Welcome to the Occupation

The quirky, instrumentally creative sound of folk-fuzz rock has roots in bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Other Elephant 6 bands, who generally compliment the sound with absurd lyrical melodies and fantasy worlds. Postlethwaite follows in this musical vein, but the world he presents is quite real – our own – although he does his best to portray our current political mess as an absurd fantasy. He is mad and frustrated and this album is intense and emotional. Political/anti-war albums are dangerous ground. The music usually suffers and the lyrics fall to cliché and are thrown in your face. Postlethwaite does not fall victim to either. The music is strong, bouncing between rollicking guitar work over grand sonic landscapes, to morose lo-fi laments over rhythm guitar. The “Post-911/anti-war/anti-corporation” themes are pervasive throughout, but poetically abstruse enough to slip by unnoticed upon casual listen. The strong political message detracts from the music in the same way any art with an agenda might, but ultimately both the music and the message stand well on their own. Matt M.

* - play this song.
1. * Up-tempo - acoustic guitar and rhythmic noise – builds nicely into cacophony.
2. Fast – full band, slightly distorted vocals, electric guitar finish is cool.
3. Mid – pretty harmony/wailing instrumental – acoustic guitars.
4. Down-tempo – alt-country/beach boys – explicitly political, vocals dominate.
5. 45 seconds of noise.
6. Down-tempo – pleasant rhythm guitar with organ.
7. * Up-tempo – rocking layered acoustic guitar intro – heavy melody -
digresses into random noise for last minute.
8. * Mid – his best political lament. Piano – harmonies.
9. Down – tempo, quirky instrumental. Organ – harpsichord-like guitar sound.
10. Mid – builds with depth – acoustic guitar/organ – band comes in after 1/3.
11. * Ballad – acoustic/organ – folk – sing alongish, dynamic vocals.
12. Mid – electric guitar/organ instrumental.
13. Mid – sonic landscape – triumphant synthesizer, melodic piano, exotic dose
of marimbas that don’t suck.