Issue #58-D: The Postal Service – Give Up

Released:  February 19th, 2003

Recorded:  December 2001 – October 2002

Genre:  Indie Pop, Synthpop

Record Label:  Sub Pop

Duration:  44:59

Producers:  Jimmy Tamborello, Chris Walla

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Give Up is One of My Favorites

This is another one of those albums that I’ve been dying to get into.  Most of the albums that I have personal connections with are tethered to highschool events.  I remember listening to this a lot when I was dating so-and-so, or so-and-so and I used to go crazy to this album…that’s how most of these stories would begin.  Give Up is a little different; I discovered it right at the beginning of my college experience when the album was just a few months old.  It was a weird time.  It wasn’t exactly sad, it was just an intense time of transition.  It wasn’t so much the actual changes of being away from my friends or not seeing my parents or being away from my comfortable home life, it was the implication of these immediate changes when it came to the future.  It was about knowing that this was the end of something old and the beginning of something else.  It was knowing that nothing was ever going to be the same, and that sooner or later, “real life” was going to start.

And so it was that I found comfort in this quirky yet soothing music.  Give Up is uplifting but bittersweet.  It’s romantic and idealist and somehow fragile and bruised because of how different the “real world” really is.  It isn’t an issue of duality or comparison, it’s an amalgamation of feelings all wrapped up into one to create an entirely new feeling.  Am I getting a little too far out there?  Maybe so.  But I can clearly go back to how Give Up made me feel.  It was a pretty intense emotional time, and I collided with this album at the right time to impart serious significance upon it.

Let’s go back to late 2003.  “Emo” was becoming a huge driving force behind teens, and those of us on the cusp of our twenties were unsure how to react to this new breed of whiny-touchy-feel affect that was drifting into popular culture and replacing all the angst and frustration that we were used to.  A few college buddies of mine and I affectionately referred to Give Up as “techmo,” as a portmanteau of “techno” and “emo.”  This is a record oozing with tenderness, romanticism, self-pity, and slightly pretentious introspection.  But it’s still a fantastic album, and these sorts of themes are workable in metered doses.

This album (and entire project by extension, since they have yet to release anything further) was musical wet dream for fans of Death Cab for Cutie and Dntel.  I don’t and never have kept up with the scene, but I sure do remember hearing about it from everyone who I talked to about The Postal Service.  These two guys created Give Up largely through the mail (hence “The Postal Service”), building on each guy’s previous additions.  I always like to point this out because it further demonstrates how special the album is; these weren’t two guys who’d been in sync with each other for years or worked together all the time.  Just a couple of dudes building a record through the mail

The music of Give Up is crazy awesome.  I mean crazy awesome.  It’s all beeps and clicks and bloops, but they’re strung together beautifully.  Much of the synth has a chiptune feel to it, albeit in a more updated form.  Simple tones create soothing and peaceful soundscapes as well as catchy, danceable numbers, sometimes in the same song.  The rhythm section is fairly traditional, and though it may not stand out, it melds perfectly with its surroundings.  For all the tiny little elements running through these songs, they all come together to form a cohesive sound that could only be born of genius.

Gibbard’s vocals stay soft and almost childlike.  It’s a paradigm of sensitivity.  Normally I find this level of “sweetness” a bit too hokey to handle, but it really finds its place amid the luscious melodies and textures of Give Up.  He at least emotes well enough, and his G-rated voice takes us through the sad, the happy, the hopeful, the hopeless, and the hopelessly in love.  It’s endearing, even if it is self-serving, leaving plenty of opportunities to connect with the songs.  The addition of female vocals from Wood and Lewis maintain diversity and add a layer of dreaminess…in fact, “dream-like” is a good way of describing Give Up as a whole.  Production is flawless.  The sound is crystal clear and expertly balanced.

I won’t track-by-track this one, but I do want to hit on my absolute favorites.  These are all fine tracks, aside from the closing “Natural Anthem” which is more akin to experimental music than anything else that the album offers.  It’s out of place and I’d really like to know why the guys felt it necessary to tack it on.

“Such Great Heights” is probably the most well-known of the lot.  Poppy and infections, it’s difficult not to see the appeal here.  My favorite part is how Gibbard’s voice overlaps itself from line to line during the verses.  “Recycled Air” verges on the ethereal with its dense, drifting sound.  It’s a gorgeous melody, and there’s a neat little part where the chiptune element becomes apparent as it beeps along subtly with the rest of the layers.  Also of note is Lewis’ echoing of Gibbard’s words near the end.  “Sleeping In” uses a lively bass line and handclaps to create another upbeat, dancy track as Gibbard muses about what a happier world might look like.

“Nothing Better” is hands down my favorite cut from Give Up.  The conversation that plays out between Gibbard and Wood’s characters is clever, realistic, and colorfully worded.  It’s a pretentious little breakup story, but hugely entertaining.  When insisting that he won’t let his girlfriend leave, Gibbard uses a long-winded soccer reference that always makes me smile – “And I will block the door like a goalie tending the net / In the third quarter / of a tied game rivalry.”  Wood’s first appearance as the resolute initiate of the breakup is as forceful as Gibbard’s character is desparate – “I fell I must interject here / You’re getting carried away feeling sorry for yourself / With these revisions / And gaps in history.”  She continues, “So let me help you remember / I’ve made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear / I’ve prepared a lecture / On why I have to leave.”  I could go on.  It’s a neat little song even if it doesn’t end up so good for the couple.

The music in “Nothing Better” is equally impressive.  It’s the loud chime-like notes in the background that really distinguish it, as they pop in and out at offbeat rhythms and in seemingly dissonant combinations.  It’s beautiful in a random sort of non-traditional (musically speaking) way; The Postal Service nailed every second of it.

“This Place is a Prison” is a desolate piece, worth mentioning due to its use of the album’s usually bouncy synth to create a brooding, stagnant, and stale mood that effectively puts the concept of “prison” into aural terms.  “Brand New Colony” is another great composition featuring another strong melody.  The descending tune behind “Ev…..ry thing….will change…oooh” is beautiful in its simplicity and speaks to both the hope and bittersweet emotions consistent with a “change” of “everything.”

I’d also like to quickly acknowledge the vinyl version of Give Up since it’s one of only a handful of modern albums that I own on the format.  A few extras are tacked on; there’s a slow, lethargic, acoustic cover of “Such Great Heights” from the band Iron & Wine that serves as an impressive contrast against the original.  The mandolin that carries the melody is especially effective.  Also of note is the “Persistent Beat Mix” of “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” which takes the somber, offbeat original and turns it into a catchier and more beat driven track.  Remixes are too often bland and boring, though this is one of the few that I actually think improves upon the tone of the original.  Not that I have anything wrong with the original “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” but I do like how DJ Downfall turns it from wafting, airy song into a pulsating, head-bobbing type of track.  A reissue celebrating Give Up’s 10th anniversary includes the extra track found on the vinyl as well as others and 2 new song, ramping up the total number of tracks from 10 to 25.  This is a nice way to expand our short time with The Postal Service, but rest assured that the heart of their appeal lies in the album proper.

I fell for this album immediately after hearing it and it’s still an album I can get behind today.  It was one of the few CDs that I actually spent money on during my college years, which says a lot considering how disposable music was during that period.  Everyone who heard this was hooked and as well and it was nice to finally have discovered music that really appealed to the people I was around at the time; most of my “discoveries” were too far outside of the mainstream for them to enjoy.  The lyrics definitely represent a facet of emo and “scene” music that is often derided, but I can alternately forgive and appreciate the style in this context.  Carefully constructed layers of synth create a sound both familiar and refreshing, and it’s an album full of melodic complexity that most popular music will never touch.  Give Up is a rare convergence of unusual elements that appeals to most people’s sense of what “sounds good.”  It’s one of those oddball records out there that just works, and I suppose that Gibbard and Tamborello are content to leave it at that!

Written by The Cubist

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Written by The Cubist

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I collect as much video gaming paraphernalia as I can get my hands on, especially when it comes to hardware. With over 40 systems including oldies like the ColecoVision and Intellivision, obscurities like the CD-i and 3DO, and the latest and greatest including the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PS Vita, I get easily overwhelmed. Most of the time you can find me firmly nestled sometime between 1985 and 1995 when it comes to my games of choice, but I’m also having a great time seeing what the 8th generation has to offer.

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