Our Land Brains

SnowglobeOur Land Brains (Reissue)Often regarded as the best year for music this decade has yet seen, 2002 saw so many great albums released that a few true gems went largely unnoticed. One of those records in particular, Snowglobe’s debut, Our Land Brains, slipped past even the most aware ears, getting a few lines of sparkling press before falling mostly into obscurity. Given that the band - then led by chief songwriters Brad Postlethwaite and Tim Regan (who sound almost identical) - went on to release two more albums, it’s apparent that some folks our there did perk to the band’s thirft store sound. With all three albums now made available again as reissues, the hardcore fans have spoken, and thus the amazing Our Land Brains (and it’s pretty damn good follow-ups) is getting a second trip around the indie rock block.

Directly or indirectly, let’s face it, most indie rock singers learned how to howl from one of four people: Brian Wilson; Paul McCartney; Black Francis; or Ray Davies. Regan and Postlethwaite, despite crafting Beatles- and Beach Boys-inspired melodies, take from someone else - someone who more and more seem to be taking from every year: Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum. Their vocals always warm and nearly broken, the boys from Snowglobe howl their way through Brains’ 13 proper tracks, creating a friendly, welcoming mood while singing well written tunes that thrive off of the band’s “kitchen sink” version of indie rock.

Recorded just before every twentysomething with tight jeans started building studios on their computers, Brains offers a full, ambitious sound - one that’s presented in a very lo-fi, D.I.Y. manner. There are gobs of different instruments used, everything from organs to trumpets to saws and chimes. Bongos, even. And we get the sense that this quartet (Regan and Postlethwaite are joined by Jeff Hulett and Brad Robertson) knows how to play all these crazy instruments just enough to make it work. Big, fuzzy Neutral Milk-inspired swells come and go, always aiding the excellent writing and unique singing in a way that brings to mind a number of fuzzy Elephant 6 bands (Apples In Stereo, anyone?).

Opening with the stellar (and downright epic) “Waves Rolling,” we immediately get the sense that Snowglobe were aiming high - knowing their influences but also assured in their own creative abilities. By the time song-of-the-decade candidate “Dream Works” kicks in we’re hooked - this is an amazingly talented and creative band. Other highlights, such as “Big City Lights” (a heartbreaker about leaving your college scene behind) and the instantly loveable “Smiles and Frowns,” should seal the deal on Snowglobe’s standing as one of the decade’s most overlooked bands. It’s sad, really, to listen to this record and think of what these guys could’ve done had more folks paid attention. (Okay, they’re still kinda, sorta together, but, you know.)

One thing I think we can all agree on is that 2002 was a very alive year for most of us. Times were wild and uncertain, and many of us - this writer included - needed doses of beauty and inspiration more than ever. Looking back now, seven long years later, I remember this record and its forever approachable and embracing tunes. Times again tough, it seems fitting that this record find new ears - I only hope it does for others what it did and still does for me. Warm. Fuzzy. Comfortable. Timeless.    9/10

Written by G. William Locke