It's really hard to not like a band like
Limbeck, especially when they're releasing albums like this self-titled one that is full of warm, jangly and sun-soaked, countrified pop that is equal parts
Beach Boys,
Wilco and
Tom Petty. Tender vocal harmonies and an innocent, hungry sort of charm drive the songs, which further own the perfect amount of fullness thanks to bits of organ, brass and string littered throughout. The album is a relaxed affair that's missing the stubble-faced grit that makes most country-flavored indie bands perfect for hovering over a bar counter all night throwing back shots of whiskey -- see the gentle percussive stomp of "Bird Problems" and the interstate longing of "Let Me Come Home" -- but what is lacking in the area of drunken misery,
Limbeck makes up for in buoyant and welcoming tunes perfect for those moments when life isn't just a mess. This is for road trips with friends (preferably driving through some arid desert with miles and miles between each broken down rest stop), walking down the street on a summer day with the sun beating down on your face, or those moments when the most immediate concern is that "the wind keeps blowing the dust in my face and rearranging my hairdo." The restless energy of cuts like "Keepin' Busy" and "Wake Up" break up the largely mellow album nicely, though it's really songs like the early morning narrative of "Sunset Limited" that shine. These dusty accounts are little snapshots of life on the road that aren't without uncertainty, killing time alone, and broken hearts and cars, but are ultimately about the friends, family and people you meet along the way that make it all worthwhile. At one point, lead vocalist
Robb MacLean sings, "I just want to be content no matter where I am." Well as long as this album is playing on the stereo, you're halfway there. ~ Corey Apar