The Pelican’s Perch

Grand Archive’s self-titled Sub Pop offering was released February of this year.  I literally had it sitting in my 2008 folder that long without even coming close to listening to it.  You’d be surprised just how many albums from this year I have sitting unlistened like this one.  I always say I’ll get to them, but honestly, it takes a fluke super bored night like tonight to get me bored enough to think, let’s give one of those album a shot!  What d’ya say?

Well, it’s a good thing I decided to check out Grand Archives seven months too late, because it’s quite the great pop number from a group of guys from Seattle, where pop music is definitely not the norm.  Grand Archives is the project from ex-Band of Horses singer/guitarist Mat Brooke, who left Band of Horses in the middle of Everything All the Time seeing all kinds of success, and he never really looked back as Band of Horses released another album and just got bigger and bigger.  But, listening to his new band’s songs, it’s pretty clear he’s happy with the choice he made.  No one writes upbeat songs like these if they’re feeling down about life.

As I keep listening to this album, it’s becoming clear to me why I never got past that first listen.  It’s one of those “you have to give it a chance” albums that I find nearly impossible to pass on to people, and equally impossible to take seriously when one is offered to me by a friend.  See the Catch-22 there?  This self-titled album easily blends in to the dreamy pop genre among countless other bands, and for that very reason I passed it up initially.  But, it’s undeniable after having it playing for three hours on repeat that the songs grow on you fast.

I either didn’t pay attention around the time Sub Pop released this album, or just ignored the reviews, but I have no idea how well this album was recieved.  I imagine somewhat well considering Brooke had the whole Band of Horses backstory for the Pitchfork crowd to latch onto.  But either way, whatever the reviews ended up being and however well their tour went, it’s all moot to me at this point.  I’m listening to the album now, enjoying the heck out of it, and am simply happier at the moment because of it.  Sometimes finding an album this late after it’s release is better because there’s no hype, no horde of reviews to wade through just to figure out if the writer liked it or not behind their moutains of pointless metaphors, and simply no one talking about it.  I’m probably the only one listening to it out of anyone I know.  And you know what, that’s just fine with me.

Grand Archives
Grand Archives
Perch Score: 7.577