your treasure's all fake but don't throw it away" from "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand" (a title referencing Neutral Milk Hotel of course), or even titles like "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart" chronicle a desperate hope for love lost that is 100 percent heart.

Their absolute best

mde7

I bought this album in late 1999 and spent the whole winter crushing on it (and the Chronic 2001). It's kind of perfect in its own skewed way and I'd put it up against any of the E6 albums other than In the aeroplane... Beautiful, lush indie pop.

Perfect Pop

Urthstripe

Music that fits perfectly within the Elephant 6 style. If you like any other Elephant 6 bands, you'll love this disc. Wonderful pop music, bouncy, and fun.

Something Old New

zhvugnah

This is a very good album. I want to say that before anything comes off negative. While I can't respond to comparisons to New Pornographers, I will make another very apt analogy. This band sounds EXACTLY like Built To Spill, but with horns and keys in the place of cronky guitar solos. Listen to the first track (even just the sample) and you will see. One difference for me was that the album as a whole didn't grab like my first BTS album. But the psychology of order of exposure surely plays a role. If you like BTS, this is great fun. If you don't know BTS, find the flavor of early-to-mid 90s indie rock all over again. Definitely recommended.

buy it. adore it.

katyorkestar

I grabbed this in a used record store in japan this summer sheerly out of boredom and because I remembered a reference somewhere in magnet magazine. Every track is a standout! in particular emma blowgun's last stand. I assure you that the clips do the tracks no justice. I have yet to tire of Beulah's wit and horn arrangement.

Speed it up or slow it down

SwellJoe

This record makes everybody smile. From the opening horns and weird percussion to the final notes it's a pleasant plateful of tasty rock and roll. It's a great travel record and will keep everybody in the car head-bobbing throughout--and if you can resist singing along to the final cut, you're a bigger curmudgeon than I (and that's pretty curmudgeonly). That said, it does have some weak moments...around about midway through, things begin to drag a little bit, but luckily "If we can land a man on the moon..." comes along to remind you that Beulah are your favorite pop band (at least they are while it's playing). Well worth it for fans of pop rock that is fun to sing along to.

Recommended Albums

They Say All Music Guide

Beulah’s sophomore record is another irresistible addition to the Elephant 6 canon — artfully texturing its infectious guitar pop melodies with lush strings, woodwinds, and horns (courtesy of no less than 18 guest musicians), When Your Heartstrings Break delivers fully on the promise of the group’s debut, Handsome Western States. What sets Beulah apart from their E6 peers is a straightforward pop sensibility that dreamier, more spaced-out counterparts like the Olivia Tremor Control or Elf Power lack — for all of their flourishes, the 11 tracks which comprise When Your Heartstrings Break are at their core simple love songs; under their ironic surface, Miles Kurosky’s lyrics possess a disarming sweetness which perfectly complements his buoyant melodies. Highly recommended. – Jason Ankeny