There are a few factors that played heavily into this week’s Artist of The Week. The first of which was, I needed a legend. I didn’t feel like looking back last week after finding a band like Retstavrant. When you see them live, you can’t help but want to tell people about them. The other factor was nostalgia. I spent this past weekend in the great city of Seattle watching two friends get married to each other. It’s a bit weird going back to my former home in these recent years. As I grow older the memories of my youth spent there fall further and further into the past. They start to seem less like memories, and more like a dream I had once. Details get hazy. Timelines are misconstrued. That’s what happens when you get older. It’s not so much the memories themselves that are important, it’s the spirit of the memories. We attempt to keep these memories intact the best we can by rehashing them in story form. So this weekend, surrounded by friends, after a few drinks, it was only a matter of time before we got into these stories. Stories from more innocent and albeit, more fun times, back when I was happy and hopeful.
When I first moved back to Seattle to finish up my high school career. I would have these long drives back and forth from my grand parents’ house to where all of my friends lived. During those drives I would listen to Seattle’s alternative station 107.7 KNDD ( The End). This was the peak of my happiness I think. I really didn’t are about anything. I had my whole future in front of me. This year was my reward for the time spent in the Midwest hellhole that was Carmel, IN. So I tired to find music, happy music, that matched this new found idealism. That was why I latched on to this week’s AOTW: Legend. It just sounded fucking pretty. It was uplifting. In no time at all I couldn’t get the songs out of my head. Soon I had bought the album and had it on repeat. What the hell had happened to me? I had gone from a kid who liked gutter hip-hop and grunge music to singing love songs in an attempted falsetto. At the time I thought it was kind of sad, but I look back know on the tenth anniversary of Give Up’s release and I think that I really would like to feel that way again, happy and most importantly hopeful. Good music is good music. This Week’s Artist of the Week: Legend is The Postal Service.
Ten years, ten fucking years. I feel old. That means it’s almost time for the high school reunion. Fuck that though. You’d have to pay me a fair amount to get me to attend that bullshit. Any one that I want to see from High School, I am still in contact with. Everyone else, I was more than happy to forget. Part of me thinks that Facebook really put a damper on the whole reunion thing. I don’t go ten seconds without being updated on someone’s life let a lone ten years. What do people talk about at those things anyways? Where was I? Oh yeah. Ten years since the first release from The Postal Service, comprised of Ben Gibbard (Death 
Cab for Cutie) and Jimmy Tamborello (DNTL) AKA The Postal Service. The album is ten songs that are electro pop perfection. The harmonies between Gibbard puts together are unrivaled. He might have the most heartbreaking voice in pop music.
This initial single I heard from the album was Such Great Heights, a barrage of blips and synth. That teamed up with Gibard’s poetic lyrics and angelic voice, create a treat for the lobes. Both the frontal cortex and ear variety. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this song since it’s release. If you haven’t heard it, you’re either lying about not hearing it to sound “cool” and “different”, or you’ve ben living under a rock or the past ten years. The accompanying video is futuristically beautiful and hypnotic. Kind of like 2001: A Space Odessy but without he acid trip bit in the middle.
Upon the release of Give Up the gentlemen of The Postal Service were greeted with praise from both general public, and critics. The music just made sense. It was one of those “right time” albums. 2004 was definitely the “right time” for a sweet, sad, yet poppy album that everyone could enjoy. Just like Garden State was that “right time” movie in 2005. The difference is, Give Up 
holds up, whereas everything aside from the Method Man scene in Garden State feels like it’s taking itself waaaay to seriously. You was on Scrubs Zach Braff!! Take your money, buy a nice home, and start a family. Quit being so damn sad.
The Postal Service went on a very successful and lucrative tour to follow up their album. Even though there are only ten songs, every single one of them is great. Their other most notable hit found on the record is The District Sleeps Alone Tonight. It’s more of the same drum machine, looped piano, and guitar, normally stuff I hate, but Gibbard ties it all together and makes something worthwhile. The guy is talented, and his voice is one that should be more recognized by music fans and critics alike as one of the best in the game.
Here’s something I learned in doing a bit of the old research for this piece. Jenny Lewis lends here pipes for the female harmonies on that track. That’s right. Rilo Kiely’s Jenny Lewis. We can all start dropping that factoid at parties now and look like the hippest assholes on the planet.
Despite the success of the Postal Service’s record, ten years have passed and the band has been quite adamant that there will not 
be another. BUT despite saying that for the past ten years……there still is no new album. There is a double disc reissue of Give Up featuring two new tracks and long with a ton of B-sides and remixes. One of these new tracks A Tattered Line of String. It’s a decent song. Not great. Good. To be honest, it’s just good to hear something new from Gibbard before he buries himself in his summer hobby: tweeting about Seattle Mariners baseball.
The Postal Service will again tour of Give Up in the coming months. This is exciting, but damnit dude, can’t you just hop on the computer and record eight more songs instead? Plus Ben doesn’t seem to take this touring thing too seriously. He posted this video with the headline: Postal Service Rehearsal: Behind the Scenes.
That’s cool dude, I’ll buy your reissue, and I’ll reflect on the good ole days. The biggest bum out of it all is the fact that my favorite Postal Service song of all time won’t be on the album. It’s a cover of Phil Collins’ song Take A Look At Me Now. It’s like I always used to say, Phil Collins songs are great, if only Phil Collins didn’t spend the whole time running them with his voice and drumming.
Check out the Postal Service. Sure they only have one album, but that means getting up to date on their stuff won’t take long at all.
Big Hugs,
Kelly
 
http://postalservicemusic.net/