This year marks the tenth anniversary of an album now synonymous with the contemporary counterculture – one that cemented the power of public opinion in regard to genre crossover, bringing together two different figures with a similar passion for the unique. The first, Ben Gibbard, was enjoying considerable success with the melody driven Death Cab For Cutie. The second figure arrived in the form of electronic producer Jimmy Tamborello. Although their mutual appreciation of electro-pop, or at least their drive to create something outside of the box that played to both of their strengths would eventually lead to the creation of Give Up, the foundations for The Postal Service were set some two years prior when Gibbard lent his vocals to ‘(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan’ on Tamborello’s then project Dntel.
The experimental nature of the track far outweighed anything to come on the unexpected full length collaboration. Whereas Give Up would push Gibbard’s melodies to the forefront, ‘(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan’ elevated the static sounds and electronic drum patterns. It may not have provided a definitive indication of things to come; nevertheless it demonstrated the resonance of the combination of the two musical directions. By no means was Give Up the first record to do so, yet it achieved excellence by utilising the unquestionable skills on offer – in particular Gibbard’s penchant for writing often simple but immensely addictive tunes.
The initial reaction to the album did not place it on the higher echelons it has since inhabited. Although Give Up garnered regular praise, questions regarding the simplicity of a number of tracks and misjudged lyrics reared their heads at regular intervals. Each element of the record was commended in turn yet the majority of the celebration was reserved for a select number of tracks – ‘Such Great Heights’, ‘We Will Become Silhouettes’ and ‘The District Sleeps Alone Tonight’ collected a large proportion of the praise. Again, it was Gibbard’s compositions that pulled these tracks together; some argued that ‘Such Great Heights’ for example relied so extremely upon the arrangement that the lyrics were seemingly redundant. That said, without Tamborello these compositions would have been scrapped or worse; resulted in a significantly substandard Death Cab For Cutie record.
Instead, Give Up became the underground monster it is now steadily over time. Something about the record struck all the right notes across the musical universe – breaking down perceived musical boundaries. ‘Such Great Heights’ received airplay across radio stations covering a multitude of genres, and dance-floors were equally filled in alternative and mainstream clubs – from rock to electronic, and from pop to indie. It signified that audiences were attracted by an engaging tune and a unique quality over genre boundaries.
Whether deliberately or not, The Postal Service stoked the fire by hinting at a follow up release that never materialised. By generating an air of mystery around the project the individuality of the record was elongated. Had the duo released a statement immediately discounting future releases the effect would have been minimal compared to the half album that never was – or the Chinese Democracy of indie as some would exclaim. The cult nature of the debut album was certified and the album began to soundtrack a generation.
Ten years later and The Postal Service are back. It began with a subtle logo on an isolated website, and morphed into a ten year anniversary tour, special edition LP and the promise of some new material. This new material will not arrive in the form of a full-length – instead the duo (with input from the ever-present Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame) plan to release a couple of new tracks squeezed onto a special edition version of Give Up. This is the sensible option; The Postal Service have built a legacy on ten tracks and risk altering what they have become should they choose to create significantly more. The band is likely to live on shrouded in an odd combination of secretiveness and glamour. As they take to venues across North America and Europe the reaction is destined to dwarf that of ten years back, and we plan on being front and centre.
You can hear the newest The Postal Service track ‘A Tattered Line of String’ below:
