Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/02/2006
On his first full-length solo release,
Posies frontman
Jon Auer delivers more of the melodic, heartfelt
pop that longtime fans have come to expect. Harking back to the pristine and deliberate
Baroque pop of
the Posies'
Dear 23 with a bit of
Frosting on the Beater's epic
rock thrown in for good measure,
Songs from the Year of Our Demise is a deeply thoughtful and obviously personal album. Tracks such as
"Bottom of the Bottle," "The Likes of You," "My Sweet Unknown," and
"You Used to Drive Me Around" find
Auer ruminating over such dark topics as alcoholism, strained parent/child relationships, and failed romances. The sparkling fretwork of
Auer -- an oft underrated guitarist -- is on display throughout and he's even expanded his aural palette to include a pleasant blend of organ and Mellotron. Having been involved with both the re-formed
Big Star and the reunited
Posies projects (
In Space and
Every Kind of Light, respectively), both of which fell somewhat short of each band's past work, it's nice to hear
Auer in top form here.
~Matt Collar, All Music Guide
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