AWmusic

In this album, the band still manages to keep to their core of quirkiness and fun, with perhaps more of a refinement in the overall production and arrangement of the album. Even the simplest song seems to have some complicated arrangement to it. Perhaps that can be accounted for through all the vocal harmonization found throughout the entire album, something that wasn’t as experimented with in their previous record. Sometimes the band even manages to sound something like the Polyphonic Spree, especially “Honeymoon,” where the music is so absolutely uplifting. The acoustics are also something to be mentioned about: the sounds are clean, crisp, and lack anything but fullness to it. Despite the fact that the band does not blatantly try to enunciate, I can still hear every pronunciation. This is really a finely produced album.

Bombadil have the power to be elusive–while they sing and play in a way that makes you want to jump for joy, their prose sometimes don’t fare so well. While the lyrics are quirky, they often share stories about every day human experiences (oh how serious now!), such as a person having a bad, and thus quite meaningless, birthday (“Sad Birthday”), or a pretty ironic (but sweet) take on a fight (“Reasons”): Well when I’m the reason you get mad, consider when you never had a reason to be quite so angry for it all.

Interestingly enough, an instrumental track titled “Prologue” actually sits in the middle of the album, which has a beat appropriate for a rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy.” It is full of strange sounds of synths, perhaps the only electronic track on the entire album. I wondered the significance of this, and am still baffled. But a theme must be emerging, somehow. This album also features a song sung in Spanish, “Laurita.” I have no idea what they’re singing, and they could be plotting murder through song really, but it still sounds so good. Typically it does have a Latin tone musically, but it still maintains a Bombadil temperament. Which goes to show that while Bombadil considers themselves as folk rock, they really do cross genres a bit, but still are able to find their own place in the middle of it all.

Overall, this is a fantastic album and I couldn’t have expected any less. I’m still rooting to see them live one day. Unfortunately on their MySpace last month, they posted that their tour was canceled due to fellow bandmate Daniel having severe tendonitis. The band is currently off any sort of performing, and did not perform at their album release party. Get well soon, Daniel!

MP3s:
Bombadil – Honeymoon
Bombadil – Reasons
Bombadil – Oto the Bear

Tags: album