The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low (Merge, 2011)

The Rosebuds
Loud Planes Fly Low
Merge
2011

Rating: 7.5 twin engine Cessnas out of 10

In the world of "indie rock", where the hot new band is always everyone's favorite band ever, The Rosebuds have become a known commodity, old hat, maybe even "has-beens" in some eyes. It doesn't matter if they are producing some of the best music of their career, it's just not going to get the shine of some 19 year old kid and his bedroom recording project that Pitchfork gives an 8.9. "Loud Planes Fly Low" is their fifth full-length record, making them veritable old-timers in this world, due for a break-up and reunion tour to shortly follow.

Musically speaking, this album feels like a continuation from 2008's "Life Like" it's neither the shiny pop of "Birds Make Good Neighbors" nor the dance rock of "Night of the Furies", but rather somewhere in-between. The songs often have a stripped-down feel to them, where a lack of instruments at times speaks louder than any guitar could. Letting the songs breathe or something like that, whatever musicians call it. "Woods" is the best song on the record, and easily one of my favorite songs of the year.

Lyrically, this album is probably pretty dense because it's the first record since Ivan and Kelly split up (they ARE the band, for those not aware), and no doubt much of the content deals with this situation. But honestly, I rarely if ever notice lyrics unless they are stupefyingly awful, and that certainly isn't the case here.