As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, 2004 was a bittersweet year for me; full of great moments and not so great ones. Its summer was soundtracked mostly by the one and only album by The Postal Service (equally bittersweet), a great album, but one I, unfortunately, played to death. You won't find it here mostly for that reason.
As the summer drew to a close, I found myself in the possession of 'Last Exit' which I'd heard about via Sister Ray's mail-order catalogue. Still buzzing from my Postal Service electropop fix, I relished the thought of more music that was -ostensibly at least- in a similar ballpark. Of course, the two albums don't really have anything in common other than perhaps genre, and for that reason, I didn't warm to 'Last Exit' too much at first. At first listen, whilst I enjoyed the clearly Timbaland-inspired beatwork (in all its stuttered, palpitating glory), the songs seemed too measured, the vocals too restrained and uncertain, and the lyrics too oblique. I listened to it a few times but remained largely indifferent and unmoved by it all.
A few years on, and after many occasional plays, the album started to grow on me; REALLY grow on me, and my original criticisms became things I started to enjoy most about the record. The seemingly oblique lyrics were now poetically charming (even at their most obtuse), and the measured pace of the album gave the songs a languid, slow-burning feel. And so, with beautiful irony, I realised I liked 'Last Exit' way more than the album I'd originally dismissed it in favour of. The Postal Service's poppy sugar rush had worn off long ago, replaced by the slow creep of Junior Boys' modestly stylish debut. Again, it's not my intent to compare these albums, I only mention this to underscore just how 'Last Exit' grew on me, overtaking an album I seemed to love way more back when I first heard them both. It really is funny how things go sometimes.
So, far from being bittersweet, 'Last Exit' has stayed with me as an album that recalls the beginnings of good things, and serves as a reminder that sometimes, slow and steady really does win the race.
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