Birds Make Good Neighbors
Merge
2005
Rating: 9 fat cardinals out of 10
The triangle of North Carolina has a long history of producing quality pop music, from The dBs to Dillon Fence to Superchunk and now The Rosebuds are putting the topic to task. This Raleigh-based husband and wife duo (with a little help from their friends) craft a brand of pop music that sounds like a throwback to the era of the Smiths, XTC and the like. "Bird Make Good Neighbors" is their sophmore release, but you wouldn't know that from just listening to the music - it is poignant and polished and mature in a way most bands and musicians aim for their entire careers. Some of the bombast from their first release may be gone but it has been replaced with a far better craft; Ivan's Morrissey-like vocals are as spot on as ever, and Kelly even steps to the microphone to lend a hand on one of the best tracks of the album "Leaves Do Fall" - a classic duet in the mold of any one of those Kris Kristofferson-and-(insert any one of the multiple female leads here) outings from the 70's. This album may fly under a lot of the tastemakers' radar, but that doesn't keep it from being one of the best albums of the year.
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